For anyone who is yet to embrace the world of making videos for social media; you should begin to consider it as part of your social media strategy now; otherwise, you will be forever playing catch up. Today, it is estimated that about 85% of businesses now use video as a marketing tool and we can easily see the signs.
Video clips abound on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook feeds; micro-videos and Stories abound on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat; and TikTok introduced a new video format with the development of Reels.
These days, social media management includes more than just coming up with unique and creative content ideas. It is now equally as important to decide and commit to which content formats to use.
And if you are someone with teenage children; you will probably have noticed that they spend more time watching YouTube than they watch regular TV. Recent research shows that it isn't just the kids alone anymore as more adults now use smart TVs to watch YouTube videos.
Here are five key elements to consider when creating video for social media.
Create a Niche for Yourself
If you want your content to receive huge attention, you have to make sure that your videos address one of these three elements:
- A solution to a problem
- Adding value to the viewer
- Entertaining your viewer
Great Content Is Not Enough
It doesn't matter if you make great video content; if it doesn't get the attention it deserves, it's pointless. As a result, you must drive direct traffic to your content by uploading your videos to platforms designed for public viewing. Such videos look so much better when embedded into a website and give it that professional look, and you can be sure that any subsequent "suggested video" won't be too embarrassing!
If you're making a short-form video for social media, such as a "Do-it-Yourself" (DIY) tutorial video or using screen share via PowerPoint, video of your group completing a charity challenge, vlogs, and so on, you'll need to post it to a platform designed for audience consumption, such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.
Remember That It Is About Money Making For Facebook & YouTube.
Social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok make money through advertising. They aim to make people spend more time on these platforms which enables them to feed the users with paid-for adverts. This means that the more time a person spends on Facebook as a user, the more adverts Facebook can feed me, which means that Facebook can make more money!
It is therefore unwise to upload a YouTube link to your Facebook page as this will not generate good traffic for your video, as that would mean you are sending users away from Facebook. The Golden Rule therefore would be to always upload your original video to Facebook without adding a YouTube link to it.
But there is also an exception to that rule – you can only share YouTube links on other platforms when your original objective is to build up your YouTube presence and not if you actually want the content to be consumed on the platform to which you originally posted it to.
Anyways, since this article is originally supposed to be about the key elements your video should include; here is a look at the first 2 key elements that should be included when creating a video for social media.
ELEMENT #1 – IT SHOULD HAVE A HOOK
A hook here is a sort of short ‘promise' of what the video is bringing the viewer. Your video hook should be able to answer any of the following questions and should not be more than 20 seconds in duration.
- Why is the video relevant?
- Why should a viewer stick around to see it?
- What is its benefit for them?
- What problem will you be solving?
- Why they wouldn’t want to miss out!
These Are the Two Places To Use A Hook:-
- At the start of the video - within the first seven seconds
- All through the video - as a reminder of what is still to come
ELEMENT #2 – VIDEO INTRODUCTION
Your video should include a very short introduction that should announce the presenter, and perhaps their credentials, and provide a summary of the content that you are going to cover. The introduction should not be more than 30 seconds as an unspoken rule and should be very clear. Make sure you stick to the point!
Videos are essential in making a presence on social media. You are more likely to go far with your content on social media if you learn to incorporate short videos in them. But it shouldn’t be videos for video sakes; it should be videos that address users’ interests and provide a reason for them to watch them and perhaps take your content seriously. This is why this article should be a great help in making very useful videos.
In the second part of this series, we will look at the remaining elements important to making social media videos.
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