With the rise of Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, Snapchat, TikTok, and Youtube, there's no question that users are flocking to video content. Not only is video the best performing content on Facebook, but tweets with video see 10x more engagement, and LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to share a video on the platform. While it's clear that video should be included in your social media marketing strategy, it's important to remember that not all videos are created alike. Here are 3 easy tips you can follow to make sure you're creating engaging content that will help your business grow.
Native Video Content is Best
There are two very important factors in play when uploading your video straight to Facebook versus linking to an outside website. The first is that native videos start playing automatically as soon as they're scrolled into view, as opposed to linked videos that need to be started manually. The second is that native videos work to keep the user on Facebook, while linked videos send them to an outside page. But why is this so significant for your post? A recent study performed by Quintly found that videos uploaded straight to Facebook performed 10x better than videos that were links. From these results, it's clear that Facebook is working to prioritize and favor native videos. Both factors mentioned earlier help contribute to improving the overall user experience, and Facebook is rewarding that.
Subtitles. Subtitles. Subtitles.
It's morning time. You've just woken up and are now lying in bed (still half-asleep), browsing your favorite social media site. Suddenly a video starts playing at full volume, startling you completely awake and ruining your lazy morning wake-up routine. We've all been there before and have promised ourselves never again as we mute the video. This has become the standard for many social media users, as 85% of Facebook videos are now watched without sound, according to a Digiday study. With such a high percentage, it's important that your video focuses on being able to clearly deliver a message without sound. A simple way to do that is to add text! Let people know what you're trying to say by adding subtitles or narrative text.
Don't Overlook the Power of Going Live
We've entered an age where people are tired of being sold to. Instead, they want to build relationships with companies and get an inside look at what's happening behind-the-scenes. Regular videos help with this, but Facebook Live takes it a step further. Now you can stream events as they're happening, engaging more with your audience by answering questions and seeing how people are interacting with your content in real-time. Not only that, but you get the added bonus of viewers spending 8x longer with a live video. Plus, you can give people access to stream your video after you were live. Even if they didn't have the ability to watch it in the moment, your audience is still able to see your message afterwards.
If you haven't already integrated video into your social media marketing plan, now is the time to do it. Video has proven that it's becoming a powerhouse form of content, and it's only going to continue to dominate. Not sure where to start? Contact Informatics today and get help setting up your social media marketing plan and expanding your online presence.
