Victor Blasco 21 October 2020

Categories Social Media, Video advertising

5 Tips to Make Fantastic Marketing Videos For Your Social Platforms

Video content is probably the best way to grow a social media presence. If you use them right at least. In this article, we’re going to give you a no-nonsense brief list on making effective videos that get engagement in your social platform of choice.

In social media, we do way more than share memes, follow celebrities and thought leaders, and engage in heated discussions with our peers. Today, people also use these platforms to compare products, discover new brands, and take advantage of special promos and offers.

As they are interactive and easy-to-use, social networks provide a massive opportunity for marketers and businesses to grow their online presence. It's no surprise, then, that 40% of Americans have bought a product they first saw on social!

Now, there are many types of content that you can start using to boost your social engagement, but few can match the results of video content.

Due to its versatile nature, experienced video companies and brands are constantly working together to develop all kinds of novel campaigns — whether to promote a product, address customer questions, or simply tell a compelling story in a way no other company has done before.

So, if you're considering launching your social video strategy, you've come to the right place!

In this article, we'll take a page from those efforts and go through five essential tips for planning and running your brand's marketing campaign.

Favor Short And Engaging Pieces

As you develop your video content, it’s important to keep in mind that your video will compete with all kinds of entertaining content on social networks. If you want someone to spend time watching your piece, you have to offer them something better than interacting with other users, reading the news, and yes, watching other companies' videos or funny cat clips.

For that reason, it’s essential to try and create short videos that deliver your message while keeping your audience involved.

In a couple of minutes (sometimes, just a handful of seconds!), you must be able to convey your message clearly and give concise and useful information to your audience.

Avoid trying to do everything in a single video. Take it one step at a time and try to implement a video-powered inbound marketing strategy. Where your goal is not to raise awareness, promote, and sell your product all at the same time. Rather, use each video as pieces of a bigger plot, with its own unique message to deliver.

Native Uploads Are Always The Way to Go

Social media is all about user experience. People turn to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because they want to know what others are saying and doing there, in those communities, not someplace else! So, if you want them to watch your video, you must make sure they can do it while they stay on the platform unless you have a strong reason otherwise.

That's why it's not convenient to simply link to your YouTube channel and call it a day. Instead, take the time to edit and upload your videos natively to the platform you use to distribute them. That way, you’ll make things much simpler for your users, who won't have to take an extra step to see your content, improving your view counts.

This practice will also help you take advantage of these platforms' algorithms, as they are calibrated to favor native content. Make an effort to upload your videos directly, and you’ll see your social visibility and engagement increase.

Live-Action Videos vs. Animation

So far, we’ve talked about video content in general. But a given style might be more suitable for certain types of videos more than others.

And ‘which one’s better?’ often depends on your specific marketing and communication goals.

• Live-action videos are great for addressing your audience directly, showing them the human face of your brand. You can rely on them to answer questions from your followers and announce awesome news. Likewise, live-action is perfect for showcasing the human side of your company or the day-to-day process.
• Animation is ideal for conveying a lot of information or complex messages to your audience, using engaging stories and characters. With styles like whiteboard animation, motion graphics, and how-tos, you can take your followers through some of the key processes and concepts related to your brand—all while keeping them entertained with beautiful color palettes and dynamic visuals!

The Importance of Closed Captions

People check their Instagram and Facebook feed in all kinds of contexts— at home, in a cab, in a supermarket line, or even (let's admit it!) during business meetings. Most social platforms have adapted to this – which is why, for some time now, videos immediately auto-play muted.

A crucial social media video production tip is, then, to always add subtitles to your videos so that your audience can easily get your message in every situation. This way, you can make your content easy to engage with without the need for sound.

When captioning your videos, make readability your priority: add a maximum of two lines per video frame and uses colors and fonts that won’t fade in the background.

Video Branding Techniques

Your video marketing strategy is not complete until all the elements of your video and social channel are fully customized to express your brand identity. Your goal is to create a cohesive brand design that helps your audience recognize your content as unique to your company.

There are certain key areas where you can add your brand elements to build an iconic identity. Some of these include:

• Adding your brand’s color palette to the scenery, fonts, and characters in your videos.
• Including the logos, tag lines, and CTAs characteristic of your brand in the video, making sure not to make them too intrusive.
• Designing custom thumbnails that blend the esthetics of your profile or channel into a coherent and distinctive style.
• Lastly, setting up a profile picture and banner (in the case of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter) that follow the colors of your brand and clearly identify it.

Summing Up!

Launching your first social video marketing campaign shouldn't be painful or stressful! 

You just need to think strategically about your brand’s promotional goals and what you can do to achieve them and develop a project plan that makes implementing it more manageable.

You need to take an audience-oriented approach, so you must work to make your videos accessible and easy to digest. By making your videos short, uploading them natively, and adding captions, you will make your pieces more appealing to your prospects.

And finally, don't forget to make the most of the versatility of video. Whether you want to tell a story, transmit your brand values, or promote your product directly, there is a style and aesthetic that suits your needs.