Marketing with video is here to stay because it is incredibly effective in reach and engagement. Most of the social media platforms today have high video content visibility. A testament to the increased demand for videos is the introduction of Reels and IGTV on Instagram and Facebook Watch.
Approximately 85% of people on the internet in the US watched online videos. Most of them indicated that they would continue to watch videos online even after the COVID-19 outbreak ends. The percentage of people watching online videos over four hours each week increased from 53% in 2019 to 61% in 2020. (1)
There are over 18,000 hours of video content being uploaded each hour to YouTube. One billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every day by 30 million visitors. With this much video widely available, it’s essential to stand out from the crowd. (2)
Where is all this video going?
Platforms/Channels for video:
- Facebook (89%)
- YouTube (70%)
- LinkedIn (63%)
- Instagram (58%)
- Twitter (31%)
- webinars (53%)
- TikTok (20%)
Videos, along with people’s attention spans, are shorter than they used to be. Video content needs to match the shortening attention spans. However, this means working smarter and including relevant information at the end of the video, such as a call to action.
Main Elements of a Great Social Media Video
Social Platform
It’s essential to know what platform you will be on when you create your video for social media. Why?
Because each platform has different audiences, what might appeal to users on one platform might not on another. And, each platform has video requirements, i.e., length, and whether the video works best in landscape mode or portrait mode, etc.
The audiences on TikTok and Instagram are typically millennials or Gen Z. If you’re looking for a broader base, use Facebook and Twitter. It’s crucial to create your videos for each platform.
What may be appropriate on all these platforms might not work on LinkedIn because it’s a professional social networking platform. (3)
Format
Each one of the social media platforms has a different set of video formats that work the best on them. If you’re putting a video on Facebook, you need to upload a landscape version. If you’re creating one to put on Instagram, the options are Reels, Stories, and IGTV. Instagram prefers portrait mode.
Resizing videos for each platform can be challenging. By using a tool like Boosted (https://boosted.lightricks.com), you can simplify the task. Boosted will automatically size all the videos you create based on the dimensions that work best for the platform of your choice.
Video Length
Creating your video before you know where you plan to use it can lead to a lot of editing, resulting in content that doesn’t get the proper engagement. Video length is an important variable you need to be concerned with. While people are scrolling through the various feeds, they may not devote any time to your video unless something makes them want to see more.
The fact that people may pass by your video is why the most impactful part of your video needs to be at the front end. You need to hook the user and draw them into your video to watch the rest of it.
Once you have identified the platforms where you want to upload your videos, you will need to look at the length of the video. For example, if you’re uploading to Instagram, you have multiple options. If you’re uploading to Instagram Stories, the maximum length is 15 seconds, 30 seconds for Reels, and 60 minutes for IGTV.
Again, as you create your video, know your target audience, where you will post, and what format and length are required.
Video Graphics
The graphics that are contained in your videos are as important as audience and length. The graphics can help you grab the attention of your audience. Their appearance needs to be exactly as you envision them.
No one expects to see only 4K videos with perfect audio. However, low-quality video and poor audio could distract from your message by making you appear unprofessional. Even when making a low-budget video, sound quality is possible if you use the right equipment. The latest iPhones have excellent cameras, and when used with a smartphone gimbal, the footage will be sharp and smooth.
Approximately 70% of YouTube is viewed on a mobile device, making it clear that you need to design your videos for mobile devices. You will need to pay attention to the video graphics and make sure they are clear when viewed on a mobile device. You need to ensure that the elements within your video are spaced enough, so the viewer knows what they are seeing.
As you create thumbnails using a tool like Canva (https://www.canva.com), if Photoshop is not available, make sure to take a look and see how it looks on a smaller screen.
Mobile devices are sometimes not connected to WiFi, so users may be using cellular data to scan YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. People on the move will experience data speeds that vary. Because of this fluctuation, they may not stream videos at the optimum speeds that they would typically get over WiFi.
If your video file size is large, it is likely not to load. As this happens, your viewers will move to the following video. No one likes to wait for a video to load.
Video Sound
Most people watch videos on mobile devices. And when they do, they will likely be on the move or in a public place. In these situations, not everyone uses earphones, so they tend to watch without sound. A survey found that 69% of consumers in the US watch videos on mobile devices without sound in public places, and 25% of them even watch them without sound when they’re in private areas. 60% of Instagram videos are watched with the sound turned on. (4) Facebook has 8 billion views per day, but a vast majority is happening in silence. As high as 85% of video views happen with the sound off (according to multiple publishers).
If you want to appeal to this part of your audience, you need to ensure that you give them the same message without sound. As you design your video add subtitles, captions, or text to help get the message across without sound.
As you build your audio, you will want to put a microphone on the subject you are filming to hear the voice. If you’re going to add background music to your video, make sure there are no copyright issues. Your video could get blocked on some platforms.
If you plan to embed the video on your website, be sure to include a transcript/text version of what’s being said in the video. An excellent service that can make this easy is TranscribeMe.com.
PRO TIP: Before uploading the video, go through it without the audio to see if it’s still engaging. If so, go ahead and upload it. If not, adjust with captions if necessary.
BONUS TIP: If you plan to use your video in more than one place online such as your website, make it do double duty by including a transcript. While YouTube can provide a rough transcript of what was said, it often isn’t accurate, and it can be challenging to read. Instead, try using a tool such as Rev (https://www.rev.com/).
Device
82% of users don’t like it when a video isn’t set up to play on their device. (5) This means that you need to consider whether your video is more likely to be viewed horizontally or vertically. This information can vary based on your intended audience and where you distribute the content. YouTube is great for horizontal videos because it has a full-screen feature. 70% of YouTube users stream videos on mobile devices. (6) Instagram assumes that everything will be played vertically.
Topics for videos
Does your mind go blank when asked to come up with a topic for a video? Here are some ideas to get started making videos:
- Solving a problem – 65% of people use YouTube to help solve problems.
- Product or services – 50% of people look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store.
- “Explainer” – 39% of customers want to see how something is used, what it is essential, etc.
- Support — 43% of video marketers say video has reduced the number of support calls they’ve received.
- Inspiration/ideas – almost 2/3 of consumers get ideas about gifts, solutions to problems they have, or things they didn’t know they needed but now must-have, etc.
- Laughter/Humor – making viewers laugh results in a 92% increase in purchase intent.
Measuring the Success of Your Videos
When asked what their measure of success is, video marketers responded as follows:
- The most cited metric was video engagement (including shares, comments, likes, etc.), 63%.
- Video reach – which is determined by the number of views – 58%.
- Leads and clickthrough were next, 55%.
- Customer engagement/retention was a consideration for 43% of video marketers.
- Brand awareness/PR was 42%.
- 4% cited a range of other determining factors, including employee onboarding quality, charitable donations received, sales calls booked, and verbal feedback. (7)
Marketing professionals are encouraging the use of video these days, and with good reason. The best thing about a well-done video is that it’s accessible to anybody, anywhere, at any time. It can transform your brand and engage your audience on a whole new level.
Discover more inspiring ideas for exciting experiences that boost morale and engage your people. Contact Gavel International for details.
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SOURCES:
- https://www.limelight.com/resources/market-research/state-of-online-video-2020/
- https://merchdope.com/youtube-stats/
- https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-videos/
- https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/youtube-stats/
- https://nealschaffer.com/video-marketing-statistics/
- https://likeable.com/blog/2018/10-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-instagram-stories/
- https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/
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