If you spend much time on social media, you're bound to have noticed a sharp increase in the amount of videos showing up in your feeds. And there’s a very good reason for this.
It’s hard to find anything more effective than video on social media nowadays.
Proven to be a powerful marketing tool no matter what industry you are in or what message you’re trying to convey, video can be extremely influential (both when done right, and when done badly!).
So it's something you should aim to include in any social media marketing strategy.
That's often easier said than done however.
If you're not quite sure where to start, our guide will help you determine the best practices for creating impactful social media videos for various platforms...
If you want your video to appeal to the right audience, then you must make it relevant. Think about what it is your audience will want to watch. What is it about your business or industry that people particularly like or find interesting? What are the current hot topics? What questions or problems do your chosen audience have that you can answer?
Some popular social media video ideas include:
When you have your ideas in place, start planning your content. Just like a story, your video should have a start (introduction), a middle and an end (conclusion). Many find it helpful to write a script or storyboard while others are confident enough to just go for it!
If you need help scoping out your story, get in touch with us - we've lots of experience in this area and you can even take advantage of our free 30 minute video advice line.
The beginning is the most crucial part of your video. These are the few seconds you have to grab and keep the audiences’ attention. By default, videos will auto-play when scrolling through feeds unless the user has disabled this function in their settings, so make sure these first few seconds are enough to get them to stop scrolling and watch.
The most appealing details of your message should go first.
Pretty much every social media platform allows video, but the length of video each platform allows may vary - so keep this in mind in your planning.
And remember, when it comes to length, your videos should be "as long as necessary yet as short as possible", so whilst some platforms may allow a large amount of time for videos, this doesn't mean you should feel compelled to use it all.
With ever-shrinking attention spans, often it’s the shorter videos that get the most engagement.
Consider the times each social media platform offers for videos:
Videos in an Instagram feed can last up to a minute, which is ideal for this 'quick scroll' style platform. Anything longer than that can have viewers dropping off.
Video clips in Instagram Stories are a little different however, was you are only allowed 15 seconds. If you have a compelling story to tell, break your up into 15 second clips or 'chapters' to get users clicking through.
Live videos can last up to a whole hour, and even after streaming, the video will upload for users to watch after.
Facebook may allow you a whopping 240 minutes of video but it is suggested that videos of 24-90 seconds in length get the best engagement. Clips on Facebook Stories, similarly to Instagram Stories, can be up to 20 seconds in length.
One great feature that Facebook offers is the ability to use video as a cover image, which is great for capturing attention and really grabbing your audience as soon as they arrive on your page. These need to be between 20 and 90 seconds in length and are played on a loop.
Wanting to stay in line with their short, punchy micro-blogging platform, Twitter only allows videos that are no more than two minutes and 20 seconds. However, they suggest staying under a minute.
You can of course post a link to an external video site such as You Tube or Vimeo, but bear in mind that native videos (i.e. those that are uploaded directly to a platform), often receive the best 'reach'.
If your business is B2B, then the chances are you'll be on LinkedIn (and if you're not, you should be!). LinkedIn suggest keeping videos between 30 seconds and five minutes in length. Those who use the platform tend to be professionals at work and therefore may not have a lot of time to watch anything longer than that.
This influential and highly visual social media platform now uses video to help inspire users even more. You can upload up to 30 minutes on Pinterest, but like other platforms, anything under a minute is best.
More than half of social media users view video on their mobiles and most do so with their device held vertically. Consider this when designing your video as landscape videos may not always be the best choice.
Videos are also more likely to be viewed with the sound off. Add captions where appropriate so you don’t lose viewers.
For a professional video that is bound to impress, consider turning to the team here at SGA. We love creating high-quality videos that produce incredible results. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to sell, we can help you implement video into your social media strategy in the most effective way.
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