Today, 89% of businesses are using video on social media platforms to promote their products or services, which is why most platforms are focusing more on video content. If you're not already using video as part of your marketing strategy, now's a great time to learn everything you need to know to make the most of it for your business!
What is social media video?
Social media video is a form of content shared on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and others. These platforms have made it easier than ever to create and share videos, and they engage with consumers every day. These videos range from short clips and stories to live streams and full-length videos.
Why use video on social media?
There are numerous advantages to incorporating video into your social media strategy, including:
1. Higher engagement: Videos usually get more likes, shares, and comments than static posts. They're more eye-catching and easier to consume. According to a recent study, users will retain95% of a message watched on video as opposed to only 10% read in text.
2. Better reach: Social media algorithms favor video content, often giving it more visibility.
3. Enhanced brand recall: Videos are more memorable. They help your audience remember your brand or message better than text or images alone. And 83%of consumers say they want to see videos from their favorite brands.
4. Increased conversions: Videos can effectively drive sales, sign-ups, or other calls to action. Businesses that use video marketing experience conversion rates that are 34% higher than those that do not.
5. Versatility: You can use videos for tutorials, testimonials, behind-the-scenes looks, product demos, and more.
What are the differences between short and long-form videos?
Short- and long-form videos serve distinct purposes on social media, with each offering different advantages for engaging your audience.
Short-form videos are quick, impactful clips that get your message across in usually under a minute. They're easy to create, watch, and share.
The best social media platforms for short-form videos include TikTok, Instagram Reels, Snapchat, and Facebook Stories.
Benefits of short-form videos:
1. Easy and fast to produce
2. Great for consumer engagement
3. Simple to test different ideas
4. Ideal for mobile viewers
While short-form videos offer these advantages, they do come with a couple of limitations:
1. Not ideal for complex messages
2. Best used in combination with long content
Long-form videos help you explain products or services, give you time to tell stories, and are perfect for building trust with your audience. They usually run for more than a minute and up to 10minutes. YouTube and LinkedIn are the social media platforms most used for long-form videos.
Benefits of long-form videos:
1. Ideal to provide a full explanation of a topic
2. Better for how-to tutorials, interviews, and storytelling
3. Builds stronger connections and loyalty
Long-form videos present these challenges:
1. Time-consuming to create/produce
2. Higher production quality is usually expected
What's the best content to use for videos?
Social media videos are flexible marketing tools that can feature a variety of content to engage and connect with your audiences. Here are some popular content videos:
1. Tutorial: These are educational, step-by-step videos that help your audience understand a product, brand, or service.
2. Product demos: Show off your product's features and benefits.
3. Customer testimonial/reviews: Build trust by sharing real customer experiences.
4. Behind-the-scenes: Give a peek into your company culture or production process.
5. Animated: Use graphics and animations to explain complex ideas in a fun way.
6. Storytelling: Uses highly emotional content in a story-like approach, either sharing how a product works in everyday life or success stories to appeal to your audience.
7. Brand: Share your brand's story or mission to connect emotionally.
8. Live stream: Streaming enables real-time interaction, which is perfect for Q&A sessions, product launches, or live events.
How can you make impactful social media videos?
Creating effective and engaging videos doesn't have to be complicated. Here are some tips:
1. Tailor to each platform: Every social media platform has its own style, audience appeals, and rules. For example, TikTok uses vertical videos that are more geared toward younger generations, while LinkedIn prefers professional, polished content for nearly all generations.
2. Set clear goals: Determine what you want your video to do: build awareness, educate, entertain, or sell your service or product? Having clear, set goals can help you create focused content.
3. Plan your content: Whether your video goal is to entertain, inform, or convert, you'll need to draft an outline of your key points and then expand on them for your script.
4. Keep it short: Our attention spans today are short and becoming shorter. Make sure you keep key points in quick, bite-sized snippets.
5. Capture your audience: Get their attention within the first few seconds with a bold statement, question, or eye-catching visuals.
6. Quality is key: Use good lighting, crystal-clear audio, and steady shots. You don't need Hollywood equipment, as today's smartphones work fine if used correctly.
7. Add captions: Many viewers watch videos without sound, so include subtitles or captions.
8. Be authentic: Show your personality or brand voice. Authenticity will appeal more to your audience.
9. Include a call to action (or multiple calls to action): It's important to direct your audience to what they should do next, whether it's visit your website, follow your page, or comment.
10. Schedule and post continuously: Use your social media platform's management tools to plan your posts accordingly. Consistency will build trust and keep your audience engaged.
11. Track performance: Check your video's stats, including views, likes, comments, and click-throughs. Keeping track of data can help you modify and refine it if needed.
Are social media videos really effective for your return on investment (ROI)?
Social media videos have become one of the most effective marketing investments for businesses. When strategically created and shared, they can turn your marketing efforts into measurable business success. Not only do they boost engagement, but they can also increase brand awareness, leading to impressive conversion rates. With 93% of marketers reporting positive ROI from video marketing, if your business hasn't incorporated video marketing into your marketing strategies, now is the time to start!
