Videos are popping up everywhere, especially on social media. It’s no surprise. Our phones make it easier to film and post. Plus, they’re easy to watch and share. Not to mention, they’re a fun way to kill an hour or two. Best of all, your social video marketing campaigns are no longer limited to just YouTube. You can find great videos worth sharing with your friends on all the social media networks. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to increase your sales through your YouTube channel.
Think about it, would you rather watch a video or read an article?
Most of us would rather watch a video. In fact, 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others. But don’t think you can just post a video and watch the sales roll in. Just like your social media marketing strategy in general, the trick is to optimize your videos to maximize engagement.
Maximizing Your Social Video Marketing
- Optimize for Auto Play
When placing your videos on the different social media networks, focus on learning the auto play techniques for each platform. That way, as a user scrolls through their feed, your video will automatically play.
The best practice is to feature movement or bright colors in the first few frames to catch the attention of the user. We’ve all scrolled through our feeds aimlessly until the beginning of a video made us stop and watch, even your potential buyers.
Don’t Forget: Most users turn off the auto play feature on mobile to protect against extreme data charges.
- Go Without Sound
Keep in mind, as more people watch videos on mobile devices, sometimes they’ll be on a bus or in a waiting room, stuck without headphones. That means they’re unlikely to be able to have the volume turned on and won’t be able to hear the sounds. This is especially true if it contains loud music, profanity, or sound effects. Even those on a laptop or desktop may be unable to listen to your video (say, if at work). That means you can’t rely on your audio being heard, so don’t make it necessary.
Don’t Forget: If you have people talking in your social video, use subtitles to get your message across to the hearing impaired and to those watching on mute.
- Tell Your Story
Storytelling is the best way to connect with your audience. Stories are easy to relate to, which is why you’re using social media in the first place. Your social video should be another, easily digestible way to share your story with your audience.
If you’re going to use social media marketing to tell your story, tell it the right way. Use the Three-Part Act (Beginning, Middle, and End). Share stories about customers (solutions you provided) or about your business’s beginnings.
Don’t Forget: Leverage the art of storytelling to connect with your target audience through social video marketing.
- Take Viewers Behind the Scenes
Show your audience that your company has a pulse and a personality. When it comes to social videos, don’t focus so much on getting your branding message across and instead focus on sharing what your company unique. Make a social video out of an office Happy Hour or Lunch and Learn or the Holiday Party (early in the night, of course).
We know the day-to-day routine of operating a business can be mundane. But you and your team still have fun at work. Show those lighter moments to your customers and they’ll be able to relate to your brand even more.
Don’t Forget: By sharing these types of behind the scenes footage, you’ll create the illusion of transparency that your audience seeks by following you on social media.
- Optimize for Keywords
Everything you do online, including your social media marketing, should be optimized for the keywords important to your company, your industry, your products and services, your target audience, and your buying process. That includes social media profiles, posts, and photos.
Keywords are how you get found. They’re important to your website and to your social media accounts.
Don’t Forget: If stuck or confused, use the tools available to you to research the keywords you need to target.
Facebook and Social Video Marketing
Facebook has shown astronomical growth over the past five years. One of the reasons of its growing popularity, even now that your mom and dad are on there, is because of the ability to easily consume and share videos.
Users, as well as companies, are scared of posting on YouTube because of the sheer size and scope. Most videos get lost on YouTube because of the immense amount of competition. Facebook is much more accessible and all types of users, including your competitors, are taking advantage.
Keys to Successful Social Video Marketing on Facebook
Facebook Live: Interact with users in real time and get to post the feed to your wall afterwards. Users can also set up their account preferences to receive a notification when one of their friends is “Going Live”.
Boost with Ads: The goal of your social video should be to get it in front of as many eyes as possible, so that you can create brand awareness to your target audience. Use advertising to show your video to a specific time zone, city, or other demographic.
Length: Facebook allows you to post videos up to two hours long. No matter how cool you think you are, no one’s watching you for two hours. The optimal length for a social video on Facebook is 30 seconds. Try to stay under that and you’ll do fine.
Social Video Marketing and Social Media Marketing
Social video marketing is different from plain old video marketing because it takes place on social media platforms. That doesn’t mean you should avoid posting the videos already on your website, just makes sure they’re optimized as discussed above. All social media networks are different and don’t target the same audience. Make sure you adapt your videos and your strategy to optimize results on each platform.
Finish all videos with a Call to Actions! Do you want your viewer to subscribe your YouTube channel or download your eBook? Tell them!
Inc. performed a study comparing the way marketers and small business owners viewed social video marketing. They found that 76.5% of professional marketers and small business owners that have used social video marketing said it had a direct impact on business. They also found that 1 out of 4 marketers and small business owners feel behind on video marketing.
Don’t feel left behind.
Use social video marketing to grow your business today by applying these simple techniques. For more information, subscribe to our email list to get the latest news about social media marketing delivered straight to your inbox!
Continue reading about to find out how to Generate More Leads Through Social Media Marketing.
