How to Use Video in Social Media Marketing

 and build a relationship with them. Which wouldn’t have been possible with traditional content. Video views and shares across various social platforms have only increased over the years making it more important tool for marketers, no matter the size of the business, video is an integral part of online social networking. When compared to regular marketing content, video definitely has an edge. It is much more memorable, and people find it easier to engage with it.

Numbers continue to rise day in and day out. 93% of videos on Twitter are accessed on the go, from mobile devices. Views for branded video content on YouTube have almost doubled over the last 3 years. Facebook has seen a huge 258% increase in branded video views from 2016 to 2017 and Facebook Live videos receive 10x more comments than a regular video.

It is important to create attention grabbing videos, the kind of video that makes your audience stop scrolling and take notice. When done right, your social media video content can actually act like a funnel that helps you win more business by letting you catch the attention of your target audience and connect with them using valuable content. Video also allows you to pitch them a relevant offer and potentially convert them into a lead or sale. Having said that, here are my top tips for social media video marketing.

Tip #1: Upload Native Video Only

Try to upload and share native videos on Facebook instead of posting direct YouTube links. Native videos perform 10x better on Facebook when compared to YouTube links. Native videos begin to play automatically as you scroll down your feed, while YouTube videos need to be manually played. As well as this, native videos play inside Facebook’s environment, while YouTube videos play on an external page causing users to leave the Facebook platform in order to watch the video.

Tip #2: Stream Via Facebook Live

Videos work so well on Facebook because you don’t have to leave the site to view them. The launch of Facebook Live allows you to stream live events to your Facebook followers and engage with them. To get the most out of your event live streaming you can maximize your marketing efforts in three stages:

1. Pre-Event: It is crucial that you begin to promote the livestream in advance because it gives your target audience and opportunity to prepare for it and get online when it is actually happening. This can be done with ‘teaser’ information to build anticipation and curiosity in your followers. It is a good idea to conduct a mock broadcast for your audience so you can catch any problems you may face beforehand.
2. Real-Time Broadcast: When conducting the actual real-time broadcast, you should ensure that your audience derives full value from the event. It is important to have a clear description for your live video that provides the needed details. As you start streaming your live event, give your audience a sound introduction to begin engaging with your viewers. They should know exactly who you are and what you expect to deliver. Don’t forget to add a strong call-to-action at the end of the broadcast in order to convert your viewers.
3. Post-Event: Once you’re done with the event, go ahead and promote the content of your Facebook Live video. Because there might be interested people who were unable to catch up with the live event.

Tip #3: Make the First 10 Seconds Count 

According to a consumer study done by Microsoft, it was found that the human attention span has dwindled to 8 seconds from 12 seconds back in the year 2000. Which is lesser than the attention span of a goldfish. It is therefore important to do whatever you can to grab the attention of the viewer in the first 10 seconds or less. When you are designing the content of your video, keep in mind that a certain section of your audience may leave abruptly in the first few seconds. Which is why you need to write a script that makes them want to stay till the end. Also, do not forget to add subtitles in your videos. You see, almost 85% of the videos that are being auto played on social media are viewed without sound. This is understandable given that most users check their socials in public, they obviously wouldn’t want to draw attention to what they are watching. So, be sure the subtitles in your social media videos are readable.

Tip #3: Keep it Short

There are a range of video formats being produced and shared on various social media platforms. Right from those 60 second videos on Instagram to the informative 2-minute videos on Facebook. Short videos are popular because they work! Successful social media content revolves around instant gratification, because that’s what the users are demanding. Social media users today want to consume content without wasting much time, keep track of the latest happenings around them, be informed on trending topics of their interest and get entertained there and then before moving on. Short videos are perfect for people who are looking for useful information but are too busy to spend a lot of time on it. They want to consume it on the move, while they are on their mobile devices. No wonder 80% of the social media content is being consumed via mobile devices.

If you’re more of a hands off kind of person that doesn’t like to get too technical, then consider hiring a social media management agency such as Blue Whale Media Ltd to help you create and promote your video content.