Social media networks are an effective way to reach millions of consumers around the globe. With almost 40 billion social media network users, now is the time to get in on the action. If your business is already active on various social media networks, you’re off to a great start. But, a successful marketing campaign requires much more than an active presence.
The content you post on social media has a huge impact on the success of your campaign. While text-based content still has its place, video content is growing increasingly popular. Set your business apart from your competitors by investing in a social media video campaign.
Here are the ins and outs of getting the best ROI using social media video.
Align Content with Marketing Objectives & Goals
Any content that you post on social media should serve a specific purpose. Before you begin recording and editing a video, determine which marketing objective the video will target. Do you want to build brand recognition? Looking to drive more website traffic? Want to increase conversions to generate more sales?
Creating social media video content just for the sake of doing it won’t provide the return on investment that you expect. Instead, video content needs to be well planned and should be made with a specific goal in mind.
Properly planning is crucial as it allows you to shape the topic and types of video content that you post. It also ensures that each video you post will be beneficial and useful for viewers.
Research What Your Audience Likes the Most
Most of the YouTube most liked videos are well planned. While there’s always the chance that your social media video could go viral, the odds aren’t in your favor. To enjoy the highest ROI using video content, it’s important to research and plan.
There are an endless amount of topics to put in video form, but what matters the most is what your social media followers care about. To figure out what most interests your audience, use web analytics tools to pinpoint top-performing content. You can use content from your website, blog, and social media profiles to identify which content has gotten the most interest and feedback.
Use these topics as inspiration when creating social media videos. Since you already know that your audience is interested in the topic, there’s a much higher chance of getting the same reaction from a newly produced video.
You can also get inspiration by conducting keyword research. Your competitors are also a great source of topics. See what’s trending on their pages and in the industry overall. From there, you can find fun and creative ways to rehash the topic while putting your own spin on it.
Consider the Type of Video Content
There’s no shortage of the various types of video content that your business can produce, but certain topics lend themselves better to a certain type of video. While you want to market your brand and your product, there are many ways to achieve that goal. For instance, you could record a video that shows your product in action so that users get an up-close and personal look at how your product works and how it may benefit them.
Other types of video content to consider producing include:
- Animated videos
- Live-streaming videos
- Interviews with brand influences or industry experts
- Listicles
- How-to videos
If you’re new to social media video content, you may want to record a few different types of videos and see which ones your audience likes the most. This way, you can have a plan going forward as to the types of videos that get the most reaction and engagement from your audience.
Follow Best Practices
While you may be excited to start getting likes on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or another social media platform, recording a video isn’t as simple as it may seem. There are many different best practices that you’ll want to follow to set your business up for social media video success.
First, always use subtitles. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all by default play videos without the sound on. It’s no surprise that studies have found that most people watch videos on silent. This means that with or without sound, your video content needs to provide the same value.
Another best practice to follow is timing. Unless your audience is keen on long documentary videos, short and sweet is generally your best bet. The first few seconds of your video are the most important, so find ways to hook a viewer so that they stop to watch versus continuing to scroll through their timeline.
Conclusion
A well-planned social media video campaign can help you to achieve many of your marketing goals. Using these tips, you can run a marketing campaign that increases leads, conversions, and ultimately your sales.