10 Tips for Creating Amazing Social Media Video Content

If you’ve been relying on Instagram photos and tweets to market your brand only, you might want to think again.

Video content should be every brand’s go to platform for social media marketing, according to a report by data analytics firm Talkwalker and Trust. 

Social video content has a 1200% share rate than text and photos combined. Users are more likely to watch a video till the end than finish a news article or blog post. And if you’re wondering about advertisements, you’re more likely to get more use out of the 30 second YouTube ads than having sponsors on your website.

So start marketing campaigns and advertisements through video now when posting on social media. Stuck on how to do that? Here are 11 ways to make the best social video content.

1. Use Any Camera You Own

You don’t need fancy camera equipment and a DSLR to start shooting videos. Smartphone camera quality today is as good as any average camera or, in some cases, even better (Yes, we’re looking at you iPhone 11 users).

Just make sure the lighting is good enough to see your subject, use any tiny microphone to hear them properly, set up you phone in landscape mode, and you’re good to go!

2. Use A Tripod

One way to make your videos look really professional even if you are filming from your childhood bedroom is to use a tripod!

If the shot is completely stable and the subject of the video is centred and focused, then it would look unquestionably professional. No one wants to watch five minutes of shaky footage.

3. Let The Background Set Up The Video

Once you’ve gotten the tripod, lights, and sound done and out of the way, now it is time to take a look at the background of the video.

Consider what the video is talking about and make the background sell it. Shoot a video outside in front of some trees or in front of some fairy lights in your bedroom. If all else fails, use a green screen and fix the background when editing the video.

4. Script And Voice Over Campaign Videos

If you’re an online brand trying to market products on social media, you might want to script your videos.

Spend some time writing up a script, edit the clips for the campaign and then spend a couple of hours recording a voice over for the video. This will make the campaign look much more professional and your audience won’t have to watch a person talking for five minutes. 

5. Find A Video Editing Tool That Works For You

For most influencers and YouTubers that are just starting out, there is no same in not knowing how to fancy professional video editing tools. And you don’t have to try and learn them later either!

Nowadays there are tons of video-editing applications on phones that you can use to trim and edit videos together in a few simple steps. There’s also IMovie on Macbooks and free video editing tools online that anyone can download.

6. Don’t Forget Subtitles!

85% of videos on Facebook are watched on mute. You better believe that users are that lazy that they refuse to even turn up the volume when a video is playing. 

This means that a smart strategy when posting social video content is to make sure they work with and without sound. Use subtitles, let the clips speak for themselves, add text, and so on. 

7. Grab Attention In The First Few Seconds

Viewers are most likely to watch a video till the end if you are able to grab their attention in the first few seconds. 

Use a shocking image or statistic, start off with the best quote, or even use a rhetorical qustion. Think back to writing essays in English class and having to think of the perfect setence to start it off. That kind of effort needs to be put in social videos as well. 

8. Come Up With A Compelling Title

As important as the first few seconds of the video are, so is the title of your video. 

The title needs to be funny “clickbaity” enough to pull the audience in but also use enough key words that new users can use to search the video. For Instagram or Twitter videos, use hashtags and tag your location for the captions. 

9. Try Out Live streaming

If you do not have the energy to sit down, film a video, and edit it, try live streaming on various social media platforms. 

You can start a live stream on almost any platform and it is a great way to interact with your followers and advertise products. Just make sure to schedule them, announce the timing of the live stream before hand, and plan what to do like Q&As and launches.

10. Save Some Time By Hiring Freelancers

For big organizations who need a new way to advertise their brand but do not have the time or staff to do so, you can save a lot of time just by hiring freelancers. 

There’s a lot of video freelancers that are willing to do paid work and can edit together a whole campaign for a brand. If you need videos to be more consistent then you can also reach out to a marketing agencies that can produce content for you. 

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. 

Image credit: Shutterstock.