The moving visuals have been keeping us entertained for well over a century now. If you take a look at any social media platform today, you'll find global brands and market-leading influencers all vying for their audience's attention via cutting-edge video content. In fact, video has become an important marketing channel and the most powerful content format on social today.
85% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, with a whopping 92% of marketers agreeing that it has become an integral part of their social marketing strategy.
According to Hubspot, 99% of marketers using video reported that they plan to continue doing so over the course of this year. 95% of them are even planning to up their investment in video marketing. Hence it's fair to say that video content has officially taken over the social marketing world – and it seems that this trend is here to stay.
More brands are ramping up on their social media video content production efforts, so it becomes crucial to maximize every second of the footage you put out there. Knowing some effective principles to make your videos worthwhile can go a long way in creating scroll-stopping social media videos.
Make yourself comfortable, as we reveal some of the most closely guarded secrets regarding social media video creation today.
Table Of Content
- How To Harness The Power Of Social Media Videos?
- Additional Tips To Create Captive Facebook Video
- Tips To Create Stunning Instagram Video That Drive Business
- Rules To Create The Perfect YouTube Video
- Tools To Create Social Media Videos
- Analyze Your Video Performance: Nail Your Performance Using The Right Set Of Data
You can directly jump to a section of your choice or keep scrolling.
How To Harness The Power Of Social Media Videos?
Is your brand thinking about venturing into the online battleground of social media video campaigns? Here, we have compiled a few insider secrets that will prepare you to harness its almighty power.
Tip #1: Plan Your Strategy & Have A Compelling Purpose
Behind every successful marketing campaign is a well thought and crystal-clear strategy. Video content stands no exception to this rule. That's why it's always recommended that brands begin by thinking about their overall strategy.
Consider the end goal while designing how a successful campaign would look like. Think about the quantitative results you want to achieve from the campaign. Then plan a crystal clear strategy to get you there. The more informed your strategy is, the better results you can earn – and that's a non-legally binding promise.
A few questions that can help you map out a better strategy:
- Why are you creating this video?
- What can the viewers gain after watching this video?
- Who can be the audience of this video?
- Are you providing valuable content that meets the audience's needs?
Once you have the answer to these questions, you will have much more clarity about video creation and can take it up from there. You should then focus on your basics and how you can put your ideas into a vision.
Tip #2: Upload Native Video Content
Any social platform always prioritizes native videos uploaded to its platform over external video links from sites such as YouTube.
It has been found that native Facebook videos perform 10x better than direct YouTube links.
Quintly conducted an extensive study wherein they analyzed 167,000 Facebook profiles and 6 million posts and discovered that native Facebook videos received 478% more shares and 110% more interactions.
There are two possible reasons for this:
- Almost in any social platform, native videos begin to autoplay as you scroll down your feed, but external videos need to be manually played.
- Native videos are played within the platform's environment, whereas other videos play on an external page that requires viewers to leave the platform to watch the video.
And both these factors play a huge role in improving the user's experience on the platform.
This makes native videos a favorable option not just for the platform but also for creators who wish to grow on the platform.
Bonus: If you manage multiple profiles and want to avoid the hassle of getting logging to every profile to upload the videos, give a try to Statusbrew's Publish feature. You can also customize each post & publish it to multiple social profiles with live previews.
With configurable workflows & approval permissions, you can collaborate with your entire team for content planning, strategizing, and publishing.
Tip #3: Use Illustrated Videos
With such a large number of creators all trying to get their viewers' attention, it's getting hard for brands to cut through the noise.
Another boring explainer video or a talking head just won't do the trick. You need engagement, & an animated video will help you get it. Illustrated videos work well when you are trying to create videos to meet the bottom of funnel objectives or influence sales.
The top reason why illustrated videos work better than other video types are:
- Illustration evokes emotions that resonate with the audience
Such a fine example of illustration is Google's Doodle. These cute cartoons always make us want to click on them.
Image Source: Google
- Illustration simplifies complex topics. Using animation in your explainer videos, you can easily show how mechanisms and processes work.
An excellent example of using illustration for explanation is TED-Ed videos.
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Illustration brings back memories since most of us associate cartoons with our good old childhood memories. Illustration makes us nostalgic.
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Illustrated videos cost relatively low to produce. One of the major advantages of using illustration in social media videos is that it is less expensive to create than live pre-recorded videos.
Tip #4: Make People Feel Good About Themselves
When creating social media videos, you should know that people will discover your creations in their News Feed next to a status update from a family member or a photo from a friend.
If you want to get more shares and likes for your social media video, make it appeal to the audience. After all, people always share stuff that makes them look good in front of other people.
