6 Ways to Make Your Video Content Go Further on Social Media
By Rick Herd
Many marketers believe that video is the future of marketing. Sure, written content and images won’t go anywhere anytime soon. Still, if you want to position your business at the cutting edge of social media, it’s worth getting things in order.
68% of YouTube’s audience used videos to inform purchase decisions back in 2016, and that number continues to rise. There are people out there that won’t make a significant purchasing decision without watching a video on the subject. You might be in the fortunate position of having people making videos about your products or services already. If not, there’s never been a better time to take the lead, and you can boost your social media influence in the process.
1. Invest in Professionalism
Five hundred million people watch videos on Facebook every day, and 22.2% of daily content uploads are videos. It’s a crowded space, and one of the best ways to stand out, especially in terms of corporate use, is professionalism.
You might work towards creating the perfect video for social media, but you’ll often reach a point where your video is good enough. You don’t need a studio and thousands of dollars of equipment to create something that looks and feels professional nowadays. Even your phone is probably more than capable of shooting quality footage.
If there’s a lot of talking in your videos, get a decent microphone. If you’re trying to build a brand, spend time on editing, or invest in someone to do it for you, and don’t forget to include your logo!
2. Invite Contributions from Employees and Followers
One of the most complex parts of building a social media presence with video is coming up with content ideas. However, the chances are that video isn’t a core part of your business, so it’s essential to explore every opportunity.
One of the best ways to find new ideas is to let go of the opinion that you have to come up with every idea yourself. Brainstorm meetings can be immensely productive, and you never know who on your team might have a passion for video content creation.
Furthermore, your followers have already had some kind of passion for you and your business. Some of them care more about your brand than some of your employees! Asking for ideas is a great way to engage them and demonstrate that you care about their opinions.
3. Partner with Other Brands
You’re not the only brand with a following. You’re also not the only company looking to increase it. Don’t approach the competition for obvious reasons, but consider others with a relevant audience.
Cross-promotion benefits everyone, and if you’ve invested in equipment and editors, potential partners might salivate at the thought of getting in with someone that knows what they’re doing.
If you can think of a creative way to promote both brands and showcase the content to both of your audiences, there can be incredible mutual benefits.
4. Always Have Content Creation in the Back of Your Mind
Making a great video can be as simple as whipping out your phone and capturing the world around you. Even if you already have an established style, such as sit-down interviews or webinar replays, natural, organic content performs well on social media.
Get into the habit of capturing moments with both business and shareability in mind. As with so many things in the corporate world, it’s better to have something and not need it than to scramble around for something you don’t have!
5. Use Different Hosting Platforms for Wider Reach
Many social networks enable users to upload videos directly onto their sites. However, you might want more control over them by hosting them on dedicated video sites. Some might say that these platforms are social media in their own right, but their definition isn’t important.
What is important is that these are a resource in their own right. They have their own userbases, and they don’t make it difficult for viewers to share what they find on their social accounts. There’s a dominant player in the space, but there are also plenty of YouTube alternatives out there too.
There’s nothing to stop you from publishing the same video across each platform too, and you can use one of those sites to host videos for use on your website, too, cutting hosting costs.
6. Make One Long Video Into Lots of Short Ones
You don’t have to be a professional editor to dip your toe in simple editing. One of the simplest things of all is cutting a video into separate clips. Windows and macOS alike come with built-in video editors, and there are dozens of apps for mobile devices.
It can be as simple as setting a start and endpoint and cropping a clip out of a longer video. Then, if you have the time and expertise, or a willingness to learn, you can add intros, effects, and anything else to make your video pop on your social channels.
Shifting your focus to video content on social media isn’t always easy, but it could be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made for your business. Great videos attract more eyes, and prominent brand placement means that all those eyes are on your company.
Rick writes extensively about the latest marketing and social media trends and how they can help small and medium-sized businesses to get the most bang for their buck in their online operations.
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