In today’s world, social media videos are being more widely used than ever. More than 85% of online advertisers are using social media videos in their marketing campaigns. That’s making the space more crowded, meaning it takes more for you to stand out than it did before.
- Adding subtitles will make your videos more accessible for everyone.
- To have your video content seen by the most people, you need to optimize it for each channel.
- If you want to capture your viewers attention, you have to stand out within the first few seconds of your videos.
- Without a strategy in place for creating and sharing your content, you’ll never have the structure you need to gain a larger following.
- In order to have the most quality videos possible, you need to invest in some basic equipment, tools, and software.
- Without a captivating story, you’ll never hold a viewer’s attention.
Before you create your next social media video, check out these tips that are sure to make your next video a hit.
Add Subtitles
If your video involves talking, it’s important to include subtitles. Today, people are watching social media videos in a variety of places, whether it be at home, at work, or on the train. There are times they want to watch your videos but can’t do so with the sound on. That’s where subtitles come in. Whether your video is on mute or not, subtitles will make it easy and accessible for people to watch it, regardless of what they’re doing.
Along with helping your viewers multitask, subtitles serve a more important function. For people with disabilities or who speak a different language than you, subtitles are the only way they can enjoy your content. If you don’t have subtitles, you risk losing those populations. On the flip side, by adding subtitles, you are inviting more viewers in.
Optimize For Different Channels
If you want to stay competitive in the marketplace in today’s virtual world, you have to be on social media and that means profiles across multiple platforms. With each of your company’s channels, you have the chance to reach a wider audience. But you can’t do that if you don’t optimize your videos for the different channels.
Different video sizes and lengths will work better on different platforms. For example, TikTok is built on shop video clips, while you can get away with a longer video of a few minutes on Facebook. For a longer video, you might turn to YouTube. By optimizing your videos for the different channels, you have a better chance of people watching and sharing your content, more so than if you use the wrong size video.
Stand Out Immediately
People today have short attention spans. Most people decide whether they’ll dedicate their time to a piece of content within the first few seconds. That’s why it’s so crucial that you stand out from the get go. Within the first few seconds, you need to grab the viewer’s attention and hold on to it.
One way to grab their attention is to immediately deliver on a promise. If the title of your video promises that you will show people how to get a date, give them an overview of the steps right up front. Another option is to use humor. Show behind-the-scenes footage or a deleted scene for the first few seconds of the video to grab their attention and hold it.
Have A Strategy
You’ll never create great content without having a strategy. It all starts with a great idea. Browse your most popular blog posts and most shared content to get ideas for videos that will be the most likely to reach a wide audience. You can also use keywords as a form of research. If you know what people are searching for, then you know immediately a worthwhile topic to teach.
Another part of strategy is how you use your content, particularly in how you repurpose it. There are tons of ways that you can take content that you’ve already created and use it again to make sure you’re posting regularly without having to constantly be creating. For example, use software to repurpose the audio from your live-streaming into a podcast or take a few of your videos and combine them into a downloadable video guide.
Equipment & Tools
To produce quality video content, you’ll have to bite the bullet and purchase the equipment and tools that will facilitate that. Something as simple as an external microphone can elevate your videos and make them more shareable. Part of having the right tools and equipment is also having the appropriate permissions to use things like photos or music.
There is a ton of software that can help to take your videos to the next level. For improved video quality, check out Multi Case. For a better production flow, invest in Elgato. And for repurposing your video content, try Loopback.
Focus On Story
Think about your favorite movie. What do you love about it? You might say the acting or the music or the cinematography. But would you watch it again if you didn’t love the story? Story is everything! It’s what we connect with and how you’ll end up connecting with your followers. Without telling a great story, you’ll never have the following that you want.
Keep each story you tell short and simple. Make your story easy for the audience to connect with. To ensure that happens, you have to know your audience. If you are creating videos for college students, it’s probably not going to connect with them if you’re explaining about a brand new Ferrari you just bought with cash. Simple awareness of who your average viewer is will dictate the story you need to be telling.