Five tips to supercharge your social video content

Between April and November last year, the amount of average daily video views on Facebook doubled from 4 billion to 8 billion. Video is officially too huge for brands to ignore, and social networks are favouring videos in their algorithms too, as they know that’s what their users want to see.

Here are our tips on how to go about creating video content that engages your customers and adding it into your brand’s social media mix.

1. Consider your audience

Like with any content you create, think about what your target audience cares about and how that crosses over with your brand identity. As with any content you create, the aim of your social video strategy should be to show your audience what you can do and how it benefits them, presented in a relatable and entertaining way.

Take this example from Specsavers.

The idea of making an appointment at the opticians is almost on the same level as a trip to see the dentist. But while there’s nothing funny about toothache, Specsavers has managed to find the slapstick in sight checks and are now leading the line in a fairly unexciting industry with their humorous ad campaigns. The optical chain’s latest effort for TV is boosted by a cameo from Basil Fawlty, a household name for a large proportion of their target audience. It’s a campaign that ticks all the right boxes, and it makes the transition to their social media feed convincingly too.

2. Check out the competition

Of course, you’re doing this already on a regular basis – but get scouring your competitors’ social feeds to see what they’re up to in terms of video content. Then, think about what’s truly unique and different about your brand and how you can use it to stand out in your sector and provide something new.

Here’s a good example from Yo! Sushi.

The sushi chain is promoting a new addition to their menu in a setting that highlights their USP – their fun conveyor belt set-up – while also encouraging interaction from their fans. The result? A fun little game that brings their new dish to the attention of their followers, while spreading the word about their unique eating experience.

3. Keep it short

We’re sure you know how short consumers’ attention spans are, so we won’t bang on about it. But if you want your audience to watch the whole thing, you really are better off keeping your video content to under a minute long. The data doesn’t lie.

(Source: Wistia

Remember that popular platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Vine limit the length of video content to 15 seconds, ten seconds and six seconds respectively, so force yourself to get creative. There’s loads you can do in a short space of time – including whipping up a batch of pancakes to share with 32k people.

4. Elicit positive emotion

Why do you think people watch so many cute animal videos? If you want people to share and engage with your content, you need to tap into their emotions and make them feel something positive. There’s a reason that this Android ad is the most shared video of all time…

5. Think about your platform

Video appears differently on each social network, and users have different needs and expectations. Make sure you bear this in mind when you create your content – you might find you’ll have to edit the same video differently for each network.

That could mean anything from trimming it down to fit a maximum length limit to adding subtitles to dialogue for platforms which mute video as default. It’ll also affect your results – what Facebook counts as one view (watching for three seconds) is quite different to a view on Vine (one full loop) or YouTube (30 seconds). This infographic is a great starting point to help you understand the differences between the main platforms.

Does your social media feed need something between a spruce-up and a kick up the backside? Find out how to reach more customers and boost engagement from your followers with the help of video and visuals in our free eguide. Download ‘Put your brand in the picture with visual sharing’ now.

Get help with your video content marketing strategy today.