“Just relax, smile, and talk to me like the camera isn’t there.”
This is my go-to line for everyone as I pull out my iPhone camera. Videos have been my primary marketing content for a long time, and while you may be tired of hearing about how critical video content is, many brands are still missing the mark. There have been two events in the past weeks that have really shown me the value and effectiveness of video content. It all comes down to the combined strength of platform and messaging.
It might help to think of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram like a highway. If you’re zooming down 95 South and see a billboard, it’ll stay in your sight for an average of 7-10 seconds. When creating a video for social media, the video becomes the online equivalent of a billboard. People are zooming through the highway of their social media feed, inundated with content, and you somehow have to get those drivers to pull over, stop the engine, and get out of the car for your billboard. Enticing viewers to stop long enough to watch a 10-minute video is a difficult task, and in order to make it happen, you need to match your content to the platform.
Short Form Video
For those fast, crazy New York drivers on Facebook, Instagram and event Linkedin, you need to keep your videos – and the message behind them – short and sweet. For example, at the Defender Warehouse Sale in Connecticut this past month, I made a handful of quick, short videos that provided a glimpse of what was happening at the show without over-saturating them with information. Short clips tied together into one video are a fantastic way of covering events via social media.
Long Form Video
For those information-seeking individuals interested in longer-form video content, YouTube is your best friend. This is the perfect platform to house those longer videos over two or three minutes. Not only is YouTube a more appropriate platform, posting content there has the potential to boost your viewership. People are more inclined to directly search a question such as “How to fix my outboard?” on YouTube than they are on Facebook, and therefore more likely to stumble across your video even if they weren’t previously aware of your business or brand. These long form videos can also be posted on Instagram TV, which will help your audience slow down a little and pull over to your channel.
Hopefully, this has given you a little more insight into how to effectively use video content as a marketing tool for your business’ social media platforms. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re interested in the names of some useful video editing apps, and other tips for convincing consumers to pull over to the side of the highway for you.