An excellent example of such scroll-stopping videos is Facebook's Friend Anniversary. They fit perfectly into the context and are all about happiness!
Tip #5: Optimize Videos To Play Without Sound
Show, don't tell. You might have heard this phrase before, especially in creative classes. And while it mainly applies to works like TV, films, and literature, it's certainly relevant to your social media videos creation process as well.
By showing your viewers instead of telling them, you allow them to experience your story through actions, feelings, and senses rather than description or exposition.
Keep this idea at the back of your mind when preparing scripts for social media videos. If you can make a social media video without needing to explain things through speech, do it.
This doesn't mean your social media videos can't have people talking, but you need to ensure that they convey a similar message without sound as well.
Make the key points visual within your video. Because there is a high chance that people scrolling through their social feeds won't even turn on the sound while watching videos, so don't make your video rely on it.
Tip #6: Including Text Is Crucial
Since most people are likely to watch your social media video on mute, you need to ensure that your videos are optimized with text. This includes everything from your video description, captions, on-screen text to the font you choose. While there are no strict rules for which fonts to use, make sure it looks nice and is easy to read.
On-screen texts are your best friend for social media videos. It's a fantastic way to pass on information, inform your viewers, and make people understand what your video is about. Adding animation to your on-screen text gives an extra level of engagement.
Tip #7: But Don't Forget Audio Entirely
Well, just because you are optimizing your social media videos to play without sound, it doesn't mean you should forget about audio entirely.
Make your videos work well even without sound, but don't remove them entirely. You surely don't want people who watch it with the sound turned on to think that there is something wrong with either your video or their phone when no audio plays.
The audio you choose to include in your social media video should support its message.
Also, if you are including music in your video, ensure you have the right to use it. The last thing you would want is a copyright violation against your account.
Tip #8: Start Fast, Finish Sharp & Make The First 10 Seconds Count
You should do whatever it takes to grab your viewer's attention within the first 10 seconds (or less) of your video.
When designing the content of your social media video, keep in mind that a specific section of your viewers may leave abruptly within the first few seconds. That's why you need to write a script that makes them stay till the end.
Research conducted by Vidyard found that videos tend to lose their watchers within the first 30 seconds or less.
Hence your job remains to give your audience something that can hold them on till the end.
The opening of your video should grab the attention to bring out the real potential of your video. Whether you show something exciting at the beginning of the video or deliver immense value right away, it's your choice.
The idea is to stop users in their tracks of scrolling and make them watch your video. If you cannot capture your viewer's attention in the first 10 seconds, you will easily lose several viewers as they scroll down their feed, looking for another one.
Tip #9: Add A Clear Call To Action
To get an excellent ROI from your social media video efforts, you should have a strong & clear call to action embedded in it.
Because if you are not encouraging your viewers to act upon the video, what's the use of creating social media video for your brand?
To create a compelling call to action, you need to first identify the goal or objective you are trying to achieve with the video campaign.
Once you are clear with your campaign goals, it will be easier for you to get people to take action.
A number of CTA can be put into your social media videos, such as:
- Learn More
- Book Now
- Sign Up Now
If you want your viewers to view more of your videos on your website, use the "Watch More" call-to-action link to direct them.
CTAs can be embedded in the middle of a video using a text overlay. Wistia has also found that such mid-roll CTAs have high conversion rates. However, if you wish not to disturb the flow of your video, you can add a CTA at the end of your video using a static image or text overlay and let it play for a few seconds after the actual content of the video ends.
Image Source: Wistia
Tip #10: Think About Your Message & Focus On One In One Video
Social media video holds so many opportunities that it's easy for brands to become overwhelmed. It inspires creativity in all of us with endless possibilities to best share a brand's message.
The beauty of video content lies in its limitless potential, but there are pitfalls here too. When producing results-driven branded content, it's vital that your key message is simple, clear, and easily conveyed. Don't overcomplicate things and make sure your video tells your story in the most straightforward way possible.
Don't try to put a lot of information into one social media video, as it can confuse the viewer. Think of the storyline and focus on a single message; plan your animation, script, and data around it.
Tip #11: Make It Compatible For Mobile Use
YouTube's data researched that more than 70% of watch time comes from mobile devices. People carry their phones everywhere like a knight in shining armor. They are more likely to turn to their mobile devices when they encounter a free hour, such as commuting or waiting in a queue.
Since most of your views will likely come from mobile users, it's essential to film and edit your video to suit the mobile viewers. If you are planning on featuring screen recordings within your social media videos, make sure they are zoomed in and not too small so that even someone watching your videos on a small screen like a mobile or tablet can clearly see.
