Don’t make social video an after thought, put it front and centre of your video marketing.
Gone are the days when a good video strategy was about making a brand video and then just “sticking it on social and seeing what happens”.
At Itchy Feet Digital we recommend a social-first approach to clients as a powerful way to drive traffic to their owned assets, such as a website or email list.
But how do you ensure that the time, effort and money invested in social video gets your big idea or campaign in front of the right eyeballs?
Check out our quick tips to nailing your social media video.
Mobile-first
Over 90% of us view social media on our phones. Whether you’re a landscape or a portrait kind-of-a-person, maximise your video’s screen estate for mobile devices by creating square video. For stories portrait is king and when re-sizing if your video was not created for a 9 x 16 format, keep it square and use the top and bottom to add text or iconography as per story style.
Sound Off
Imagine your ideal customer is in the coffee queue or on the bus to work – and design your video to work without sound. 82% of us watch social video on mute – so it has to have high visual appeal and deliver your message without sound. If you do insist on creating video with sound, then use subtitles or alert audience that they’ll need to up the volume, and if you’ve asked them to do that you’d sure as heck better impress.
Platform specific
Forget the one-size fits all method. Success is about creating content designed and optimised for the audience, aesthetic and technical requirements (such as duration, file size and shape) of each platform.
Compare the pop culture rabbit-in-the-headlights entertainment-driven feed of a Facebook user to a focused learning-hungry viewer on You Tube to appreciate the difference.
Where you should be publishing your videos and why it’s not a one-sized fits all solution.
Native
Social networks won’t look kindly if you link to a video off their platforms – eg other social networks, your website or You Tube. In simple terms it’ll be pushed down the news-feed priority list and fall off the face of the planet. Instead upload your video to each platform you will be sharing it – this is known as native video.
Goal
In the creative stage be sure to clearly define what the purpose of your video is. It’s part of the five key elements for every video you make.
Brand awareness, lead generation, sign ups, registrations, engagement – defining this upfront ensures that the creative will be about hitting these goals. Be sure to clearly tell the audience what action to take once they’ve watched.
Clearly defining goal means you will be able to clearly measure the video’s success.
Give value
Forget the old TV commercial style promotional video that was all about the buy buy buy. On social you’ll need to convince your audience there’s something to be gained by watching your video – and give them value.
Value can be as simple as a giggle or an OMG moment, a compelling story or insightful educational tips,
Unless you clearly reward the audience for their time , it’s not a matter of loosing them rather you’ll have missed them altogether.
Creative
With our attention spans ever-shrinking and news feeds becoming increasingly stuffed with video, grabbing your audience’s attention is more important for ever.
You really have got as long as it takes for them to scroll past your image on their screen before they’re gone. 2.7 seconds or so. Descriptions, imagery and headlines have never been more important to grab attention and a good idea will keep them watching til the end.
If you’re chomping at the bit to make your own social media video, then get out your smartphone and give it a go. And download our FREE Smartphone Video Cheatsheet.
Or if this sounds WAY too hard then lucky for you, we can do it for you with a range of production services to help you along your way.