You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again – in the current social media landscape, video is king.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube dominate video consumption and are racking up incredible amounts of watch time from audiences across the world (Social Media News). People resonate with storytelling, and static photo content alone just isn’t cutting it when it comes to constructing a social media schedule and achieving marketing results.
With such a powerful opportunity to connect with audiences at our fingertips, it’s crucial to incorporate some form of video marketing into your digital strategy. Each platform, however, caters to different types of content and audience preferences. Therefore, optimising your video content for various social media platforms is vital to ensure maximum reach and impact.
Optimising for different platforms
So how exactly do you customise your approach to video content for each platform, to make sure you’re getting the most impact? Here’s our rundown on the big players in the video space.
With over 19 million daily active users in Australia, Facebook offers a vast potential audience for video marketing (Social Media News).
Thumbnails are key: You only have a split-second to capture people’s attention in between scrolls, so utilise eye-catching thumbnails that represent your video’s content effectively.
Always caption: Since most users access Facebook via mobile devices, it’s essential to optimise for smaller screens and enable captions for silent autoplay. Studies from Facebook’s Video Advertising Report show that videos with captions are more likely to retain viewers and convey messages effectively, even in environments where sound cannot be played (Meta).
Instagram’s focus on visual storytelling makes it an ideal platform for short-form video content. Worldwide, Instagram has 600 million monthly active users! (Social Media News)
Video first: IG Reels are increasingly popular and are great forms of content to not only engage with your followers but with those outside of your audience as well.
Post to Reels, not Grid: Recent app discourse by users has also suggested that by not posting your reels to your grid, your Reel content will get pushed out to a wider pool of viewers that are not followers, skyrocketing your reach and impact. While this has not been confirmed by Instagram just yet, we think it’s worth a try and helpful for businesses who are looking to rapidly grow their social following.
Say it with Stories: Leveraging the Stories feature to create short, engaging snippets that prompt viewers to act, can be a great way to engage viewers before they even get to their feed. Use interactive elements like polls or stickers to boost engagement and encourage two-way communication with your audience.
As the new kid on the block, TikTok has revolutionised the world of video marketing and provided a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers through video.
Get their attention: You only have a split second to capture your audience’s attention, so it’s important to make that moment count. Include a ‘hook’ in the beginning of your video to capture your audience’s attention and encourage them to keep watching.
Short and sweet: Generally, content between 15 and 30 seconds performs best on TikTok, although the algorithm is always changing. Get your point across succinctly to ensure your viewers don’t just scroll away. When editing, also edit out any pauses between sentences and vary the shots in your video to keep people hooked right until the end.
1 minute magic: Currently TikTok and partnered editing platforms are encouraging users to post content that is 1 minute or more for longer-form storytelling. It’s fair to assume the TikTok algorithm is currently pushing out this content more than others, but experiment with your own content and see what works with your audience.
Text & captions: Including captions and on-screen text in your TikTok videos can increase your audience engagement and make your content accessible to those watching with the sound off. It’s best to add any captions or on-screen text in the TikTok app where possible, so the platform can use your descriptions and narrations for SEO purposes.
As the second most-visited site in Australia, YouTube offers a massive audience that is hungry for video content.
Social media as a search engine: To optimise this platform, focus on SEO optimisations by using relevant keywords in video titles, descriptions, and tags. YouTube is one of the top platforms where video can become indexable content and a source that users continue to find through the search function.
Thumbnails: Creating compelling custom thumbnails can drastically increase click-through rates.
Feed the algorithm: Consistency is key on YouTube; establishing a regular posting schedule will help build a loyal subscriber base and improve the chances of your videos appearing in recommended feeds.
For businesses targeting a professional audience, LinkedIn provides an excellent platform for video marketing.
Stand out from the crowd: Share thought leadership videos, industry insights, and case studies to establish authority and credibility.
Quality & captions: Keep videos professional and concise and include subtitles to cater to viewers who watch with the sound off.
Measuring your video marketing
Understanding the effectiveness of your video marketing efforts is crucial to refining your strategies and maximising results for your business. Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as views, watch time, engagement rate, and conversion rate play pivotal roles in measuring success and getting to the bottom of what makes your audience tick.
Use analytics: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube offer robust analytics tools that provide valuable insights into video performance and gain an understanding of what content resonates most with your audience. These tools can help identify patterns and trends in your audience’s behaviour and guide your future video content strategies.
Get feedback: Gather feedback and comments from viewers to understand their preferences and expectations better. Encourage interactions by responding to comments and engaging with your audience. These interactions can provide invaluable feedback and insights that can influence future video marketing campaigns.
It takes a little bit of creativity, adaptation, and data-driven optimisation, but video success is possible for your business too! Keep on top of your audience’s preferences, industry trends, and emerging technologies to continue reaping the benefits of this dynamic and influential marketing medium.
If you need a little extra assistance with video marketing and more, Wise Up Marketing Solutions can help you make sense of it all.
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