In 2019, if video isn’t part of your content marketing strategy then you are already way behind many of your competitors.
If you want to attract new followers and and increase engagement on your social channels, your video needs to stop people mid-scroll.
So how do you create videos that get likes, comments, views, shares and clicks which translate into increased revenue?
Here are our tips for using video on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Instagram might have begun as a photo sharing site, but it has quickly become popular for sharing videos too. Instagram videos get more than twice as many comments as photos.
Instagram Stories are snippets of video that appear as circles at the top of followers’ feeds. The short format – no longer than 60 seconds – means the videos need to be fresh and sharp. Stories stay live for 24 hours before they disappear. Instagram stories can be used to drive traffic either to your own Instagram posts or with a link to your site, something you can’t do with a regular Instagram post.
Regular Instagram videos play on a loop so the clip doesn’t close, it plays again. This works well for very short content that an audience will want to view over. Just make sure the beginning and end sequences don’t make for awkward transitions.
In your bio if you type the ‘@’ before other user names or ‘#’ before hashtags, they will become a clickable link automatically hyperlinked making it easy for followers to engage with your organisation’s hashtags or other accounts. Posts with a hashtag achieve 12.6% better engagement than posts without hashtags.
Don’t forget to add locations as it drives engagement 79% higher. You don’t have to be in a location to promote it. If the video matches the location you want to promote, add it in.
Facebook rewards video over all other types of content by making sure clips show up in news feeds.
Video creates more engaged audiences which can be re-targeted to keep prospects warm. If someone watches a video for over three seconds, it‘s recorded as a custom audience for ‘retargeting’ with a range of ads with different content and offers to buy.
Sound (or lack of it) is an important factor with Facebook with 85% of users watching videos without sound. Therefore, make sure the visuals can stand on their own without the sound. Captions or subtitles are essential if your video features someone speaking, or a voiceover.
Don’t be tempted to post a link to the video you’ve uploaded to YouTube. Facebook wants to keep video traffic on its own platform. Native videos receive 530% more comments than video shared on other sources so take the time to upload the video to Facebook.
Video consumption on mobile is increasing every year so your video should try to make the best use of mobile real estate. Experiment with square and vertically oriented videos. Facebook shows larger previews of vertical videos in news feeds on a mobile.
Use the prominent Call to Action button on your Facebook cover photo. The button sends valuable traffic to your website to watch a video which keeps visitors on your website longer than text only content.
Traffic can go the other way too. If you have a video post that has done well on Facebook, make sure your website visitors see it by embedding the Facebook video post on your blog. All the comments and interactions will appear too.
With video production for Facebook, keep your video short. Around two minutes or under is best. Facebook video auto plays so include movement within the first few seconds to grab attention. The thumbnail counts so edit your video to choose a good looking, meaningful thumbnail.
Native LinkedIn video is relatively new, but plenty of organisations have jumped on the branding bandwagon looking to improve their profile, build a network and find new employees.
Using LinkedIn video allows you to establish yourself/your company as thought leaders and experts in the field. An About Us style video gives an insight into the company culture and the back office so potential employees can see if they would be a good fit. Use employees from different parts of the company to tell the story.
LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards video so it has a better chance of being seen in feeds than a text post. Make sure it’s native video by uploading the video to LinkedIn for an even better chance of appearing in feeds.
Almost 60% of all engagement on LinkedIn happens via mobile so use a mobile friendly format. The aspect ratio of content can be 1:2.4 to 2.4:1.
You want to grab attention within the first six seconds so drop the long intro and discuss the video’s topic in your first sentence. You can always expand on the topic later in the video once you have them hooked – LinkedIn has a 10 minute video maximum.
While videos start automatically, user settings determine if sound is on or off so use subtitles in case it’s off.
LinkedIn users expect to see high quality video there than any other social media channel. Your video’s production values reflect your organisation’s brand so make sure you only share professional videos.
If you need any help to create video for your social channels, contact our production team and they’ll be able to help.