Like it or not, social media has become an integral part of our society. Having a social media account is now the norm, not the exception. Every upgrade or additional feature done to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, and the like is just further proof that these platforms are not going anywhere, anytime soon. So as far as social video production is concerned, social media videos are—and will undoubtedly remain—relevant.
Here are three tips to ensure that you (and your brand) do too.
1. Continue Sharing Videos to Facebook
YouTube might be the OG of video-hosting platforms, but here’s a little surprise for you; in December 2017, almost 60% internet users in the US declared Facebook as their preferred channel to watch online videos. This means that more and more consumers are happy to get their video fix on Facebook rather than jumping over to YouTube.
For brands that are marketing on Facebook right now, you definitely should take advantage of this statistic and invest in video production. If you’ve got videos hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia, go ahead and repost them to Facebook. The facts show that people clearly don’t mind watching on this platform, so milk it for all it’s worth.
2. Upload More Native Videos to Facebook
This is directly related to the previous point. Aside from reposting or cross-sharing your videos to Facebook from other platforms, try increasing the amount of times you upload a video directly to Facebook. According to a Quintly study, native Facebook videos received about 109% more engagement than videos shared from YouTube.
On social media, engagement dictates everything. Number of views, number of comments, number of shares—these are all measurable metrics of success. If you want to reach more people, evidence shows that Facebook will help you achieve that if you use it as your hosting platform rather than other (possible) competing platforms.
Other native Facebook video formats include Facebook Live and Facebook Watch—two features which are also worth noting as they’re gaining a lot of steady popularity.
3. Utilize Instagram & Snapchat Stories
Social video production doesn’t necessarily mean editing pre-recorded footage. Instagram and Snapchat users have fallen in love with the Stories feature—so much so that even Facebook has decided to jump on this bandwagon!
Originally a Snapchat concept, the Story feature allows users to combine photos and videos that succinctly summarize their day into short, swipeable segments. These compilations are only available for 24 hours, after which they disappear from the feed.
For video producers used to the traditional video production process, this might seem a little rushed and a little messy, especially since there’s very little editing you can do to the footage on the app itself. However, data shows that those features are exactly what current consumers love about stories. The lack of permanence in the medium and the rawness of the footage very much appeals to their preference. It shows the mundane (read; human) side of brands.
Through stories, brands are able to create a simply yet fully immersive experience for their users, crafting a visual story through micro-moments captured on screen.
With how today’s marketing landscape looks like, the challenge for brand owners and marketers alike is to follow trends and stay relevant while simultaneously managing to be creative—a balance that is not so easily struck. Social video production provides a way to potentially achieve this by being a commonly-consumed construct that still allows a modicum of creativity and originality through its concept and execution.
