The power of video in today’s technology-driven culture is well-known, and web videos have become so much more than just a trend. Videos and moving images are the best form of online communication, as social networking and online video sites continue to grow to accommodate more videos as well as innovative ways to share and interact with them.
For example, Adelie Studios published a list of the top video marketing statistics of 2016, including these informative points:
- Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and image combined.
- Companies using video enjoy 41% more web traffic than non-users.
- Four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it.
Here are some ways you can make sure your videos are optimized for social sharing and take advantage of the potential of video:
Hook – Viewers decide whether they will continue watching in the first few seconds of a video (according to video marketing company Wistia’s 2016 video analytics), so grabbing attention is important. Knowing your audience’s interests is an` important factor of choosing a hook for your video, as well as knowing how to emotionally engage them from the video’s start to finish.
Marketing blogger Cameron Uganec notes: “Any good story has a beginning, middle, and end. It also needs some conflict. Who is the hero of the story, what’s the plot, what’s the setting? Using a proven story structure will help with shareability.” While babies, humor, and animals have long been popular advertising hooks, exciting visuals, and emotional stories are great ways to hook an audience on social networking sites.
Length – It is common practice for web videos intended for social sharing to be short, usually under two minutes. Length, in addition to the pacing and content of the video, should be altered depending on what social network it is going to be shared on. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Vine, Periscope, and YouTube all have varying maximum lengths for videos, so it is important to alter how the video presents information depending on what platform it is intended for.
According to Wistia’s 2016 analytics, video engagement past 2 minutes drops to 65%. Marketing strategist Ben Ruedlinger says, “organize the content of your videos journalistically, placing the most important, essential information first, then following with supporting details. […] You should strive to make your content as concise as possible to achieve the highest engagement.” If you truly need a video bound for Facebook or YouTube to be longer than 2 minutes, break it into multiple shorter videos in a series to keep them shareable and encourage your audience to view them start to finish.
Call to action – What do you want your audience to do after watching? Do you want them to subscribe, like, share, or sign up? You can build a request for a desired action or reaction from your audience into the video’s conclusion. These calls to action will vary depending what platform the video is intended for, as not every site allows shares or likes. Encouraging viewers to comment is also a fairly universal way of increasing traffic to a video, and can also provide feedback about how your audience feels about what they just watched.
Social networking is constantly changing, and it is important for marketers to be aware of trends and new technology. Facebook’s Live Stream feature, 360-degree video options, and Instagram’s Stories are both brand new ways to reach audiences, but even more features are added routinely. One thing remains constant despite the frequent shifts in ways of communication: video is the most popular and effective way to tell a story, promote your brand, and share a message.
If you are looking to professionally produce videos in the Washington, D.C. metro area, we encourage you to reach out to us to receive a quote.
Sources:
“A Guide to Social Video, and Where it Fits in Your Marketing Plan.” Cameron Uganec via Hootsuite Blog, 2016. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-social-video-for-marketing/
“Does Video Length Matter?” Ben Ruedlinger via Wistia Blog, 2012. https://wistia.com/blog/does-length-matter-it-does-for-video-2k12-edition
“How Long Should Your Next Video Be?” Ezra Fisherman via Wistia Blog, 2016. https://wistia.com/blog/optimal-video-length
“5 Reasons to Embrace Video Marketing.” Riley Panko via Tubular Analytics, 2016. http://tubularinsights.com/5-reasons-online-video-marketing/
“The Top 2016 Video Marketing Statistics.” Adelie Studios, 2016. http://www.slideshare.net/AdelieStudios/adelie-studios-top16videomarketingstatistics2016-56658453/2-Adlie_Studios_Copyright_2016_All