The rising consumption of video on social media has transformed what was once a space for self-expression and connection into a platform of opportunity for business marketing. It is hard to believe that there are still brands that are not taking full advantage of the explosion of video to get their message out there. Creating video for social media doesn’t need to drain your budget. There are countless opportunities to be creative while utilizing the social media resources available right at your fingertips. Using video to engage with your audience is essential for building customer relationships and inspiring action from consumers.
Here are some tips to help you jump out of your comfort zone and take full advantage of video on social media.
Feed into society’s desire to be connected NOW
We live in a fast-paced environment that requires constant juggling of day-to-day activities, so it is no surprise that society uses social media to stay connected and engaged. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have all become video driven as a way for users to engage instantly through video posts, live streaming, or “stories.” Stories can be used to provide blurbs of content that can reach viewers quickly, draw attention to an account, and facilitate engagement. As reported by Impact, 20 percent of stories posted by a business result in a direct message to the account.
Recently, one of the online boutiques that I follow on Instagram began converting their still photos to video on stories. Viewers can watch models move in the clothes they’re interested in while showing off details that might otherwise be missed. Talk about instant gratification. This inspires a different level of engagement (my bank account can vouch for that) and makes the decision to buy so-much-easier.
You can’t talk about connection and instant gratification without talking about live streaming. This is a perfect opportunity for businesses to “hop on” (as those online bloggers would say) and engage with followers by doing something as simple as Q&A. What a great chance to instantly connect by allowing your audience to visualize the face behind the business. Although consumers slightly prefer pre-recorded, edited video, live streaming isn’t far behind. As reported by Animoto, 48 percent of consumers do prefer live video content, so “hop on” and get streaming!
Work with what you’ve got
Be creative. How can you use video for your own social media domination? Glad you asked. Your product is effective, but isn’t super interesting or exciting? Post a live feed to your Facebook while giving a tour of your facility and the humans that make the magic happen. Does your business give back to the community? Take a video! This is something that as a consumer, I would value. Post a video clip to your website of your employees volunteering their time or donating a portion of profit to the community. Mix it up and do a giveaway on your business’s Instagram stories. Facilitate interaction through video and get people involved. Promote your business through sharing a customer’s video review to your Twitter feed.
Or, easily create visual content with our friends over at PromoVideo. Enhance what you do with your money (and time) and access millions of instant video clips, along with templates, and footage for a very reasonable monthly subscription. There is no need to spend an entire marketing budget on one video when a subscription to Promo includes the option to browse millions of clips to narrow down to 8 ready-made video clips per month with licensed music and editing tools to customize your video to convey your business’s unique message. The options for what to do with video are endless; it is up to you to choose how to utilize video to transform your social media marketing.
Be mindful of how your audience watches video
Be sure to create product video to be easily accessible and viewable by mobile device; not adapting to the current smartphone viewing trend could cost you a sale. Animoto reported that 84 percent of videos viewed on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, are viewed from a mobile device. There is no faster way to lose a viewer’s attention than creating video only meant to be viewed horizontally, or on a laptop. The amount of time your social media followers will devote to watching a video is already short; 73 percent of consumers decide in under 30 seconds whether to watch a video to the end. As always, the message needs to be clear with a quick delivery.
More and more, viewers are watching video without audio. This is not a surprise, as scrolling happens at all different times and places throughout the day (or night). According to Digiday, 85 percent of videos on Facebook are viewed with the sound turned off, so allow your audience to receive your message through subtitles or imagery in addition to audio.
Inspire action through video
To keep you on the right track, and confident that your social media videos are reaching customers and getting your message out there, taggCRM has your back. TaggCRM will help ease the nervousness you might have about jumping into video. Unfortunately, not every video that is created and posted is going to be a success, so do away with the guessing game and be aware of which videos are successful, and which videos are failed attempts with analytics provided to you by taggCRM. Did your Facebook followers watch the video you posted? If so, did they watch it to the end, or did most viewers fall off after the first 10 seconds? Did your video inspire action? The answers to these questions are crucial in determining your next step, and taggCRM will deliver. Insert a tagg that prompts your audience to click on a link to your website, schedule an appointment or demo, or call a member of your team directly and in real time.
Taking advantage of all that social media has to offer and utilizing the power of video will improve your connections with customers and, in the end, boost your bottom line. Let Verb’s taggCRM guide you.
-verb