We have shown from the first part of this series on key elements of making a social media video, we established the need for using videos to drive the content of various social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

The first part also addressed the necessity of ensuring that your video provides either provides a solution to a problem, added value to the viewer, or entertained them.

In this concluding part of the series, we evaluate the remaining 3 of the 5 key elements in making social media videos. 

 

You must effectively deliver your content. You've probably seen YouTube videos where the presenter refuses to address the main topic and instead talks about everything but the content that the video was supposed to cover. Your video must be well-considered. If you want to make videos on the go, use a device that is designed for live streaming rather than video creation. To ensure that your videos deliver on your promises, they should be meticulously planned.

You might be wondering how long a video should be; the truth is that it should be as long as it takes to achieve your objectives. It should take as long as you need to cover all of the points without straying too far from the main point. On social media, there are videos that are one minute long and others that are 40 minutes long. It all boils down to the quality of your content and the value you provide.

Try to add bonuses to your videos. Bonuses are things that will help your viewers anticipate the next step of the journey.  Endeavor to always deliver more than the expectations of the viewers! 

A bonus could be in the form of an action plan, a template, or additional tips. Give your viewers something to wonder about; read their minds by satisfying their unspoken curiosity! Such bonuses can come at the beginning or middle of your video in the form of a hook.

Remember the objective or goal of your video and make sure that your video moves your viewers to act. But make sure that your call to action is less than 20 seconds, and please, don’t add more than one call to action.  Multiple calls to action in the course of your video may end up having the opposite effect of the goal you have set out to achieve.  

To aid you in deciding on a strong call to action, consider the business goal of the video.  Maybe it is to build up your audience base, increase email opt-ins, or direct traffic to a landing sales page. 

There are three types of ask: the Small ask such as like, comment, share, subscribe; the bigger ask like email opt-in, lead magnet; and the huge ask which is like a sale.

If you are a beginner with video creation, then your main aim should be to grow your audience.  You need to have an audience following before you can gain trust. So, if you are still at the infancy stage of video creation then you should only request the small ask.  But if you have been able to build your subscriber base to 1000 on your YouTube Channel, or you have reached over 2000 followers on your Facebook page, then you can perhaps raise your calls to action to a “bigger ask”.  It is only after you have complete buy-in from your audience can you then move on to the ‘huge ask'. However, no matter what stage or level you have reached with your followership, try to sign off with a similar call to action at the end of each video.

Videos are a big sell of our presence on any social media platform. If you have not been sold on the idea before now, it is hoped that this series of articles on the subject has provided sufficient reasons to call you to get in on the action.

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