According to research from SocialPilot, video content is the fastest growing type of content being shared across all social media platforms. With such an overwhelming majority of marketers recognising its critical role in their strategy – brands are having to be more competitive than ever in their quest to produce the best video content for social media.
After all, social media, with its diverse platforms, presents a landscape rich with possibilities for video content. Each platform offers unique attributes and audience preferences, which means you need to have a calculated strategy in place to cover all bases with your social media videos. Understanding the differences between each social platform and the way its users engage with video content is essential in ensuring your video content resonates with your intended audience.
So, as a leading video production agency with a wealth of experience in creating high-quality video content for brands’ social media, we’ve put together this detailed guide on creating video content for social media and how to get it right for each particular platform.
The Strategic Edge Of Social Media Video Content
In 2023, it does probably go without saying that video content for social media is a must. But, perhaps we don’t take enough time to think about why that is? We naturally see our competitors using social media videos and assume that it’s something we too need to be doing. However, there is some great method in this, and understanding the theory behind why, is what will help you build any strategy on making videos for social media.
First and foremost, video content excels in capturing audience attention. In a world where consumers are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information, the engaging nature of video helps brands cut through the noise. Having this heightened engagement amongst your target audience inevitably leads to an increased time spent with the brand, fostering deeper connections.
Social media videos get on average 12 times more shares than standard image and text based content. This expansive reach of video content on social media cannot be understated, the viral potential of a good video extends a brand’s reach far beyond its immediate followers, tapping into new audiences and markets.
Lastly, video content is an exceptional tool for brand building. It provides a canvas for brands to craft compelling narratives that resonate with their audience. Through storytelling, brands can convey their values, mission, and personality, creating a more relatable and humanised image. Building emotional connections like these is key to any business or brand that is looking to garner increased rates of customer retention or brand loyalty.
How To Approach Video Content For Different Social Media Platforms
How To Approach Video Content For Different Social Media Platforms
In order to properly maximise the impact of your video content on social media, it’s important that you understand and plan towards the differences each platform has. The main social media platforms all have different audiences, algorithms and preferences in the way that video content is presented – and there really isn’t a one size fits all approach here.
Creating Video Content For Facebook
Although it is not quite Instagram, Facebook has always been a more visually focused platform than say X (Twitter). On Facebook, where there are more than 8 billion video views per day, you need to make sure that you give your video content every chance of succeeding. For example, square videos outperform landscape ones, particularly on mobile, where they take up far more of a user’s screen.
When it comes to the length of a video on Facebook, although the platform allows videos up to 240 minutes, optimal engagement is found in videos around 90 seconds, catering to shorter attention spans. The initial few seconds are where you need to hook a viewer and convince them to keep watching instead of scrolling, and an attractive thumbnail can make a significant difference. Variety in content – from tutorials to educational videos – helps in keeping the audience engaged and exploring what resonates with your particular audience is essential.
Video Content On Instagram
Instagram has four different types of video content that brands can utilise – Reels, Live, Stories and In-Feed. Each of the four have different purposes and can be used in different ways but the first thing to remember is that the first few seconds are crucial across all formats to grab attention.
Stories on Instagram are capped at 60 seconds and are best used for things like day-to-day updates or behind-the-scenes glimpses. A “60 second elevator pitch” is something often referred to in business and a similar philosophy can be applied to the way you approach content for Instagram stories. If you know you’ve only got 1 minute to get your point across successfully, you’ll have a better idea on what to include and what to leave out of any video content.
Instagram Live offers a platform for unscripted, personal interactions, useful for workshops or interviews. It’s also a great way to Livestream events that your company is holding or have a live new product launch!
Reels, inspired by TikTok, offer a creative space for short, engaging clips of no more than 90 seconds. These can be used in similar ways to stories, and are a good way to cross post the same video on TikTok as the general audiences and algorithms follow the same kind of patterns.
Finally In-Feed videos are your standard (similar to Facebook) style of video content. They are naturally more suited to more polished, branded content in a way that a business would be looking to showcase itself in a more general way.
Creating Video Content For X (Twitter)
X has always been the platform for concise content and short bitesize chunks of
information. Whilst they have recently added the ability to upload videos of any length it is still recommended that you keep video content here to between 30 to 45 seconds.
Since video isn’t the core of Twitter but is more likely to be shared than other content types, focusing on the latest trends, teaser content, and entertaining snippets can increase engagement and reach if you go about it correctly.
Social Media Videos On LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, your video content should reflect the platform’s professional nature – it is primarily a B2B networking platform after all. The idea here is to focus on creating videos that present company updates, industry news, or thought leadership content. This platform is ideal for sharing achievements, insights, and professional stories that can foster meaningful relationships with your network and potential clients.
LinkedIn does limit videos to a maximum of 15 minutes (although if you’re uploading it from a mobile device then the limit is 10 minutes), however this does still give plenty of time for you to create most kinds of videos. You’re just not going to be able to upload a full playback of a company event, or an award-ceremony for example.
Creative Video Content For TikTok
TikTok is associated heavily with trendsetting and creativity and has become a great platform for brands looking to connect with a younger audience, produce content that’s a little more ‘out-of the-box’ and share their expertise in a captivating way. For example, how-to videos and tutorials are a main staple for service based businesses operation on TikTok, they allow brands to break down complex ideas into fun, digestible pieces, often accompanied by trending music and creative editing effects. The key is to keep the content concise yet informative, as the typical TikTok user favours quick and engaging content.
