Brands that use social media the right way will also see an increase in social media engagement rate, which builds trust and brand loyalty between potential customers and businesses.
Types of Engaging Social Media Videos
Live Videos
Live videos are a great way for brands/sellers to get closer to their target audience. Whether it is on Facebook Live, Instagram Live or Twitter Spaces, live streaming is rapidly gaining popularity. If public figures are using the platform to gain a bigger social media presence, your brand can include this in its social media strategy.
1 Types of Engaging Social Media Videos1.1 Live Videos1.2 Tutorials1.3 Behind-the-Scenes1.4 Question and Answer Videos2 Guide to Creating Engaging Social Media Videos2.1 Strategize2.2 Keep Them Short2.3 Prioritize your Opening Lines2.4 Use Subtitles2.5 Light and Sound2.6 Stay Focused2.7 Call-to-Action2.8 Last But Not Least… Optimize!
If you’re having trouble getting the hang of live streaming, all you need to do is notify your audience about the time and date you will be going live, ensure you have a strong internet connection before beginning your live video, include a catchy description about your video, and interact with active users by asking and answering questions during the live video.
Tutorials
Tutorial videos are always the preferred option for people who want, well, tutorials! Imagine looking for a cooking recipe; do you read a cookbook or watch a video to see exactly how the chef prepares the dish? Tutorial videos are one of the most effective types of content, and they are a great way to create value for your customers.
Behind-the-Scenes
Everyone loves to have a deeper, more intimate insight into how things are made; whether it is their favorite movie, a really exciting ad, or just how brands create their products. Behind-the-scenes content is an efficient way to create original content, and take your audience behind the scenes to show them what goes into making their favorite product or service.
Question and Answer Videos
Q&A videos allow brands and their customers to interact more than any regular social content you post to your feed. It is a great method to build credibility and brand loyalty, and also clear any doubts customers might have about what you offer. Start your video by answering some of your viewer’s most frequently asked questions, and invite your audience to participate by asking you questions in real-time.
Guide to Creating Engaging Social Media Videos
So now you know the types of video content you can create, but how do you create quality videos?
Strategize
The last thing you want is for your video to end up falling flat without delivering real content to your ideal customer. First, draw up a social media video marketing plan which includes everything from audience research to content scheduling, competitor check, and even budget allocation. You must be intentional about your business goals before creating video content. What are you trying to get out of your video posts? Is it brand awareness, reaching new audiences, or are you introducing a new product to your audience? For clarity, create a social media content calendar and input dates and time for scheduling posts.
Keep Them Short
As much as you can, keep your videos short and sweet because, frankly, nobody wants to watch a 1-minute ad anymore. Few social media users will watch a video that is longer than 15 – 20 seconds, so you must craft valuable content that is easy to understand within a few seconds. Videos should be relevant, engaging, provide value, contain key takeaways, and call viewers to action – all in 20 seconds or less, of course.
Prioritize your Opening Lines
Ask any content strategist, and they would tell you; your opening lines determine whether or not your viewers will stay to watch your video, or swipe to the next available one. Start with thought-provoking questions, strong visuals, good sound, or powerful hooks. Also, include your brand name or product in those first few seconds so viewers immediately know what they are looking at. Your social media strategy should include strong intros to have your viewers hooked enough that they want to know what happens next.
Use Subtitles
The great thing about social media is that there are no barriers when it comes to reaching audiences. Your video could reach people who don’t speak English or whatever language you speak in your video, and subtitles will help non-native speakers and people with hearing impairments better understand your content. Also, some viewers prefer scrolling through social media with their sound turned down, and subtitles help make sure they don’t miss what is happening.
Light and Sound
Good lighting will take a video from average to professional-looking. If you’ve seen a video shot with poor quality sound and poor lighting, you know how off-putting and distracting these elements can be. You can use natural lighting by shooting your indoor videos close to a window or door and taking advantage of peak times during the day. And while you can make do with natural lighting to give your videos a nice hue, we would advise you to invest in good microphone equipment to get that high-quality sound.
Stay Focused
Grabbing the audience’s attention is not enough; you must hold their attention with your engaging video long enough for them to get interested in your brand. Your video content must be relevant, compelling, and engaging enough to share a message with your followers and connect with them on a deeper level to meet your social media goals.
Call-to-Action
At the end of your video, give your viewers an answer to questions they have, and encourage them to act on the solutions you offer. The key to driving sales with a good call-to-action is this – don’t construct your CTA to be too sales-focused, rather, remind viewers of what they can get from patronizing your brand.
Last But Not Least… Optimize!
You must optimize your video content according to the social media platform you will be posting them to. Pay attention to details such as the size and dimensions of videos each platform accepts. Also, audience personas come into play here; the technique you use for Facebook stories or Facebook marketing shouldn’t be the same you use for your Instagram Reel or TikTok Business Account.
