Who doesn’t have a social media account these days? There are over 3.6 billion people who use social platforms on a daily basis. This implies how people are so used to consuming social content, whether it’s for receiving new information or entertainment. Let’s see the things to consider when making social media videos.
In short, social media has become a tool for people to not only connect with their family or friends but also helps them gain knowledge in an entertaining way.
With this in mind, many marketers agree that utilizing social networks can significantly improve their brands, especially for raising awareness and getting sales. Therefore, social media platforms are at the forefront of every marketing campaign.
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Social Media Videos: why does it matter?
Videos are the most searched content on the internet. They make up over 82% of internet traffic this year.
Unlike traditional written content, videos, for the most part, are attractive and attention-grabbing. Therefore, when presented with two different types of content, people tend to choose videos over blog posts.
That’s because videos can serve quick and concise information that people seek. Articles are no longer appealing for them as it takes a longer time to read the post when compared to watching social media videos. As a result, many internet users prefer to spend time on video content rather than a boring blog post.
With social platforms are on the rise, making visually appealing content has become mandatory. After all, many companies are competing to create engaging videos that won’t get scrolled past on everyone’s feed.
5 Strategies to Make Your Social Media Videos Work
1. Make a compelling thumbnail
The thumbnail is the image people see from your video before it starts playing. When the thumbnail is enticing enough to click, you’ve collected a number of views already.
Thumbnails are essential when making social media videos. People will find a mass of video content on their feed. It’ll be hard for them to watch every video they come up with. That’s why if anything, when an image is attractive, people tend to click on them faster.
You can place a screenshot from your videos as a thumbnail. Or, make a headshot of your actors (if it’s live-action videos) to attract target viewers to play your videos.
Do your research on what your target audience loves. Find out the information that catches their attention, then include it on your thumbnail images.
Keep in mind that your thumbnail should urge people to watch. It needs to hook them at the get-go, so they have no choice but to watch your videos.
2. Create platform-specific content
Every social platform has distinct characteristics. Understanding the type of video content that surfaces on a specific platform allows you to make the right content.
For example, hosting videos on YouTube is entirely different when compared to posting them on Twitter. First of all, YouTube is built to access only video content; thus, uploading a video on this platform has less restriction than other social platforms.
You can post a 2-hour video on YouTube without problems. However, things may be different if you apply the same method on Twitter. The platform doesn’t allow you to post a long video of more than 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
Both platforms have different target audiences. You can’t make your videos work if they aren’t essentially placed on the right channel. Social media videos will be much more effective when you tailor them for certain platforms.
3. Apply SEO techniques
Search engine optimization is key to every content success. No matter if you’re working on optimizing your blog posts or video content, using SEO techniques will help you gain more engagement.
SEO helps your content get indexed by the search engine properly. When using SEO properties, you let the search engine crawlers find your content much easier and place it on the page result when a query is performed.
Now imagine if you neglect to optimize your video content with SEO properties. Not only will you get no one to watch the content, but you can’t expect people to visit your pages.
SEO is the gateway for people to discover your videos, your brand. Whether you intend to make videos for fun or raising awareness about your product, applying SEO properties gives you a chance to be found quickly. You can then build a strong community as you can share and interact with your audience much easier.
4. Use subtitles
Did you know that 85% of social media users watch videos with the sound off? Besides the platform itself makes it a muted video by default, there are other reasons why people don’t turn on the audio.
Suppose you’re on a subway home. You know it’s not ethical to turn on audio with your current surroundings unless you have earphones on. Watching a video with sound can disturb people beside you. That’s why many people have opted to watch videos in silence.
When a video is built with subtitles, not only does it help people who can’t just turn on the audio like the situation above, but it also helps people with hearing difficulties. This way, you can reach out to a broader audience.
Captions allow people who watch your videos to understand what you’re trying to convey. As a result, they will find it easier to grasp your message and learn more about a product (if you’re selling it through video content).
5. Provide an intriguing call-to-action
Whether it’s a commercial video or not, including a call to action is necessary. Regardless of the purpose of your content, adding a copy that leaves an impression won’t hurt you. You may never know in which video people become your customers. So, it’s wise to always mention a bit about your brand.
A call-to-action itself is a phrase that urges viewers to take immediate action. For example, if you’re promoting a product or service, you can use attractive copy to nudge your viewers to enter your marketing funnel.
Use a copy that leaves people wondering about your product. A good copy can lead people to make a significant change when it comes to buying your product. They will be reminded of your copy even after the video ends.
You can incorporate a funny yet intriguing phrase to hook your viewers. Do not focus on making a generic call to action since people have grown tired of it. Using a common call-to-action on your videos won’t turn the audience into leads. Instead, they can skip over your video because it looks too promotional for them.
Takeaway
Videos are essential content on social media platforms. The combination of moving images and audio attracts people to consume this type of content more than any other content on the internet.
However, as more people (and business owners) try making the best video content, it becomes challenging to put together an excellent video that is worth watching. Therefore, you need to know some considerations before making social media videos to prevent you from failure.
After all, creating a video needs a huge effort and dedication. Not to mention that you have to deal with its production cost and other resources that surely take time.
So, if you’re still unsure whether to make video content or not, the answer is why not? You’ll never know what you can get right after hosting the video on your social account.
