Any serious social media strategy these days needs to include video content. This essential asset can be a vital tool to grow your community and share your brand story. There is no shortage of video features across the various social platforms, making it easy to create high-quality social media videos for your followers.
But how do you use video to get more engagement from your audience? This is doable, even for a small business with a smaller budget. Read on for our top five tips and make your videos great.
Tip #1: Make sure your footage is high-quality
In most cases, everyone has a very good camera in their pocket (via their smartphone), so social media users expect high-quality content.
The platforms themselves agree. Instagram explained how the Instagram Reels algorithm would prioritize high-quality videos over blurry videos with low resolution. However, this shouldn’t be an issue, as your smartphone is capable of an acceptable level of quality.
When filming social media videos via your smartphone, keep the following in mind:
- Always ensure a strong lighting source is nearby or use a ring light that helps create brighter, clearer videos
- Try to capture your audio in a quiet room with good acoustics; delicate items like furniture in the room can absorb sound, preventing an unprofessional echo.
- Use a tripod or phone stand to avoid your footage being shaky
- Always clean your lens before filming
Tip #2: Hook people in from the very beginning
Even though we’re not meant to, we judge books by their cover. First impressions last, and your video’s first few seconds fall under these rules. If you don’t catch a user’s attention in these fleeting seconds, they will scroll on by.
Hook people in with something interesting that teases what the rest of your video is about. This could be an enticing question or a major takeaway that explains the value the user will receive from giving their time to your video. For example, if you suppose selling your new eCommerce subscription model, you’ll. In that case, you need to say something enticing and drop a major benefit of the package quickly to capture your viewer’s attention.
If possible, address your viewers’ pain points in the first few seconds. Please ensure you are clear and concise, making it easy for your audience to continue watching.
Tip #3: Think about your flow
Although short, quality videos on social media still have a good flow. This means a clear introduction, middle, and end. Your structure should abide by the formula of 3s, ensuring the three sections in the previous sentence. Your flow should work hand-in-hand with your various other marketing tactics.
A 3-part structure makes the information or tips you share easier to digest. The goal is to guide your viewers through a story that is easy to follow, encouraging them to join the conversation, leave a comment, or share the video as your call-to-action (CTA).
Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to show your face
Some people have zero issues with doing this, but you’ll want to consider being your own star for those who are a little more reserved. When you create trust with your viewers, you encourage engagement with comments, likes, and shares. Trust is also vital in advertising, for which the main goal is, believe it or not, manipulation! It’s true — there’s a long history of manipulation in advertising that starts with trust and is worth understanding and using to your advantage.
For example, hosting an Instagram Live session as part of a product launch to answer customer questions shows that you are an authority on your product and helps establish a rapport. Showing followers the people behind the company is always a good move that often yields results!
Tip #5: Always add text
Subtitles are etiquette as they make your videos more accessible for people with hearing impairments. Many people also scroll their feeds with the volume off, allowing your message to get across.
Platforms like Facebook, IGTV, and YouTube can generate automatic captions. However, with TikTok and Instagram Reels, you’ll have to manually add the text (you can find easy-to-use text editing tools to help with this – see below).
When adding text to your videos, use the same font, colors, and style to ensure cohesive branding. Make sure you add titles and text on videos without speech (for example, the only music in the background) as it adds context. Text is a great way to entice people to keep watching:
Some great video editing apps that easily add subtitles include:
- InShot
- Captions for TikTok
- VEED.io (desktop only)
Important note: The “Closed Captions” sticker for Instagram Stories exists already, and TikTok has also introduced its version, known as the auto-captions feature.
No matter what, create video content.
The tips above can help you make your video content more engaging, but the key is to make video content no matter what. A social media video is a powerful tool that can help you tell your brand story while providing value to your community.
All of the necessary tools are in your smartphone. Try the above tips, and enjoy increased brand awareness and engagement with your high-quality content in no time.
