How to Create a Great Social Media Video
Your audience is watching a lot of videos on social media every day. And if the numbers are any indication, this habit will only keep growing over time. On both Facebook and Snapchat, users watch an average 8 billion videos a day. Then there’s the popularity of Vine and YouTube, as well as native Twitter and Instagram videos, and live streaming video options like Periscope, Meerkat and Facebook Live.
Social media video is a broad category, and it offers brands a ton of opportunities to engage their customers. If you’ve been putting off doing social video, or you’ve been unsure how to get started, now is the time to dive in. And the good news is you don’t need a massive budget or staff to create a great social media video. Follow these basic tips, and you’ll be well on your way!
Keep it short.
Breathe a sigh of relief: you don’t need to make a complicated, 30-minute video. In fact, don’t do this. Short videos are the way to go for social media (and many platforms enforce their own caps on native video). Short videos are easy for your audience to watch while scrolling through their feeds on the go. They keep people interested the entire time, leaving them feeling like they learned something quickly. And because they’re so easy to consume, your customers are more likely to watch a few short videos in a row.
Get in the habit of taking a video idea and asking, “Is this as concise as it could be? Where might we lose people? What can we pare down to make this stronger?”
Show off your brand.
A great social media video offers your audience a way to connect more deeply with your brand. It shows people who you are, what you offer and why they should care. This has many different interpretations, and your brand can get creative and experiment to see what clicks with your customers.
For example, a health food manufacturer might post quick, step-by-step recipe videos showing the tasty dishes customers can prepare. Or a software company might do a series of helpful tutorials answering frequently asked questions or solving customer problems.
Keep each social video on brand by asking, “Is this in line with our mission and goals? How does this serve our customers?”
Tell a story.
Curiosity is what keeps people watching social media videos. A good story engages your audience and keeps them curious about what they’ll learn or see next. This is why we love everything from “before and after” reveals to reality show competitions
If there’s no hook or mystery to your social media video, your audience will likely lose interest and move onto something else.
Look for ways to incorporate storytelling into your social videos. Release intriguing details about a new product you’re about to launch. Show a “hero’s journey” story of one of your customers who had great success using your services. Offer a sneak peek behind the scenes in your office. Build up excitement about an upcoming event. Give your story a beginning, a middle and an end – with a call to action to keep that engagement going.
Great Social Media Video Example: