Video has taken over the internet. And I’m not just talking about cute cat videos or the latest delectable dessert from Buzzfeed’s Tasty (those things are amazing!). Over 55% of people watch online videos every single day.
According to a joint study by Vidyard and the Aberdeen Group, businesses that use social media video see revenue grow 49% faster than those that don’t. Who doesn’t want more sales and faster growth!?
Video even works its magic on Facebook. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a steady drop in organic traffic. Social media video can help you get those engagement figures back up! How? Users love it. We watch 100 million hours of video every single day. To top it off, Cisco estimates that by 2021, 82% of all consumer traffic will be video.
I will defend the power of text with my dying keyboard strokes but video holds undeniable appeal. If you haven’t already, it’s time to make it a part of your social media strategy. In this post, we are going to walk you through how to do that without hiring fancy videographers or spending a heap of cash on expensive software. Ready? Let’s do this.
Making video a part of your strategy
Before you start hunting for the right piece of software or pull out your phone to record a quick Q&A, you need to think strategically.
Social media is jam-packed with content. Everyone is busy posting updates, snapping grams and live streaming. Even that tiny mom and pop corner store you love is at it. As a result, consumers are drowning in information.
To stand out, you need to do better than your competitors. You need to go in eyes wide open, with a clear idea of who your customers are, what’s bothering them and how you can help.
So pull out your current social media strategy and see how you can make video an integral part of it. Do you run frequent Q&A sessions? Maybe you can record the answers to some of the bigger questions, share them on social media and link to them in your FAQs page.
Have a big launch around the corner? Short teaser videos can go down easier than a salted caramel sundae.
Don’t use video just because it’s awesome and everyone else is doing it. Approaching video with strategy and clarity will help you produce better content and rise above the competition.
Making your first few videos
You’ve done the strategic part. Now it’s time to have some fun and make some videos. If your budget is pretty low right now, two tools can help you make delectable videos in a jiff.
Vidyard’s Go Video
Think making a video has to be hard? Think again! GoVideo is a browser extension from Vidyard that lets you record videos straight from inside your browser.
This is a phenomenal tool for creating quick demos for software products or teaching people a digital skill. It uses your computer’s camera and microphone to record you and your screen.
To get started download GoVideo, set your permissions and then click on the extension icon in your browser. From there you can choose whether you record a specific tab, your entire screen or use your computer’s camera to record yourself. Using a USB mic like the Blue Yeti and a webcam like the Logitech C920 can take the quality of your recording to new heights.
You can use GoVideo to create tutorials, record demos and answer questions. It’s quick and easy to use. Once your video is recorded, you can share it straight away through social media or via email.
Biteable
With Biteable* you can create short, fun and shareable videos for social media. The Biteable video maker helps you pull together short animated scenes and images into an effective video.
Biteable offers a huge variety of templates to help you get started and you’ve got a bunch of customization options.
Getting started is super easy and intuitive. My first Biteable video took me less than ten minutes to put together. You can add your own text and music and choose a custom color scheme. And if you want to make things even more personal, you can upload your own video footage and even add a voice-over.
Use Biteable to create short videos that introduce a new product or service or share a company update with your followers using cute animation. You can also use it to create edutainment style videos. Animator Anneke Camstra used Biteable to grow her LinkedIn following, build her list and land new clients by making short videos that answered key questions.
It’s all in the execution
Biteable and GoVideo can help you create short, punchy, engaging videos to share on social media within minutes but you need a solid social media strategy.
Here are a couple of best practices that will help you make the most of these tools.
Before you get started, here are a couple of best practices that will help you make the most of these tools.
- Plan your videos: Spend a couple of minutes sketching out the story for your video. Visualize your viewer and make something they’d love.
- Set clear goals: Decide what you want your video to achieve and track the metrics accordingly. Tracking marketing attribution and performance will help you justify asking for a bigger budget to make more (and better!) videos down the line.
- Make sure your video makes sense without sound: 85% of users watch FB videos without turning on the sound. Add text and subtitles so that your video makes sense without switching that sound on.
- Keep your videos short and snappy: Videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes do better on social media than longer explainers. Keep those for your YouTube channel.
The key, as always, is to focus on what your audience would love to see. Track your analytics and use them to create better videos every time.
Scheduling your videos with MavSocial
We want you to be able to use MavSocial for all your social media scheduling needs. That’s why we introduced video upload and scheduling capabilities. You can now upload your own content to the platform and schedule it for delivery just like you would with any other post type.
Now that we’ve shared our tips and tricks, how are you integrating social media video into your strategy in the coming year?
*Full disclosure: I write for these peeps and they are awesome. I don’t get anything for this recommendation- it’s an awesome tool.
