The Use of Video to Enhance Social Media Accounts

The strategic use of embedding videos on social media platforms has become increasingly popular in the Digital Marketing field. Professionals have gained positive praise and reactions from followers, that quickly turn consumers, after utilizing this tool. With statistics such as Youtube having over 2 billion users, or that 72% of customers would rather learn about products and services online, we can see just how important it is for companies to use this technology to their marketing advantage. Here at GSATi, we are pleased to offer these services to our clients. 

To further analyze this topic, we referenced the article “The Right Tools to Create Successful Social Media Videos That Convert for E-commerce,” by Tom More, CEO and founder of Promo.com. It is only right that we give credit to More, as the content in this summary comes from his original ideas. Other contributors have been cited as well.

Social Media Video Marketing- 

Social Media Video Marketing has two components that ensure it is successful - creating content that is easy to understand, and marketing that content to your target audience through various social media platforms. Well-edited videos can be embedded in various social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube. 

Why Your Business Needs to Utilize This Strategy-

Videos Convert Viewers into Customers

Videos serve as great attention-getters. Once the viewer is interested, the video serves the roles of entertaining, informing, and persuading. Videos also allow connections to form between the target audience and the brand in a quick manner. Consumers like to see the brand in action, and not just communicating what they provide or what they will do.

Video Builds Trust Between You and Your Audience

After building a connection with the consumer, it is easier to gain their trust. Trust can be derived from videos, since they allow customers to see your brand’s transparency and honesty. People are more likely to become customers if trust is established first. 

Mobile Users Crave Videos

Our generation relies on technology for our daily needs. In fact, we use these tools so much, that some argue we are even addicted. With this knowledge, we can assume that individuals seek out these videos on their mobile devices as a form of entertainment. It is essential for a company to make sure that they have videos regarding the brand and its services readily accessible for when potential consumers seek out to find something to watch and engage with.

Video is the Best Content for Social Media

Videos are guaranteed to get more engagement than any other tool or media channel due to their convenience. People are more likely to listen to content, and watch screens on-the-go, instead of fully investing in reading written material themselves.

Different Types of Videos that Can be Implemented-

About us videos

About us videos allow customers to get a glimpse inside the company, and what the brand’s mission, values, and goals are. While keeping the video short and brief, communication professionals must include information of the company's products and services, where the company is based, the company story, the company’s team, the company’s values, and what makes the company stand out amongst its competitors. Mastering the balance of producing a timely video, while including all of this essential information is key.

Product Close-up

Product close-up videos allow customers to see the intricacies of a product. Visually promoting a product can get customers excited about the brand and want to learn more. It is essential to provide a “360-degree close-up view” so that customers can see the product in depth, as if they were in-store. The e-desk blog titled, “How to Make a Killer eCommerce Product Video,” states “Lighting and angles are always the biggest challenge when recording an eCommerce product video. You’ll want two off-camera lights – one at a 45-degree angle behind the product, the other in front of the product at the opposite side. Make the backlight a little bit brighter to help your product stand out. Products look best on a plain black or white background. The more professional your product videos look, the more viewers will trust you as a seller.”

Product Overview

Product overview videos are similar to the product close up ones, as it shows the product in depth. However, in product overview videos, the video provides voice over and commentary regarding the details of the product, as well as the benefits of obtaining it. Successful Product Overview videos derive from well-written and comprehensive scripts. These scripts can include key product features, common FAQs, product variation details, and the company's unique selling point.

Messages from the Founders

Messages from the founder videos personalize the brand and gives a name and face to the company voice. This helps consumers associate the brand with an individual or group, and allows a relationship between the two subjects to form.

Explainer videos

Explainer videos provides insight on the inner-workings of the products and services you sell and provide. The step-by-step process of creating and producing successful explainer videos includes: determining the goal of the video, writing a script, making a storyboard for the video, practicing voice-overs of the video, recording the video, and editing the video all together.

Tips-  

Know your audience

Videos should look different depending on which market they are targeting. Marketing professionals must extensively evaluate their target audience in order tailer videos to meet the needs and trends of that specific group. In order to become more familiar with your audience you can implement a wide variety of strategies. Some of these strategies include evaluating any current site analytics, analyzing past successful campaigns, creating and sending out surveys, and keeping an eye on customer feedback. Knowing this data will make altering any content to become more relevant a lot easier.

Run tests

It is always important to evaluate your video campaign before, during, and after it is launched. This will help brands alter characteristics of the videos that are underperforming in order to maximize their benefits. According to Hanover Research, these tests can vary in type, including, “attitude and research surveys, focus groups, message testing, package testing, persuasion testing, and recall testing.” By running some, if not all of these tests prior to the product’s launch date, it will defer a company from experiencing any issues and having to overcome any obstacles.

Fit Videos to the Platform

Each social media platform has different requirements regarding the length and types of videos that can be posted. It is essential that the video campaign team does research on platforms that they intend to use so that the videos can be formatted correctly. Curious to know the specific qualifications of your most-used application? We have provided a link to a source that explains these requirements in great detail. Learn more here: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-video-specs-guide/

Sources:

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/social-media-video/#why-your-business-needs-to-implement-a-social-media-video-marketing-strategy

https://blog.hubspot.com/service/know-your-audience

https://www.hanoverresearch.com/insights-blog/6-tests-run-before-brand-launch/

https://stadamedia.co.uk/what-should-you-include-in-an-about-us-corporate-video/

https://blog.edesk.com/resources/ecommerce-product-video/

https://www.vidyard.com/blog/explainer-videos/