TikTok does also, like the other platforms, provide a Livestreaming function which many businesses utilise to connect with that younger demographic in a personalised and captivating way. These sessions can range from Q&A sessions, behind-the-scenes glimpses, to live events or product launches. The unscripted nature of live streams also helps add an element of authenticity, leading to more of a sense of community among viewers.
The KPIs That Matter When It Comes To Social Media Videos
The KPIs That Matter When It Comes To Social Media Videos
To effectively gauge the success of your videos, several key metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should be closely monitored. These metrics are what will help you not only understand the impact that your social video content is having, but will help guide your strategy and form part of your way forward when you know what is successful and what isn’t.
- Video Plays & View Counts
It’s obvious, but it needs tracking nonetheless. This metric is a primary indicator of your video’s reach and can give you a sense of how many people are being exposed to your content. However, it’s essential to differentiate between a view and a play, as different platforms have varying criteria for what counts as a view.
- Engagements (Likes, Comments, Shares etc.)
Videos are just like any other piece of content that you produce for your brand in terms of how they can garner engagements from your audience. Engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares offer a deeper understanding of how your audience is interacting with your videos. High engagement rates often indicate that your content resonates well with viewers, prompting them to interact with and share your content. This level of engagement can also boost your content’s visibility on social media algorithms, as the more engagement a post has the higher many platforms will show it in users’ feeds.
- Audience Growth Rate
If video content is going to be a big part of your social media strategy, then it’s going to be important for you to work out what effect this is having on audience growth over time. For example, a gradual but sustained increase in your audience size can be a strong indicator of effective content that attracts and retains viewers.
- Watch Time & Average View Durations
Watch time or average view duration measures how long viewers are watching your videos. Because, as we have mentioned, many of the platforms have time limits (or their audiences have different attention spans) it’s going to be important to know on average how much engaged view time you actually have to convey your brand’s messaging.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR)
If your video includes a call-to-action (CTA), with the specific action being to visit a webpage, then measuring the CTR is essential. This metric shows the percentage of viewers who click on a link or follow through on your CTA, indicating the effectiveness of your video in driving specific actions.
Assessing Budget & Quality When Creating Video Content For Social Media
Creating high-quality video content for social media doesn’t necessarily require a blockbuster budget. Much of the most shared and engaging content on social media platforms are hardly Hollywood-grade productions, yet with the right content plan and at least some expertise in video production brands can produce compelling videos that resonate with their audience while staying within financial constraints.
One of the first things many brands will look to do is to plan for multipurpose video content. This is essentially where a business invests in some higher quality and longer format videos and then edits the finished product so that it can be repurposed for different platforms is a cost-effective strategy. A single, well-produced video can be segmented into shorter clips, teasers, or even still images to be used across various social media channels.
Video content for social media can also be made in a few other creative and cost-effective ways. Take User-Generated content for example, encouraging your audience to create content related to your brand is not only budget-friendly but also makes them feel part of the brand’s extended community and offers a sense of belonging to your audience. You can also repurpose this content more than once to use across different social media channels and keep content fresh without breaking out the film crew and camera equipment every time.
Finally, when it comes to planning shoots and productions of videos you’re going to need as part of your social media content strategy, efficiency in scheduling and planning shoots can save costs significantly. If you do the simple things right, like planning to capture as much footage as possible in a single session, you can mitigate against any costly reshoots and potentially end up with more great content than you had initially expected.
Keeping Your Brand Consistent With Social Media Video Content
Trying to create different types of video content for the different platforms, all whilst maintaining a consistent brand identity, can be incredibly challenging. But, it is of course crucial for brands to present a consistent identity across these channels as without it, key messaging can be lost and any long-term resonance with the audience can be impacted.
Start by clearly defining your brand’s core message and values. This message should be the anchor point for all your content, regardless of the platform. Then, while maintaining your core message, adapt the style of your videos to suit each platform’s culture and audience. For instance, TikTok videos may be more playful and trend-driven, whereas LinkedIn content might be more polished and professional. Despite these stylistic changes, ensure that the underlying message and brand voice remain consistent.
If you keep this in mind whenever you are creating video content for social media it should mean you don’t deviate too far from the brand’s goals and will hopefully mean that your overall message is at the forefront of your audience’s minds when they interact with your content.
Elevate You Social media Video Content With Astor
As we’ve navigated through this essential guide to creating video content for social media, it’s clear that the landscape is as diverse as it is dynamic. Each platform offers unique opportunities and challenges, demanding tailored strategies to effectively engage your audience. From understanding the nuances of Facebook’s visual emphasis to mastering the quick, impactful nature of Twitter and TikTok, the world of social media video content is rich with possibilities.
But, as is so easy to see from what we’ve explained, getting it right is so important and often equally difficult. This is where Astor Film Productions steps in. With our state-of-the-art equipment, and a team of experienced videographers and storytellers, we are equipped to bring your brand’s vision to life.
Whether you’re looking to craft a multi-platform video campaign, repurpose existing content, or explore innovative ways to engage with your audience, our team at Astor is here to guide you every step of the way. We understand the intricacies of each social media platform and how to effectively communicate your brand’s message through compelling video content.
Don’t let the ever-evolving landscape of social media overwhelm your brand’s potential. Contact Astor Film Productions today, and let’s collaborate to create impactful, memorable, and high-quality video content that elevates your brand on social media.