4 Min Read Video is often seen as an expensive way of getting your brand’s message out there, which puts off many people straight from the get-go. However, with such high ROI and practically infinite creative possibilities, the importance of video in social media cannot be emphasised enough.
Increase visibility
Many social media platforms (including Facebook and Instagram) have stated that they favour video content over standard imagery. This is because video tends to increase audience retention, which keeps users on the platforms for longer. Of course, this is exactly what social media platforms want, so try to appeal to them and you’re likely to see increased reach with your ads and posts.
Simplify a complex process
Let’s face it: Most of the time, people don’t want to read a 1,000+ word blog on how to do some very difficult process. More often than not, people prefer to take in information through visual or auditory stimuli, which is where a video makes the perfect solution. Creating a video may therefore be ideal if your products or services are quite technical or lengthy.
Show some personality
As we said, the creative possibilities with video are near limitless. You can use elements such as tone of voice, colour, text, animation or choice of words to put across a very particular image of your brand, which no other post format comes close to. This will help your audience to identify your brand from the competition and make you stand out.
Increase engagement
As a result of the points we mentioned, video content tends to have a higher engagement rate than standard images or text posts. Users will often share video content on their own pages, or tag their friends if they find it useful or entertaining. This is great news for your brand since posts with high engagement rates will often be shown to more users and therefore get your brand’s name out there much more efficiently.
How to do video right
Of course, video content does require some investment, so it’s important to get it right. To do this, you’ll want to keep in mind the platforms that you will be sharing the video to, who your video is for, as well as what you actually want users to do after they see it.
For videos that will be going on YouTube, you need to create a 16:9 video with at least 1080p quality. YouTube is great for long-form content, so you ideally want a video on here to be at least 5 minutes long. For Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the ideal ratio is 4:5 at 1080p. However, if you intend to use Instagram or Facebook stories, then you will need to create a 9:16 version as well. Newsfeed versions of your videos can be between 30 seconds and 3 minutes long, but story videos should be short and snappy – no longer than 15 seconds.
Next, you have to think about who your video is for. Do you want to reach out to people who have never heard of your brand before? If so, you’ll need to detail what makes your products or services unique to distinguish yourself from the competition. If conversion is what you’re after, then the tone of your video should be much more persuasive, rather than informative.
Finally, after the viewer has watched your video, you need to tell them what to do next. Make sure that there is a clear call to action at the end of your video, such as “subscribe to our newsletter” or “visit our website”. This helps funnel your audience from the video to where you want them to be.
Want to get started with video for social media?
At Eclipse, we have a plethora of experience in creating video content for social media for a variety of industries. Whether you need an animation for a new product launch or a tour of your new premises, we can bring your story to life.
Get in touch on 01244 347 545, or email us at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
