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Social media is continually changing the way that we communicate and consume information. The most successful content marketers are delivering content consistently through multiple social media channels. It comes as no surprise that with all the content that is posted across these channels, that visual content is more than 40 times more likely to get shared than all-text content. Video is no exception. It is becoming an increasingly important part of the promotional artillery with 65% of SMEs and large organisations considering it the most engaging communication channel for their audiences.
The question is – are you making the most of your video assets across social media? With online videos accounting for more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022 – you need to be considering your options going forward. Here are 10 reasons why you should use video in your social media.
1. Grab Attention
Video is a fantastic tool to hook your audience. Unlike a long-winded paragraph, it is extremely easy to consume. We’re all guilty of passively scrolling through our social media feeds and only the most compelling content tends to make the grade for our attention. Video allows you to be concise and capture viewers’ interest in the first few seconds. Social media success lies in your ability to condense information down into easily digestible snippets of content that is long enough to maintain viewers’ attention but short enough to leave them wanting more. You should place clear indicators of the videos intention at the beginning before users have the chance to scroll away.
2. Search Optimisation
All your content should be optimised for search engines and your videos should be no different. Social media channels are quickly becoming like search engines themselves, so it’s important that you make your content relevant. After all, you’ve already got your gripping content. But how do you determine whether you’ll be at the top of the “popular” and “trending” list? Be sure to create compelling headlines and descriptions for your video so it will register in searches, whilst complementing these with relevant hashtags. Twitter offers in depth analytics for every hashtag, detailing key demographics, providing you with a great base to orchestrate your search optimisation. Ensure that you add tags to boost search results across YouTube and Facebook.
3. Drive Conversions
No matter which social medium you are posting through, you should always have a goal for your video. This typically involves user action, whether you’re driving traffic to your site, purchasing a product or sharing your video. Your call to action is your virtual handshake with your viewers. If they’ve watched a video all the way through, they have demonstrated interest. You then need to direct them to take the desired action, something as simple as “to find out more visit here” may be all that is necessary. It’s one thing to have compelling content, but it’s vital to sweat your assets and drive conversions.
4. Unique Messaging
Posting a video on social media isn’t dissimilar to a conversation, you can only discuss one thing at a time. Otherwise your audience will quickly lose interest. With your call to action in mind, your video should be telling the story that leaves viewers wanting more. If you’re adding something to the video that doesn’t contribute directly to the call to action, you may want to consider removing it. You can re-purpose many of your large video assets to focus on unique messages. If done efficiently, the asset can last for months and you’ll have compelling content for the foreseeable future.
5. Make The Most Of Trending Topics
It’s imperative to deliver relevant content to your audience. Video gives your brand a voice and allows you to move quickly to take advantage of news stories, consumer behaviour and any kind of relevant content that goes viral. Some of the smartest brands incorporate these real-time techniques to become a part of the social conversation. Many popular hashtags also recur on a weekly basis (such as #WednesdayWisdom) and span across a range of consumer demographics. As a brand, you want to create campaigns that spark conversation and linking your video to the latest trends is key to doing so.
