This blog post is part of a series dedicated to bringing you digital marketing tips from our Director of Digital Marketing, Nikki O’Meara.
Video has long been the preferred way to enjoy some time away from the real world. That fact remains true, but we also now see video being used for education, demos, advertising, quick tips and tricks, and so much more.
Video isn’t going anywhere. And if you want to keep your social media audience engaged, you might want to think about adopting a video strategy.
That can be as simple as pulling out your phone and recording a quick snippet from a presentation, or as detailed as a fully produced video with lighting, a script, actors, graphics – you name it.
Here are a few tips for creating engaging videos and some easy tools to get you started.
Find Your Voice
If you don’t know your brand voice, then it’s going to be difficult to create social media videos with any real impact. I see a lot of people and brands throwing up one random video after another – I do not recommend this.
Figure out who you are as a person or a business, what you want people to think about when they see your content. From there, you can decide the type of video that is best for you.
Video Length
While Facebook tells us shorter videos (15 seconds max!) perform best, you need to keep your audience and personal goals in mind. If you can’t get across your message in 15 seconds – then take longer.
As with any tactic, it’s best to test the length of video that works best to engage your particular audience. Does a quick live session or even a GIF perform better than a lengthy, fully produced video? Test it out and find what works for you.
“Edutain” Your Audience
Video may be the number one engaging form of media content on Facebook, but it won’t take you far if you’re boring. Remember, this is social media, you don’t have to be too serious.
You’re talking to real people, so get your message across in an authentic way. It’s ok to talk conversationally, as long as it matches your brand voice… and you’re accomplishing your marketing goals… while keeping audience attention.
Easy, right? That’s why the strategy piece is so important.
Video Types
There are many to choose from:
Animations
GIFs
Facebook Live
Quick video recordings
Produced, professional video
Marketing videos
Informational videos
Get to know you, videos
More!
It doesn’t matter what you choose, and don’t pressure yourself to be perfect. Just try a few different video formats and discover what works best for your audience.
Video Tools
Do not start in Adobe Premiere. Or do, but I wouldn’t recommend it. This is totally unnecessary. There are tons of apps and easier video tools out there you can use.
Some of the tools we’ve used include:
My phone. Hey, if it fits your video strategy to record a presentation and put that up on Facebook unedited and a little shaky - then by all means, do it.
iMovie (for Mac)
Vyond for animations
Plus, there are tons of other video options out there.
Whatever you use, just be sure to follow Facebook’s guidelines for video, especially if you choose to use it as an advertisement in the future.
Hone Your Craft
It’s easy to create one video, see how it performs and move on or even give up if it wasn’t an immediate success. Please, don’t do this! It takes time to build trust and engagement, people may not be used to seeing video content from you.
I suggest creating a monthly plan and schedule for when you want to share your video content and the type of video you plan to share. Also, keep an eye out for typical content that could be transformed into something more engaging like a GIF or short video.
Make Adjustments
Social media is an ever-changing atmosphere. So, you need to keep up. Constantly monitor your page performance, which content types do best, and make adjustments to your content calendar from there.
Video may not be the best option for you and your business – and that’s fine! But you never know until you try. It could be the greatest thing you ever did to build and engage your social media audiences.
Final Tips
You have 3 seconds to gain attention. Make them count.
Videos with closed captions increase viewing time by 12%. Add them.
Videos with auto-playing sound annoy 80% of users. Don’t be annoying.
Video posts get more shares than any other post type. Create video!
More tips here.
I’ll get into more information on Facebook video advertising vs organic video in a future post, but in the meantime if you have any questions about social media video, please reach out to me an nikki@reschstrategies.com.