The popularity of video in marketing has risen in recent years. Here at Sparkhouse, a leading video-production and online-marketing company based out of southern, California, we aren’t aware of a decrease in literacy (though the replacement of emoticons for words might say otherwise), but perhaps it tickles a certain part of the brain that enjoys the easiness of visual stimulation over reading all those words on that tiny screen.
At any rate, companies would be smart to take full advantage of this marketing trend. We think a good place to start with this topic is on the subject of social media. Video is popular. Social media is popular. Why not combine them? It just seems like a logical progression from there. Using video for social media marketing is a powerful tool for building your brand and reaching your clients. Why aren’t you doing it already?
No one ever opens up their Facebook app so that they can see some good marketing. That’s just silly. In fact, half the time, we don’t know why we’re doing it. It’s just second nature, kind of like scratching an itch. But somehow we always fall for the trap and find ourselves watching some video only to discover we’re being marketed to. But it’s too late. That’s the power of video marketing. And Facebook and other similar social media platforms are powerful tools for putting your video and more importantly, your brand in the public eye. Here are a few tips to get started.
Target Your Audience
Social media platforms know you better than you know yourself. Since we’re already on the topic of Facebook, let’s talk some more about that. Facebook targets specific groups of people for its advertising. There are many variables that determine what ads come across your news feed. Things like your location, interests and browsing behaviors are some of the factors that decide what kind of advertising shows up on your screen. You’ve probably noticed for yourself that Facebook can be very effective in what it puts in front of your eyes. What’s our point in all of this? Simply put, because of the way that Facebook and other social outlets target audiences, it is a highly effective tool for getting your videos in front of the right people.
Make Videos Shareable
A conversation about video marketing wouldn’t be complete without talking about viral videos. If you are harnessing the power of social media for your video marketing, you want to make your video as shareable as possible. Seeking to make a viral video is a good way to approach this. So what makes a good viral video when it comes to video marketing? There are many ways you can go with this. You can go for shock value and get people’s attention with something controversial. You could also look for something relatable and engage people in a way that transcends cultural barriers. Or you could go the other way with that and challenge the culture by bringing up a topic that has been an area of tension between particular groups.
Let’s talk about that last one. You might remember a viral Amazon commercial that features a Muslim cleric and a Catholic priest who are good friends and purchase each other identical knee pads which make praying easier. This ad hit a cultural pressure point by bringing to our minds a topic that is timely and controversial with its addressing of the topic of the Muslim faith. Regardless of how you feel on the subject, this video was effective in grabbing people’s attention and had mass viral potential. This video is a prime example of how you can use viral video in your social media marketing.
Create for Social
Videos watched on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are viewed very differently than traditional videos on TV or YouTube. When you are browsing Facebook or Instagram, what setting are you normally in? Waiting in line at a coffee shop, waiting in a lobby for a meeting, or maybe just bored at work, but whatever the setting, most of the time you aren’t set up with headphones or proper speakers to watch a video. That is why we recommend that you make your videos understandable even on mute. You can accomplish this with large titles, call outs and visuals that help explain your video’s purpose and message.
Another trick to optimize your video for a social media setting is to create it in a square format. Standard HD Videos are 16.9 aspect ratio but on Facebook and Instagram, you get more visual real estate on the feed when your videos are formatted to be square.
We’ve only scratched the surface on how video can be used in social media marketing. But we hope this has scratched an itch for you to learn more about this subject. Social media can be a powerful tool for getting your videos in front of the right people and growing and promoting your brand.
A version of this post originally appeared on the Sparkhouse’s blog, here.
