7 Elements of a Perfect Social Media Video
Marketing on social media has evolved and become more dynamic than ever. Through the years, new formats have been popping up, challenging business owners and marketers to keep up and find more engaging ways to reach their audiences.
One of these formats? Video.
Just look at the numbers. Twitter sees 1.2 billion views a day on its platform. Facebook has a daily viewership of 8 billion strong. Instagram’s stats, on the other hand, show that its engagement rate for video content is 38% more than photos or static content.
If you want to be effective at marketing on social media, video is a format you should be getting into.
Creating a social media video that rakes in views and pushes engagement, however, is easier said than done.
Luckily, we’ve compiled the seven things you have to check for when it comes to planning your videos, uploading them on social media, and hopefully, improving impressions for your brand.
KNOW YOUR PLATFORM
No two social media platforms are the same, and this holds true for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.
The user base of each platform varies from one another. Just to cite an example: Facebook is used by Americans across various different demographic groups, while those aged 18 to 24 are more likely to use Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.
Not only is this important when it comes to determining your messaging per platform, it also allows you to figure out which platforms to prioritize efforts and spending on.
(Tasty’s videos have different orientations: vertical for on IGTV and horizontal for Facebook.)
Another thing to keep in mind is that each platform has its own specs—and the same goes for any particular tool you use within the platform. Typical Instagram ads or content, for example, favor square or horizontal videos, while Instagram Stories and IGTV are better for vertical content.
So instead of shooting your videos and cropping them to fit different formats, try thinking ahead and planning around the platforms instead.
PLAN YOUR CONTENT
Of course, planning your videos doesn’t just mean paying attention to social media platform specs. Quality content requires strategy in terms of the general messaging of your campaign, the objective of each video, and the schedule of content release.
A good strategy spells the difference between getting great engagement rates on your content and wasting a great deal of time and investment on videos that aren’t even getting any views. (Read more about creating a content calendar here.)
OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE
According to tech predictions, mobile will soon surpass TV as people’s main source of entertainment. And with virtually every person owning a smartphone, this really comes to no surprise. That’s why when it comes to creating video content, optimizing for mobile is a must.
Mobile means mobility, which also means that people browsing on their phones are more likely to be using data than WiFi. Make sure that your videos are viewable despite the unreliable browsing speeds.
Mobility also means that people could be watching your videos in public or while in transit—and without headphones, they’re more likely to view content without the sound on.
Knowing this means editing videos to be more visual and effective without the need for sound. If you’ve got important points you have to get across, make sure that your videos have subtitles on or supers on key frames.
(Vox videos on Twitter include playful subtitles.)
PLAY WITH VISUALS
More than anything, videos are all about visuals. Luckily, you don’t have to rely on fancy equipment or complicated editing software to create great content. If you’ve got a good smartphone, you’re good to go.
After shooting, simply run your videos through an editing app you could download from your app store. One worth trying is Instasize—with a few taps on your screen, you can easily edit your film, add text, play around with borders, and upload to your social media platform of choice as soon as you’re done.
MIND THE TIME
It takes eight seconds to capture someone’s attention.
Keeping this in mind, it’s important to edit your videos in a way that lures people in or gets your point across within those first few frames.
If you’ve got a number of key points to get across, like when you’re translating a blog into video, try streamlining them and supplementing them with text on the screen. (Read more about turning your blog posts into videos here.)
Another reason to mind the time? Each platform has a different video limit. Instagram Stories, for example, is limited to 15 seconds, while Twitter videos can go as long as 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
Knowing how long you can go or how short you should keep things allows you to optimize your video content for the allotted time you have.
MAXIMIZE YOUR CALL TO ACTION
As we mentioned in point #2, strategy is important. Each video you create should start with a specific brand goal in mind, and end with an appropriate call to action.
Are you aiming to use video content to drive traffic to your blog or your store? Add a button that allows your viewers to click through to your site.
Or maybe you’re simply looking to improve engagement for your brand? End your video with an engaging question that invites viewers to share their views on your comments section.
TO CONCLUDE: LEARN FROM ANALYTICS
Video is a great format to use for marketing your brand, especially when utilized efficiently. When it comes to mastering the format, following tips and tricks can only get you so far—what’s important is to keep exploring and to keep learning.
So take advantage of the analytic tools that come with the social media platform you market on. Always take note of your engagement rates, view counts, and daily visits, and aim to improve all numbers.
Figure out the best time to post, which content to boost and invest on, and see how you can keep using your videos to keep your audience entertained, informed, and more importantly, hooked on your brand.
Author bio
Natasha Ponomaroff is the Senior Marketing Director of Instasize – a content creating tool kit for anyone editing photos and online content on mobile. A weekly contributor on the site’s blog, Natasha tracks social media trends and updates the millions of “creatives” who are currently using Instasize to curate awesome online content. When she isn’t writing up the latest trend, Natasha is overseeing a team of 10 over at the Instasize HQ – ensuring that the marketing content on the apps various social platforms is ready to go.