Videos are a highly effective tool for content and advertising. And video’s rise in popularity has gone hand-in-hand with the rise of social media.
Think back to when you were last on Facebook and saw an ad – chances were that it was a video. This is because online videos are 600% more effective than print and direct mail combined. This is because videos stimulate every sense in you. Even your subconscious is being stimulated – this helps you to trust the content being presented. When we think about marketing, especially in social media land, you have on average eight seconds to get your message across to consumers. To put that into perspective – that’s just enough time to spin around in your chair (go on, try it…we’ll wait)
How to get started with video – create a plan and set your objectives
For your video content to be successful it is important to know what your end goal is. Is your video’s purpose to get people to buy a product? Do you want them to know about a special offer? Or is your goal just simply to introduce a brand? Once you know what your goal is, that’s when the fun starts.
An important step in knowing what sort of video to create is also knowing where in the customer cycle you want your video to sit.
At Threesides, working closely with our clients enables us to develop an accurate storyline, shot list and (if required) a script that helps get the key messages across. We then work with industry experts to produce, film and edit the final video. Once the finished product is complete it’s time for the next stage– and one that many people find daunting – posting the video.
You don’t have to start from scratch – how to turn existing content into video
Say you had a blog post that was interesting and engaging, and you want to push it out again to your followers, but you want to engage your audience by using video. There are some simple ways you can do this.
- Make a list of your key points in the existing blog post.
- Create a short script for your video using those points.
- Use free stock video footage or images to create a video (we love Unsplash for high-quality images)
- Add a free background music track. Bensound has thousands of clips you can use for free for your video
- Insert your script into the video. There are plenty of free apps out there to put a video together. Here are just two of our top picks
By turning your existing content into video, you can extend your reach, become a ‘real person’ and reach entire segments of your potential audience through video.
Distribution channels for video
There are many different channels where video can be an effective digital marketing tactic. A few of the popular ones are YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
For YouTube videos, the recommended length for an engaging video is 2 minutes. A 2-minute video can get across the same amount of information that can take 10 minutes to read. This saves your audience a lot of time if they can digest that same information in a quicker time.
With Facebook, make sure that videos are filmed (or cropped) vertically. This is simply because nearly 50% of all video is watched on a mobile device so you can take advantage of utilising their entire screen with your brand. You can also choose to crop your video to square. These work well because they can be viewed without having to rotate the screen.
Still on Facebook, did you know that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound? So always make sure that you take advantage of visual call-to-actions and logos on the screen so that consumers know what your brand and message is about without having to listen to it.
Tracking results. Is video meeting your objectives?
It’s important to have identified your goals before you develop your video. Are you trying to drive conversions? Are you wanting to increase traffic to your website?
By using platforms like Facebook and YouTube, you can track the KPIs and the success of your video.
Our final and top video tips:
So, if you think that video marketing is something you’d like to try, keep these best practices in mind:
- The ideal length for Facebook video is 1 minute.
- The ideal length for YouTube video is 2 minutes.
- And for Instagram, get that video down to 30 seconds.
- As most videos on Social Media are watched without sound, make sure you include captions to get your point across.
- Make your video mobile friendly.
- Include a call to action in the middle of your video for optimal retention.
We are here to help with video marketing, and we’re excited to see what other video advertising formats are just around the corner when it comes to social media.
We can help you with determining your channels for your platform, and recognising where your video sits in the customer funnel. Plus, we can help you determine where your video will be seen before you even go into production.
