Video content has taken over social media, it has become an important element in building any brand's success. It offers more time to grab audience's attention, and the first 3 seconds are always key. The popularity in short form videos like reels and Tiktoks are allowing businesses to reach a whole new audience as it is a new way to show off the type of business you are and what you can offer.
Having video on any social platform will give your brand any competitive edge, as you are able to make your video unique to you to who you are and what you do. 63% of businesses have started using video content marketing (source) and 82% of businesses feel video marketing is an important part of their strategy (source).
Video content typically performs best with most social platforms algorithms, it is able to capture audiences attention for longer. The longer a viewer engages for the more likely the social platforms algorithm will boost it to a wider audience as it will notice people watching it. This generates more engagement as your video will fall onto more peoples pages and they will be willing to watch more of it. Tweets with video see 10x more engagement than pictures do (source).
Social media helps boost posts that use new features, these features are now very much video related. Instagram heavily promotes reels as this is still a new feature to Instagram, this means reels are one of the best ways to grow as a brand as they are pushed heavily on the instagram algorithm. By using features that are pushed more on that social platform will help you get more exposure as the platform will automatically boost the content you are putting out there.
Video is easy to consume, customers are wanting more video due to wanting to see products or services in action. This will help capture a wider target audience as 68% of consumers would prefer watching an explainer video to solve any product related problem (source). Creating video content for your customers will get stronger engagement as this is what customers want more of, they will choose to watch your video content over reading text about your product or service.
Quality video content might be more time consuming but completed well allows you to reach audiences across multiple platforms. If your video does well as an Instagram reel there is nothing stopping you putting it onto Tiktok, both platforms offer the same size format 9:16 and they both have similar intentions with the way they work. As a business this makes it easier for you to start using multiple channels as the platform is giving you the chance to repurpose the content you're already posting.
Similarly, Instagram lives can automatically be shared as IGTV as it allows people to watch your live streams at a later point. This lets you save the content onto your page and lets anyone see the live stream if your account isn't private. Instagram feed videos are often perfect for Facebook feed posts, any video content you create and post onto a social platform will more than likely work on another so as a business you should be using this to your advantage. Repurposing your content makes it a lot easier for your business as you will be saving money and won't have to continuously come up with new ideas.
Video has a much longer shelf life, audiences might not see your video content straight away but they might see it weeks after it was posted. This is because video content typically generates more interaction which means it will stay relevant for a longer period of time. If your video is doing well on one platform, you should try sharing it on another, this will likely have a similar success rate due to audiences wanting the same content throughout. Creating compilations of short forms and long forms of your video content will also help boost your ROI as you repurposing the content in different ways to suit different audiences. This is important to do as you want to be making sure you are creating content that is right for everyone.
Social media has grown within the last year due the pandemic, Instagram and Facebook both reported that there was around a 40% increase in activity on their platforms since lockdown happened (source). Therefore, as a brand you want to be where your audience is, if your customers are using social media you want to be posting there. It lets you build a better connection with your own audience and your competitors are also using social media so you want to be making sure you are always ahead of the game.
The average person spends around 6hours a week watching online video (source), video allows you to showcase your brand in a more dynamic way and the smaller more authentic concepts often work best. Videos are now becoming shorter, audiences don't want to watch longer videos as they don't have the time to. Social platforms like Instagram and Tiktok have evolved to this as they offer 15 - 30 second video options, this is important as platforms are becoming aware of the attention span of their users and creating what they want to see. As a brand you want to be taking advantage of these features, these social platforms are only giving you formats they know their audience want and like so take advantage of them.
Video and mobile go hand in hand, 90% of consumers now watch video on their mobiles (source). Customers are now more on the go than ever therefore they are watching videos while they are going through day to day life, the number of smartphone users are growing which means your mobile video audiences will continue to grow. Therefore creating video that is perfect to watch on smartphones is now crucial.
Smartphone users are twice as likely to feel a personal connection to brands' video content than tv viewers and 1.4times more likely than desktop viewers (source). You want your audience to feel a more personal connection with your brand, videos that are viewable on a mobile device will make your content more catered to your audience as they are more likely going to be on their phones watching your videos.
Youtube reports mobile video consumption rises 100% every year (source), growth of mobile video means brands need to be more sensitive to the personal experience people have on their smartphone. You want your audience to have the choice on how they view your content and the way they consume the video content. This is important as it can help that your brand cares for the way your business is viewed by its audience.
Video is still shared frequently than static image posts, this gives businesses the greater chance of standing out and reaching a wider audience. Social shares are a powerful sales tool with 93% of marketers saying they landed a new customer due to video content on social media (source). Viral videos are often reposted by other users simply because they enjoy engaging with the content that is being created. This can help boost your brand's popularity as if you have one viral video people will want to see more from the brand and start liking and following your pages.
The most authentic concepts for video work best, audiences share emotions, 76% of audiences saying they would share a video with friends and family if it is entertaining. Fun and entertaining videos will help encourage social shares as people share what they enjoy watching, social shares will then help increase traffic to your site as more people will be engaging with your audience. If your content is being shared around it means you are more likely going to land on a page of someone who is in need of your product or service which leads to your company.
Video content allows you to showcase your product in a more dynamic way, it helps add valuable content that is harder to achieve through a single photo. Social media can make all the difference to your brand, audiences young or old are now using social media to stay up to date with friends, family and brands. Therefore, having a social presence is crucial as it helps brands build stronger personal connections with customers as well as staying in front of competitors.
Video will continue to grow in popularity as it is a medium that more customers want, 54% of customers saying they want to see more video content from a brand or business they support (source).
If you need help creating video content for your social media channels, chat to one of our team.
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