How do you reach and engage your target audience online? By delivering the kind of content your customers are most interested in seeing, exactly where they are spending their time: social media. This means creating an active presence on many social media platforms, then using video to reach those followers.
Why Use Social Media Video?
Successful marketing teams use social media to share engaging and relevant content. Video constantly emerges as the best choice for doing this work. Here are some compelling reasons to use social media videos:
Optimize for Algorithms
Facebook and other social media platforms aren’t very willing to share information about the algorithms they use to determine why certain content rises to the top, while others virtually disappear overnight.
One thing is clear, however. If you want your content to make the “trending” or “other posts you might like” lists, you should start focusing on video.
Brand Building and Messaging
Use video if you want people to connect with your brand personality and engage with your messaging. This approach helps build trust and credibility. Users want to engage with brands they feel connected to. Video is also a great format for discussing trending issues and sharing your thoughts.
Reach a Wider Audience
Video is the most shared content on social media. If you want to extend your reach and grow your audience, give your followers plenty of videos to share.
Evoke Emotions
The right video can evoke a range of emotions in people. This evocation can then motivate them to take the desired action. For example, you can share a moving testimonial from someone whose life was made better thanks to your services or promote an exciting video showcasing the best features of your latest products.
Appeal to Visual Learners
Written content is great. However, some people understand and remember visual content better. Video content grabs attention and creates a multisensory experience that leads to more engagement.
What Types of Social Media Video Are Available for Marketing?
There are many different video formats that you can use in your social media marketing campaigns. Take a look at this overview of just a few of the most popular video formats for social media marketing:
Short vs. Long Format Videos
For a long time, most social media videos were long format. This prevalence began with the introduction of Vine, until the entire game changed as TikTok became more popular. People made it clear they wanted to see more short-form videos. Now, other platforms are offering an option to share shorter videos. For example, there are Youtube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
What is a short-form video? There is no official length, but most people agree that short-format videos should be under sixty seconds.
Live Video
Live video is ideal when you want to make use of an opportunity to engage your audience at the moment. You can use Live Video to share your thoughts on something important or make an announcement. Live is also an ideal format for events.
Product Features
In many cases, you can help people see the benefits of your products with a video. Product features and demonstration videos are useful for both sales and support.
User Generated Content
Social media video isn’t just the polished content you produce for your channels. Many brands successfully use user-generated content to create engagement and showcase their products.
Interviews or Q&As
Share videos of interviews with key company leaders and subject matter experts. These people can provide exceptionally interesting insights and information to followers about your company, history, values, and products. Get followers involved at an even deeper level by inviting them to submit questions for live or pre-recorded Q&A sessions.
Where to Share Social Media Videos
You can share video content on any social media channel. No matter which platform you choose, you have several options for doing so. Here are just a few of your choices:
- Videos shared organically to your Facebook or Instagram feed
- TikTok videos
- Sponsored video ads or posts
- Video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo
- Videos hosted on your own website that can be shared via URL
Some social platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow users to create videos directly within the app and publish them as posts or tweets. On other platforms, a video must be created elsewhere and then uploaded.
Video Marketing Tips
If you want to get the best results from your social media campaigns, you should take the time to learn the ideal video specs for each platform. Adherence to the standards can impact the quality of your video on a particular social media site, whether it will play at all, and users’ viewing experience.
