Last month I attended a virtual Social Media & Digital Marketing conference that spoke heavily on the importance of incorporating video content into your marketing efforts. This shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve been paying attention to the evolution of social media over the past five years. A good example of this is Instagram, a social platform that was created as a photo-sharing app and announced earlier this year (2021) that they are “looking to lean into entertainment and video after seeing the success of competitors like TikTok and YouTube.” (source: The Verge)
So, how can you strengthen your video marketing strategy? Here are some key points I took away from the virtual conference.
1. Create something scroll-stopping.
According to a 2015 study by Microsoft, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds in three years. (source: Microsoft) Lucas O’Keefe, a social media expert and teacher, suggests you grab your audience within the first second of your video by incorporating movement (walking & talking) or utilize graphic design (especially power words - free, instant, easy, how-to).
2. Make the most out of your content.
Repurpose your existing content into video. Do you have a blog? Create a video highlighting the key points. Are there certain questions you’re consistently receiving from customers? Create a FAQ video answering them. BONUS: Save these as Highlights on your Instagram for easy reference.
3. Include a CTA
Just like with a flyer, guide your viewers with an action you want them to take. Ask them to share if they enjoyed the video and know others would enjoy it too, pose a question to your viewers at the end of the video and ask them to leave their thoughts in the comments, remind them they can save the video if it’s something they found helpful and can refer back to when needed. Make sure you limit your request to one CTA per video, don’t get greedy or it’ll have an adverse effect.
4. Interact with your community.
This may be an obvious tip, but it’s one of the most underutilized. Reply to comments, check out your follower’s feeds and interact with their posts, don’t just post and ghost. Take time to nurture your social relationships like you would any relationship with a customer (or potential customer).
Hopefully, these tips will help you jumpstart (or shake up) your video marketing strategy on social media. And remember, “overnight success” comes from long-term, behind-the-scenes, effort.