Are you Ready for Social Video?

Are you considering using video in your digital marketing strategy?  Here are a few statistics on the topic:

• Visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not. (Internet Retailer)
• More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month. (YouTube)
• 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with others. (Invodo)
• Video promotion is 6 times more effective than print and online ads. (Atlas)
• More than 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube each minute. (The Telegraph)

But most importantly:

• Video is shared 1200% more times than text and images combined! (Simply Measured)

As a digital marketer, it is crucial to plan for video in your marketing efforts. Moreover, you must understand which social media platform is correct for your target audience and what type of social video you need to create.

In a recent training session on Using Video in Social Media Strategies, I talked about the demographics for each social media platform and the types of video to use on each platform. You can download the Using Video in Social Media Strategies presentation here:

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For social video, length matters. Vine videos are a maximum of six seconds long, whereas an Instagram video may be anywhere from three to 15 seconds in length.  Three seconds may seem like no time at all, but keep in mind that you only have three seconds to engage your audience. The image below is a great cheat sheet to show you what video length works best for each platform. If you haven’t edited your video properly engagement will dramatically decrease and your message will be lost. Common pitfalls include black screen or text only at the beginning of a video, or not starting with an action shot.

Two things to consider when engaging your target audience via video are where are they in the customer journey, and what type of content will move them further down the sales funnel? Top of the funnel ideas include brand awareness or statistics videos. As you go further down the funnel consider a case-study or customer testimonials.  Toward the bottom of the funnel consider creating a Q&A video, or a video tutorial on the product.  

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Since YouTube is the second most used search engine, it’s important to remember these tactics when creating and publishing a video.

1. Create a video that your target audience wants to see rather that what you want them to see: Research your target audience to learn what they are looking for. Your social media team can also help you with understanding what resonates with your target audience in social media.
2. Avoid the talking head video and Realize the power of an Infographic video: The #CiscoACI team did as fantastic job with these three infographic videos that performed very well in social media.

2015 ACI Video Episode 1: An Impossible Deadline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxepLoeQXoQ

2015 ACI Video Episode 2: The Needle in the Haystack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1kfNxyG81g
2015 ACI Video Episode 3: Operation Clean Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iayqQz6nXk

3. Pay attention to Detail: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a necessity when publishing a video on YouTube. The most important items are the title, the description, and key words. A .TXT transcript file also helps your visibility within YouTube, and provides closed-captioned video viewing, which more people are using as they watch at work or in public places. Furthermore, closed-captioned viewing helps overall video comprehension.

4. Don’t ignore the Fact That YouTube Is a Social Network: Be sure to contact your Social Media team when you start thinking about video. They can help you understand the types of content that resonate with your target audience, and help you build a social media plan so your video fits into the larger product messaging story.

One thing is for sure, social video is only going to grow in momentum.  And with that growth, YouTube has taught us that everyone has something to say but not everything is worth listening to. The number of low quality videos created is staggering. Say “no”, to the pressure of making a video just to make a video. Make sure you hold out for a high-quality video to ensure your product or services stand above the rest.

If you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @MrsKraintz

Be on the lookout for my future blog post, ’10 reasons why Your Video isn’t Being Viewed!’