When did you last watch an engaging social media video? Is it today or just a few minutes ago? I know we scroll aimlessly on our phone, reading and appreciating our friend's post, and then drowning in a sea of videos.
We may not even realize the amount of time we are spending on it. And suddenly, after a few hours, we find ourselves watching a 2-minutes promotional video ad and ordering items from their website.
We have all been there. In fact, around 64% of social media users buy after watching a brand's video!
But what is going on here? How were they able to create an impact in this sea of endless products and features? That is the supremacy of an eye-catching social media video. A plethora of research shows that videos outperform other content types.
With more engagement and more purchasing power, videos are capable of upsurging your brand growth quickly.
Sounds interesting? But how do you start?
In this article, you will learn tried and tested tips to create social media videos for your brand, anything from a few seconds to minutes. Besides, we have also highlighted some statistics and tools to help you get started.
It is always important to plan ahead so that you can share a compelling video via social media. A thoughtful, emotive story in the form of video will always be remembered by your consumers. It is the heart of any successful social media video marketing strategy. So, when you want to motivate or persuade the audience to buy from you, start with a story of human challenges and their success.
Such stories are capable of generating a neurochemical called oxytocin in your brain, making people more trustworthy, charitable, and compassionate. And these human traits greatly benefits your brand when used rightly. Therefore, come up with a well-drafted video script that is real and heart throbbing.
Plan the start, middle, and finish line to your story, with precise use cases or the challenges to be solved. Use this tip to attract the audience's brain alongside their heart.
If you did not know, the human attention span has dropped consistently from 12 seconds in 2000 to just 8 seconds now, less than the ever-distracted goldfish clocking in at 9 seconds.
Thus, the fact is to grab your viewer's attention within the first 8 seconds or less. Draft a script that makes them want to watch the video completely. Give them something interesting that they can hold on to throughout the end. It could be any mind-blowing fact at the beginning of something of immense value all the way through, it is your choice, but the idea is to drive their attention and keep them interested.
On the off chance that you cannot catch their attention in the initial 8 seconds, you will rapidly lose a considerable amount of viewers as they scroll down their feed, searching for another video.
It is also essential to include subtitles in your video, as most of the videos are auto-played on social media without any sound. This is reasonable since a large portion of users check their feeds in public and clearly would prefer not to draw other's attention to what they are viewing. Therefore, be sure to add readable subtitles in your social media videos.
Creating social media videos are pretty simple. You can begin with what you have as of now. Some of such thoughts are expressed underneath to assist you with.
• Top Performing Blog Posts
Blog entries that resound well with the crowd are the most likely incredible substance for your recordings.
You can use specific tools like Google Analytics or BuzzSumo to identify the top-performing posts or your most shared article.
Once you have picked the one to work on, you can either start writing a script or creating a storyboard, as shown below.
This process encourages social media marketers to think through the story flow and crucial aspects of the video.
• FAQ Page Filled with Answers
No matter how short or lengthy your social media video is, it is vital to ensure that your story touches the crucial points or answers some of the burning questions.
That is where the FAQ page comes to your rescue.
Start by picking any one question and see if you can create a social media video around it. Such visual content can undoubtedly pull in the attention of the right clients. Likewise, it helps you set up genuine credibility in their eyes.
• Behind the Scenes Footage
Go ahead and showcase your personality with the behind-the-scenes (BTS) video.
It lets your target audience see the human side of your brand, which can undoubtedly enhance trust. In short, the BTS video has a lot of value in it. It:
This is why behind-the-scenes content takes center stage. So, go ahead - show your culture, values, and rib-tickling wittiness!
Thanks to the advancement of technology. Now you can record top-notch videos with only a couple of basic steps. Here are some of my suggestions:
• Record Using Smartphone
No expensive video equipment is required to help you get started.
A smartphone right in your pocket can be used to record videos of high quality. Once recorded, you can use video-editing apps like animation maker by PixTeller to edit various elements such as size, position, filters, unique motions effects, etc.
If you have an adequate marketing budget, you can buy a tripod and microphone to make a stable video and improve the audio quality.
• Find Good Lighting and Background
Utilize natural light while shooting, as it is one of the finest light sources for your social media videos.
If you are unable to get it, artificial lamps work great, too.
Besides, go for a simple background, so that viewers are not distracted by other ongoing things behind.
Live videos work exceptional on social media platforms as they not only engage more audiences in real-time but also help differentiate your brand from the rest. Currently, Facebook is the leading platform for broadcasting live videos. One in every five videos is live here.
Moreover, the amount of time people spends watching such live videos on Facebook has increased by four-fold. That's pretty huge. Isn't it?
Consider the example of social media management tool Hootsuite. The company started HootLive, where the team goes live on their feed to share some of the newest social media news.
If you are planning to get the most out of your social media live streaming, it is crucial to maximize your marketing efforts in the following three parts:
• Pre-Event
It is crucial to promote your live event in advance. It allows your audience to prepare for it and get online at the right time.
In addition, the teasers at this stage will more likely build eagerness and interest in your followers' minds.
To guarantee everything goes extraordinary, you can likewise play out the mock broadcast for your crowd. Here, you can identify the glitches heretofore and let the supporters recognize what is in store—for example, test to check whether your voice is audible.
• Real-Time
This is when the actual video goes live or broadcasted. As you begin streaming the live event, tell your audience about your brand and the event.
They should know you and what you are capable of delivering. Try to provide full value to the audience from this event.
Incorporate a solid call-to-action (CTA) toward the finish of the video to convert your viewers. Ensure the CTA is easy-to-understand and straightforward, such as asking them to follow your page or sign up for your email list. Despite the message, keep it applicable to the subject you are discussing in the live event.
• Post-Event
Once you are done with the broadcasting of live events, go ahead and share its content because you may find some people who were unable to catch up with the event, but interested to learn more about the happenings.
And there you go. Mix and match the tips mentioned above to create a compelling video that keeps your audience's eyes glued to the screen. Besides, study your existing social media strategy and analyze the alterations to be made.
Learn what kinds of videos keep you engaged, or how long is it keeping your attention before moving on? Take note of these aspects and borrow whatever fits.
Until next time, Be creative! - Pix'sTory made by Diana Morris
Diana Morris is a Marketing Professional with over 8 years of experience. She is interested in blogging and helps Small businesses with innovative ideas that keep pulling in newness and creativity.
Currently, she heads the marketing team at BizInfor, a b2b database solution firm providing various services like email appending, data appending, lead generation email lists, etc.