If you’ve decided to hang out with all of the cool kids on social media platforms, you need to know one secret. Social media looks extremely easy when you are scrolling through it, but it requires some effort when you actually start posting and are looking for engagement.
The one type of post that is sure to bring you attention is video content. Social media videos are the most popular type of content, and they get around 50% more engagement than text posts.
With a billion people on TikTok and another 2.6 billion on YouTube, it’s obvious that any brand or personal account that wants to reach its target audience and generate leads has to create video content and chase video views.
If you know nothing about social media video production, the idea of creating video content might sound intimidating. But you don't have to spend a ton of money and hire a video production company.
Social media video production is definitely something that, with a bit of preparation, you can tackle in-house. That’s why we have compiled a list of easy tips that will get you started on your social media video production journey.
Come up With a Video Marketing Strategy
Most of the time, trying to succeed in business can be accurately summed up by the immortal quote of your very own, legendary hustlin’ guru, Gary Vee:
However, when it comes to social media advertising, it’s less about constantly hustling and creating one video project after another, and more about coming up with a social video strategy as your starting point.
A good marketing strategy can help you figure out how to create engaging video content tailor-made for your target audience and how to generate leads.
Be Smart About Equipment
The thing that scares most people when it comes to video production is the cost of the equipment. They are not completely wrong. Video production can be quite costly if you decide to invest in the best professional equipment.
However, you can create social video content and still have good video quality even if you use a good phone camera. Before you invest, do your research to find out exactly what equipment you need to create videos for social platforms.
Find the Best Apps for Social Media Videos
When it comes to social media video production, your App Store is your best friend. There is a whole range of apps that can help you on your social media video content journey.
There is sure to be some trial and error until you figure out the tools that best serve you and your needs.
You will most likely need a video editor, a subtitling tool, a social media management tool, and a social media analytics tool. There might be a steep learning curve at first, but once you have learned how to use these, they will make your life much easier.
Add Subtitles to Your Video Content
Nowadays it is unthinkable to post a social media video without subtitles. Whether it’s because of hearing loss, or because they are watching their videos on mute, around 57% of YouTube users watch videos with subtitles.
Having subtitles in multiple languages, including the original, tells your audience that you are serious about your social media content.
Many people tend to close the video if they see YouTube auto-generated subtitles. To keep your audience's attention, you need the help of a tool like Subly, which can create accurate subtitles with the click of a button.
Be Versatile With Your Social Media Videos
One of the simplest rules of social media video production is - don't be boring. There is no one size fits all recipe for a successful video, so play around until you find what your audiences enjoy and engage with. You can vary both video length and video type.
If you are fresh out of ideas for compelling social video content, check out our handy list.
Invest in Social Media Marketing Videos
Sometimes the quickest way to get new customers into your marketing funnel is to invest in paid video marketing. For instance, according to Meta, there are 8 million active advertisers on different Facebook platforms.
Conquer Different Social Media Channels
Social media video production can be a lot of work, so if you're putting in your blood, sweat and tears, at least make sure that you get it out there to as many platforms as you can.
YouTube Video Content
Some of the top talent in social media video production today work on YouTube. If you're wondering if YouTube is the right place for your brand to try and reach consumers, you'd probably be interested to hear that just in the last quarter of 2021, YouTube raked in $8.6 billion in ad revenue.
Facebook Video Content
In 2023, Facebook is still very much relevant, even though no one expected that. In fact, with almost 3 billion users, it continues to be the most popular social platform in the world. Nowadays, with the rise of Facebook stories and the focus on mobile devices, vertical video is the most popular format on Facebook. Pro tip: don’t forget Facebook captioning.
Instagram Video Content
If you are active on Insta (and you should be!), make sure you use all of the Instagram video marketing options to the fullest! Don't forget live streams. A surprising number of people watch live video streams on Instagram, and they report they find it's the easiest way to engage with their favorite brands.
Remember that, like a lot of social media platforms nowadays, Insta has a heavy mobile focus, so don't forget to optimise for mobile devices with the vertical video format if this is your intended platform.
Twitter Video Content
Twitter has been going through a tumultuous time lately, but it's still a massive platform with around 368 million active monthly users. Posting engaging videos with a strong hook on this platform could make a huge difference for your brand.
Remember, that videos on Twitter are still limited to a duration of 2 minutes. However, some brands opt to pay for the possibility of posting videos that are up to 10 minutes long.
LinkedIn Video Content
When you think about social media video content and consumers engaging with brands, LinkedIn might not be the first platform that comes to mind. But not all audiences are the same, and if you're looking to make a name for your brand among the professional crowd, then it might be the right place for you.
Use the Power of Post Production
Remember that when you are making your social media video content, not everything has to be perfect from the get-go. That's what editing is for. You can always make your video more attractive for the audience in post-production. All you need is a good post-production tool to make your perfect social video.
Repurpose Your Social Videos for Maximum Audience Engagement
Producing content can feel draining and seriously eat up your time unless you are smart about it. To generate new leads, you need to try to reach your potential customers wherever you can.
This means repurposing content and cross-posting the same video content to multiple social sites. Don't forget to upload it to your website as well. Your website can also be an excellent platform for written content. With a bit of editing, you can easily transform the transcript of a video into a blog post.
Many brands nowadays also have successful podcasts. Some videos can easily be converted into podcasts, so that might be an excellent way to reach an audience and ultimately find new customers.
And finally, don't forget to create bite-sized teasers and short videos for different social channels. These snippets are easy to create using Subly, and they are sure to capture the audience's attention and drive engagement.
