4 TIPS FOR AMAZING SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS

86% of online advertisers  use videos in their marketing efforts. Videos help consumers gain an understanding of a brands service or product as it drives traffic to your business' socials and website. SEO experts have calculated that Google's algorithm favours video content because videos primarily answer what visitors are searching for.  96% of consumers have watched an explainer video specifically to learn about a product or service.  

To help you create engaging social media videos that people are going to watch and share, here are 4 tips we have found to be very helpful.

1-KEEP YOUR VIDEOS SHORT AND SWEET

Very few people are going to watch videos on social media if they last for more than 10 minutes (for explainer videos) and more than 1 minute (for promotional videos).  That’s why it’s important to keep your videos snack size and entertaining while still providing value. What this means is that you need to edit and re-edit your videos keeping only the most relevant and engaging moments. Videos should capture attention, share a message, and have a call to action all in a short span of time.

If you have a topic that requires more time, it's best to break up the video into smaller pieces. Sometimes you may have a long video sitting on your website. That video can be repurposed. A good editor can take that piece and break it up into smaller 30 second to 1 minute videos that you can then use on your socials to drive consumers back to the longer video and your website.

2-ENSURE THE FIRST FEW SECONDS REALLY STAND OUT

We are all keenly aware that our attention spans are not what they once were. In fact studies have shown that we lose attention in about8 seconds. That is why you need to engage them right off the bat.

Start off with a powerful image, an engaging quote, a thought provoking question or captivating music. Try to include your logo, tag line, your product or service so that people will recognize you and have an understanding of what you are trying to communicate. You want people to be curious enough to stay watching. A good exercise is while you are on social media take note of those videos that made you keep watching and think about implementing some of their strategies.

3- IF THERE IS TALKING MAKE SURE TO USE SUBTITLES

Almost all social media platforms now automatically start or play a video without sound making including subtitles that much more important. Including subtitles will help get your message across, whether it’s on mute or not.

People most often watch videos while doing something else or on the go. And almost always, they do so without sound. Even with the sound off, subtitles will allow you to capture your viewers’ attention and them not to miss what’s happening.

4- ENSURE YOU HAVE A GOOD STORY

Grabbing the audience's attention is very important but keeping them watching to the end is the ultimate goal. To do so, you must create high quality content that will make them want to stay around. Your video not only must look and sound great (see previous blogs about mics and lighting) it must also share a story that has a beginning, middle and satisfying end that has relevance to your target audience. The best videos have a story that creates a personal connection with the viewer and touches them emotionally. Think back to your favourite videos and how they made you feel. That's what you want to create for your viewers. This will help take your videos to a new level and raise your brand awareness.

Below is a GREAT example of a perfect social media video.  It runs at 1 min 27 seconds. The first few seconds stand out as we wonder what this guy is up to. It doesn't use subtitles (easy enough to fix). And most importantly it has a beautiful story! It's just out but it will go viral!

@johnlewis It’s the things we do that mean the most. □ #TheBeginner ♬ original sound - John Lewis