With video growing across social media platforms, marketers are investing in strong social video content. Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than those who don’t, and see more traffic and strong conversions.
Not just any video content will find success. It’s critical to know what works and what doesn’t, and to be familiar with your platform and audience.
There are 5 billion videos watched on YouTube every day. Instagram’s video is booming, with an 80% increase in time spent watching videos year over year. Social media is more video-oriented than ever, making it a great time to brush up on your video marketing skills.
One of the most important considerations for social video is understanding the different platforms. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok not only have different demographics—video is consumed differently. Before you even start filming, you should know what platform suits your marketing goals.
YouTube has the most robust video platform, with the largest user base and range of demographics. It’s social functions are more limited. While there are comments and subscribers, sharing is regulated to outside platforms. YouTube live streaming is the most social way to engage with your community.
On the other side of the spectrum, TikTok is an extremely social site where users engage with each other through interactive videos. TikTok’s video format is unique and specific, so it takes some getting used to. Unlike Youtube, TikTok is not appropriate for all kinds of video. The majority of TikToks are micro videos set to a viral sound clip, which many users set their videos to, creating variations. There are options for looping, reversals, making videos alongside other viewers, and other effects. The most successful videos are short and entertaining, often following trends. TikTok’s demographics are also quite young, with 66% younger than 30-years-old.
Instagram is a great place for video marketing, with strong advertising tools and interactivity. Instagram can accommodate short videos, live stream, stories, and fun ways for your followers to engage with story content such as polls and stickers.
Once you know what platform is right for your video, it’s time to make the best content possible. Your biggest considerations should be the value of your message to your audience, which will be different for every company. However, there are some tips every marketer can use to make a successful video.
Know what aspect ratio is going to work best on your platform. Wide videos at 16:9 may appear small on certain news feeds like Instagram. When in doubt, a 1:1 ratio will give you the most real estate across different platforms.
Be sure to also upload the video content directly to each platform, instead of sharing it between platforms. For example, sharing a YouTube link to Facebook doesn’t show much of the video and will perform worse than if you had uploaded it directly to Facebook.
With video, generally shorter is better. On social media, people’s attention spans are short, and they may not want to use up the data if they are on mobile. Many more people will stop watching a video after the two minute mark. Be memorable, but brief.
Sometimes your message may merit an in-depth, longer video. When used appropriately, long video can result in strong engagement. Maybe a longer video answers frequent questions, or shows how to solve a common problem. Always make sure that you are providing value to the viewer.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most people will view your video content on mobile, and the vast majority of the time it will be without sound. Add subtitles, and make sure that your graphics are clear and large enough to perform well on mobile. It’s always a good idea to test how the video appears on multiple screens.
One of the first things that your viewer sees is the title and title card. These are crucial, and should show your value proposition. On YouTube, you can set the title card or it will pick a middle point in your video. Other platforms will have different ways to customize what the user first sees. It’s crucial to deliver on the promise of your title and title card, especially in the first 30 seconds.
Social video is a serious investment for any marketing strategy. Be sure to familiarize yourself with how video performs on various social media to set yourself up for success.