Posting videos on social media needs to be part of your strategic marketing plan. We know this much is true (We blogged about it before). But, how do you approach that? Read on for some social media video production tips.
Planning your video marketing strategy
Keepin’ it real: Authenticity is important. Your social media video gives you the opportunity to show your audience who your brand is, what it does, and why they need it. Your brand identity should guide your content. Since the social media space is casual and fluid, don’t be afraid to give your audience a different side of your brand and, in turn, expand your brand identity. We talked about that in this blog.
When you consider planning your video marketing strategy make a list and answer the following questions:
- What you would like to accomplish with your video marketing strategy?
- Where would you like to share your videos, and how often? Create a content calendar to make it easy to follow.
- Who is your target audience? Build the persona of your audience so you can clearly speak to them through your videos.
Welcome your audience into your world, and (hopefully) they’ll let you into theirs by giving you a “follow” or a “like.” People don’t just “Link In” with anyone or let randoms in their Facebook friend circle, but when they let someone or a brand in, they’re opening the door to their online space – their social media world, or, let’s be honest – the center of their universe.
Focus on Quality
Let’s be honest. These days, customers are extremely smart. Your audience requires much more from a brand than ever before, and quality is essential – high quality is an expectation. Especially pending the platform. The quality of your video determines your seriousness and displays professionalism. Remember you have to stand out. So make your videos high-definition, use a quality camera, an appealing background, and utilize the skillsets of the professionals like great angles, motion graphics, and text overlay that captures your viewer’s attention.
We LOVE this video. Made almost entirely of employee-shot videos, this video shows the heart of Centro is its people, and we hear its CEO unscripted, just talking about the company he’s built and loves.
Including a Call To Action
People need direction. People desire clear communication. The benefits of creating video for social media are the potential reach, the ability to attract people through visual components, and the ways in which you can input a call to action that is meaningful for both you and your audience. Take a look at the video below.
Using Animation
Animation has become a growing trend to creatively get a message across. Animation and motion graphics make space for storytelling that is memorable and captivating. Have you seen the movie Soul on Disney+? From children to adults, animated films have become the trend that continues to expand. From a branding perspective, it can be extremely compelling to communicate your brand message through animation. Take a look at the video below.
Make Your Videos Short
People are busy and have the attention span of a gnat. We recommend short-form videos on your social networks. YouTube videos are a different story, but even YouTube has recognized the value in what they termed YouTube ‘Shorts.’
Short-form videos allow you to deliver content in the format your social media viewers want and prefer. And, what’s cool about short-form video is that you don’t necessarily have to go and shoot short after short, you can, and should, re-edit existing material.
During a big production day when you’re filming a longer piece; you’re there, cameras are rolling, why not shoot a little extra to use on social? Plus, you can use the short, re-edited pieces to drive your audience to the longer version.
No one wants to watch a long video on social media, but if they like this short “teaser,” on say, Instagram, they just might follow that link to the long-form that lives on your company homepage or on your YouTube Channel.
Not to mention, if you have a long or short video that you don’t necessarily like the background, check out how you can easily change the background of your video here.
This 30-second social video was made for The Peninsula Chicago’s new rooftop bar – Z Bar.
To the Max: Maximize exposure on social media. By sharing your branded video content across all social platforms, you will increase your brand reach even further. Duh.
Caption This: Think of captions and subtitles as being just as important as the sound on your video – music & dialogue – and as the images that play on screen. Most of us don’t turn up the volume on IG or FB vids as we scroll through our feeds. But we do read along with the caption. Plus, it enables those living with deafness or hearing loss to be able to fully experience and enjoy your content.
Tactical tip: You need to know the specs, sizes, dimensions, and ratios of all your social media videos. This also includes your social media ad videos. This is a great article on social media video tips by platform for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and beyond.
The team at Bottle Rocket would love to help you create videos for social media! Connect with us today to Start Your Project today!