How videos for Facebook and Twitter can build your brand
With every passing day video-especially on social media-is becoming more prevalent.
According to a study by Cisco®, video content accounted for 64 percent of all internet traffic in 2014. That’s an impressive number; but even more noteworthy, that number will rise to 80 percent by 2019.
According to the same study, by 2019, more than half of the planet will own internet-supporting devices. And that number is only going to get larger, too
The question is, how does that connect to social media?
How video and social media intersect
An enormous number of internet users spend the majority of their time on social media. As of this writing, there are more than 1 billion YouTube® users-which accounts for nearly one-third of all people on the internet. And they’re watching a lot of content. In fact, 45 percent of people watch more than one hour of Facebook® or YouTube videos each week.
What does that mean for your business? It means you may want to focus on video content, and soon, as most social platforms will prioritize video content in the coming years. In other words, if you want to be seen on social media, you’re going to have to produce videos.
Mobile is where it’s at (no matter where the viewer is at)
Even thought the first iPad® is less than 10 years old, tablets and smartphones have quickly taken the lead when it comes to internet usage. This is especially apparent when speaking about video.
More than half of all video content is viewed on mobile devices-in fact, an astounding 90 percent of Twitter® video views occur on a smartphone or tablet.
When it comes to your content, while it’s great if someone views it, it’s even better if someone shares it. And 92 percent of mobile viewers share videos. Most importantly for you, social video generates 1200 percent more shares than text, and views on branded content have increased 258 percent on Facebook and 99 percent on YouTube.
That’s a lot of facts, figures and numbers that add up to one thing: if you’re going to create video (and you likely should!), you’ll want to format it for mobile viewing.
How this relates to marketing
We know social video, especially on mobile, is getting a lot of views and shares. But how can it improve your bottom line? Simply stated: Video can help you sell. Studies have shown that 46 percent of viewers take some sort of action after viewing an ad, and 52 percent of consumers say watching product videos makes them more confident when purchasing a product or service. Even if a video doesn’t lead to an immediate sale, it can still better your chances of making more sales in the future. Enjoyment of video ads has been shown to increase purchase intent by 97 percent and brand association by 139 percent.
What makes a good videos for social media?
Now that we know the importance of video (especially videos for social media!) what do we need to do to create video content? The consumer is the key. Just like every other form of marketing, it’s essential to make sure that the videos being created are drawing in the right audience. To aid in that process, it’s necessary to keep the following questions in mind:
- Who am I making video for?
- Why will people want to share it?
- It is relevant?
- Is it visual?
- Does it include an enticing value proposition?
- Does it tell the viewer why this product, service or information is different or important?
- Does it have a clear call-to-action?
- How should we tailor the video for social channels?
By asking these questions during the video-creation process, you can help draw the right eyes to your brand-and ensure that your content will get shared with even more eyes.
Some basic best practices
Equipment
Videos should be shot in High-Definition with a tripod for maximum stability, and sound should be captured with a shotgun microphone, or better yet, with a microphone clipped to the speaker’s shirt.
Length
While YouTube allows the user to upload videos of any length, most social networks have a cutoff point:
- Twitter: 140 seconds
- Instagram: 60 seconds
- Snapchat: 10 seconds
- Facebook: 45 minutes upload, 4 hours live
Subsequently, when creating videos, you’ll have to make a choice as to whether you want to keep your videos short enough to go on any platform, or if you’ll want to edit them for different platforms. Making this decision ahead of time will save you time down the line.
You’ll also want to take into consideration that video engagement drops off significantly after two minutes.
Where to begin?
Starting to think about video for social media can be an overwhelming process. While your specific audience is always the most important factor, it’s absolutely worth thinking about the types of videos that people are most prone to share-because sharing can massively increase your audience.
According to BuzzSumo®, the most shared video content on Facebook in 2017 was:
- Practical hacks
- Awesome/inspiring content
- Food and recipes
- Cute animals
- Music videos
Your video content doesn’t have to draw from this list, but if you’re looking for a starting point, this might be helpful.
Get visual, get seen
As the internet gathers more users and gets more connected, getting seen is always going to be a challenge. By utilizing videos for social media, you can get more views, likes, and shares-and build your brand in the process!
Are you looking to add videos for social media to your marketing mix? We can help!