Add auto-captions so that viewers can watch without sound. If you add text overlay, make sure it's large enough for viewers to read. And finally, remember that every clip you film should be landscape.
Additional Tips To Create Captive Facebook Video
Put up vertical videos - According to Facebook videos study in 2021, the most used video format is the vertical mode. It is also the one that drives the highest level of engagement.
Frame shorter captions - In 2021, short captions, up to ten words seem to have greater chances at increasing the Facebook engagement for video posts.
The average Facebook video length for maximum engagements should be 2 to 5 minutes - Users might prefer Instagram if they have to watch a video of few seconds, but Facebook is a preferred medium to watch longer videos of upto few minutes.
Go for live videos - Especially for small and medium-sized accounts having up to 50K followers, Facebook Live sessions generate double the engagement of pre-recorded videos.
Tips To Create Stunning Instagram Video That Drive Business
Create a visually consistent feed - Instagram algorithm tends to reward aesthetically pleasing content. According to a report, 60% of the best-performing brands on Instagram have a consistent look every time they post.
Select the correct hashtags - Using hashtags that are too generic such as #christmas or #fashion, in your post will not prove to be any fruitful as it will face competition from potentially millions of others. Instead, use a mix of industry-specific and trending hashtags to connect with your targeted followers.
Build brand authenticity by partnering with micro-influencers - When it comes to Instagram Influencer Marketing, there is no need to blow your budget to collaborate with celebrity Influencers, having millions of followers. Micro-influencers have higher engagement rates of around 2-3% compared to the average 1.7% of macro-influencers.
Go for Instagram Reels - The bite-sized Instagram videos have watched a lot of eyeballs since the time of their inception. There's no doubt that Instagram Reels is considered as the number one option for staying on top of the trends and getting maximum engagement on the platform.
Rules To Create The Perfect YouTube Video
Did you know? 65% of people use YouTube to help them solve a problem. After all, YouTube is the second most popular search engine, so when Google fails to answer our question or we need something more visual, we tend to go for YouTube tutorials.
Add background music to your videos - When your videos feature a lot of talking between multiple people, adding some background music will help keep the audience engaged and fill out the awkward silences that might make viewers click away.
Cut out anything that's unnecessary - YouTube tends to favor videos that are 10 minutes or longer. If you want people to watch your YouTube videos until the end, the best option is to avoid stuffing any irrelevant or unnecessary information in your videos.
Use Thumbnails - YouTube states that 9 out of 10 of the most-viewed videos on YouTube use a custom thumbnail. Usually, Thumbnails are the first thing viewers notice when they find one of your videos, so make it count.
Use Intros - We don’t mean those long intros which span for minutes. Now, you need to make an intro video that is quick and interesting at the same time. Quick so your viewers don’t get bored and click away, and interesting so it leaves them with a solid impression about your channel. A good example of this would be intros on MKBHD’s YouTube channel. Some viewers on are there just for the intros, now this shows the power of a good intro video.
Tools To Create Social Media Videos
The only task left after knowing the insider secrets is actually to create those stunning social media videos. But you are not alone in the process. The market comes equipped with some of the best social media video apps that rule out the need for having a professional videographer for marketing campaigns. Here is a list of some of the best in market free & affordable paid video editing tools:
Learn more about these tools from here.
Bonus: One of the best tools in the market and also the most loved one to create video covers is Canva.
Image Source: Canva
Analyze Your Video Performance: Nail Your Performance Using The Right Set Of Data
No marketing campaign is successful without analytics. The best way to build a successful marketing strategy is to have clear methods of measurement.
When you create a lot of social media videos, you should measure your investments into video campaigns and make data-informed decisions to gain better ROI.
You can use native analytics and Google Analytics to keep track of your video performance, learn about traffic sources, views, total watch time, and find your most popular videos.
However, native analytics will only allow you to measure the performance of videos created with the social channel. If you want to compare how your Facebook videos are performing compared to YouTube videos, you will need a social analytics tool that provides cross-platform performance comparison.
The graph below compares the performance of Facebook videos vs. YouTube videos for every day of the month and has been created using Statusbrew's Reports Lab feature. From the graph, it is pretty clear that YouTube videos have been performing well as compared to Facebook videos on every single day of the month.
Moreover, you can also measure your overall brand awareness based on the total number of views, mentions, and the number of videos shared on all channels.
After all, 66% of respondents of a survey say that Social Listening and analytics have increased their value businesses in 2020.
Hence, it's very important that you choose your metrics carefully because they can either make or break your campaign. Not just the metrics, it's also important to choose a social analytics tool that provides a complete 360 degree of your campaign using industry-rich metrics. And Statusbrew exactly fits into that groove.
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