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Today, social media videos continue to push boundaries, with 86% of online advertisers using these in their marketing efforts. On one hand, this trend helps consumers gain understanding about the brand’s products and services. On the other, it helps businesses increase traffic on their social accounts, grow their following, and upsurge their sales.
Videos also improve social engagement as they create trust and connections between brands and customers, develop brand loyalty, improve lead generation, and stimulate relevant conversations. To help you create amazing social media videos that are worth watching and sharing, here are 11 tips you can follow.
Begin With A Strategy
Before you start creating any content, first have a plan on how you’ll go about your social media videos. Every brand should know how to make a short video to post online! This should involve audience research, competitor check, ideation, content scheduling, budget allocation, task delegation, and the like. All these will help you develop effective videos that will make your campaign a lot more successful.
Are you looking to increase brand awareness, spark conversations about an upcoming launch, or attract new followers? Are you aiming for new sign-ups, more website visits, or increased sales? Whatever the reason may be, you have to be clear about the objectives of your social media videos. More importantly, this should align with your overall business goals.
Keep Your Videos Short and Sweet
Very few people are going to watch videos on social media if they last for more than 15 to 20 minutes. That’s why it’s important to keep your videos bite-sized and easy-to-consume while still providing value. This step entails removing all the excess parts and keeping only the most relevant and engaging ones. Videos should capture attention, share a message, and get viewers to act all in short span of time.
Check out how AirBnB got the message across in just 15 seconds.
If your topic is complex and needs a lot of explanation, you can break it down into smaller pieces. Consider making a series that talks about the different aspects rather than putting all the information in one long video.
Make the First Few Seconds Really Stand Out
Nowadays, people lose their concentration after about eight seconds, that’s why you need to captivate them right off the bat. The first few seconds are crucial because that’s when they’ll decide whether to continue watching the video or scroll down to other content.
Start off with thought-provoking questions, strong hooks, inspiring quotes, powerful visuals, or appealing music. Try to include your logo, brand name, tagline, or the product/service you intend to highlight so people will recognize you immediately and get a hint of what you’re trying to convey. Your intro should leave people curious about what will happen next and make them want to know more.
Hinge did this very well with their Designed to Be Deleted campaign:
If There’s Talking, Include Subtitles
Video content can reach people from all over the world. So, there’s a chance that people who don’t fluently speak and understand your language will come across your video. Adding subtitles will help non-native speakers and hearing-challenged users to easily consume your content.
Similarly, videos shared on almost all social media platforms now automatically start or play without sound. Including subtitles will help get your message across, whether it’s on mute or not.
People most often watch videos while doing something else or on the go. And almost always, they do so without sound. That’s when subtitles become important. Even with the sound off, these will allow you to capture your viewers’ attention and them not to miss what’s happening.
See how Dove applies this in their videos:
Aim For Natural Lighting
Lighting will make or break your videos. And using natural light will help you make it!
When you’re indoors, be sure you shoot videos near a window or door where there’s sufficient light. You can also opt to take things outdoors.
Using natural light is also about the right timing and knowing when to shoot.
- The Golden Hour, which happens just right before the sun sets, boasts tints of red, orange, and yellow. During this time of the day, the shadows are less dark and the hues are softer.
- The Blue Hour generally lasts 20 to 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. It offers a rich, cool tone and a sense of tranquility to your videos. It’s perfect for outdoor settings wherein the sky is deep blue and the background is filled with bluish light.
- Cloudy days are also perfect for outdoor shoots. Though some may think it makes the video look sad and gloomy, the gray weather makes the light look softer and perfectly spread out.
Consider Using an External Microphone
Just like lighting, audio is also important in social media videos. If you’re filming using your phone, the built-in mic might not be good enough. You wouldn’t want your videos to capture sounds of cars passing instead of your narration, or dogs barking outside instead of the actual conversation. So, it’s wise to invest in good equipment, including microphones ensure that you get to create high-quality sound.
If You Use Music, Make Sure You’re Allowed To
Music is essential in the success of videos. It grabs people’s attention, controls viewers’ perception of the brand, and sets the mood and connection with the audience.
However, not all songs can be used in videos. Before you add it in, you must secure permission from the rightful owners. Otherwise, you can get into trouble with the platforms for stealing copyrighted materials.
To legally use music in videos, for example, you must obtain the Synchronization License from the publisher and the Master License from the recording label. If music licensing sounds complicated or you’re on a budget, you may consider songs under the Public Domain Music, the Creative Commons License, and the stock of production music library.
Focus on The Story
Grabbing the audience’s attention is crucial, but keeping them glued is even more important. And to do so, you must craft high-quality content that will make them want to stick around. Your video must not only look, sound, and feel great, but it should also share a compelling story that has wit, relevance, and value.
The storytelling part allows you to create a brand that resonates with your followers, so it’s important to create a personal connection with them and deliver a message that touches on their emotions. This will take your videos to the next level and give your brand even better results.
Look at how Gillette rebranded when they joined the #MeToo movement.
End With a Call-To-Action
When people reach the end of your video, they will want to know where to go or what to do next. And this is your chance to give them the answer. Leave the viewers with a purpose and encourage them to act on what you want them to do.
Remember that your CTA shouldn’t be too sales-focused as that’s when people get turned off. It must, however, circle back to the campaign goals and business objectives you’ve set during the planning stage.
Optimize for Different Channels
It may sound convenient to post the same videos across multiple channels, but it’s necessary to optimize your content for each platform as they have different requirements.
Size and shape matter when it comes to social media visuals. Keep in mind the correct dimensions, orientation, video length limit, and other important specs of each channel. This way, you can implement properly and according to the social network you choose.
See how Adidas did this for their She Breaks Barriers campaign:
Check How You’re Doing
It’s important to measure and analyze the results of your video during and after the campaign period. Keep track of important metrics so you’ll know how many people are viewing, engaging with, and sharing your content.
With the help of a powerful social media management tools, you can easily monitor your brand’s campaign across all social channels while also keeping an eye on your competitors. We can help you track, analyze, and optimize your social media videos so you’ll understand how well you’re doing, how effective your content has been, and how you can improve.
Using social media videos truly has great potential in driving business results and developing audience engagement. And with these 11 tips, you’re well on your way to taking your campaigns to the next level and maximizing your brand’s presence and relevance in a highly crowded digital space.
Frequently Asked Questions
What equipment do I need to make social media videos?
There is some basic equipment needed to make social media videos including a Camera, Tripod, Microphone, Editing software, and Lighting.
What kind of videos work best on social media?
Videos that work best on social media are those that are entertaining, engaging, and shareable. Content that is entertaining, funny, or visually appealing is often more successful than content that is purely informational. Additionally, videos that are short and to the point, usually no longer than one minute, often perform better than longer videos.
What kind of videos attract viewers?
Videos that are entertaining, informative, and visually appealing are most likely to attract viewers. Videos that are well-produced, tell a compelling story, and feature high-quality graphics and sound can also help draw in viewers. Additionally, videos that feature popular personalities or influencers can help to increase viewership.
What makes a video trending?
A video can become trending when it has a lot of views, shares, likes, and comments on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It can also become trending if the content is high quality, entertaining, and relevant to the current social or cultural climate. Additionally, having influencers share the video or having a lot of media coverage can also help it become trending.
Final Thoughts
Social media videos are a great way to engage with your audience and keep them coming back for more. By using some or all of the tips we’ve outlined, you can create social media videos that are sure to entertain and inform your viewers. In the age of Instagram and TikTok, video is everything. What will your next video be about?
