We all know that video content is crucial to a successful social media strategy. Our recent blog outlined why video is such an effective medium and how to formulate an effective social media video strategy with video playing a central role.
Once you have a strategy to keep your social media video production on-brand and focused on your goals, you can get creative. When creating video content there are some important best practices to keep in mind, as well as many exciting techniques to try out.
Our in-house social media specialist, Faber Whitehouse, shares his guiding principles for creating effective social media video content as well as some exciting trends to engage with.
Authenticity is key
If there is one word that you take away from this article, it should be authenticity. Video content which is people-focused tends to have more success on social media because it fosters an emotional connection and builds trustworthiness. For brands marketing on social media, it is an opportunity to elevate the voices of real customers, and the real people behind the brand.
The quality of the video content comes secondary to the human story, humour, or intrigue at the heart of the video. The fact that ‘grassroots’ content from brands tends to perform well means that 4K quality doesn’t mean success, in fact it can have an adverse effect by making a brand seem inaccessible and overly curated to its social media audiences.
Employee-generated content (EGC)
One very popular social media video trend is employee-generated content, wherein employees are taking the spotlight and showing audiences ‘behind the scenes’ of the brand they work for and the personality of the business. Employee advocacy used to be about employees sharing pre-approved company messages and content on their own social media, whereas EGC encourages employees to create content in their own voices. People buy from people, and when talking about authenticity, EGC is a great way to achieve it.
Some of the EGC social media video trends include ‘pranking the boss’, ‘a day in the life’, and ‘office fit check’ videos, with these being particularly popular on Instagram and TikTok from B2C brands with younger target audiences.
As with all social media video trends, it is important for brands to engage in a way that is true to their authentic brand voice and personality. EGC should be about showcasing company culture, so there are ways for brands with more serious brand voices and personalities to engage.
For a more ‘serious’ way of doing EGC for B2B brands in more conservative industries, brands may look to platforms like LinkedIn. Employees can use this platform to engage in pertinent industry discussions using video content. It is very effective when the content comes from their own thoughts and expertise, rather than a company-approved message. Look to your team to identify the subject matter experts who can talk confidently about your industry and the challenges and opportunities they face. Give them the freedom to explore unique opinions and perspectives.
User-generated content (UGC)
User-generated content is the ‘word-of-mouth’ of the 2020s. It involves content being made by consumers of the brand to share with their audiences. It is essentially free marketing, but still requires a considered strategy. Examples of user-generated video content include: demonstrations or tutorials on how to use a product, review videos and product unboxings.
Recommendations which come directly from users have more impact, and audiences are more likely to trust seemingly organic endorsements than the shiny video content which comes ‘straight from the horse's mouth’, as it were.
You can encourage the creation of UGC in many ways, some examples of which include:
Sending products to influencers to use and promote on their channels. It is important to identify influencers who align with your brand’s personality and values, and those whose audience aligns with your target market. The biggest following doesn’t necessarily mean the most engaged, or that your product will resonate with followers.
Running competitions or ‘challenges’. This involves brands encouraging their social media audiences to post about the brand or the challenge on their own social media account within certain creative perimeters, and the best ones will win a prize, eg. a year’s supply of the brand’s products. These competitions use social media ‘tags’ to find posts and if you get it right, it can drive measurable performance for negligible cost. Utilise paid advertising to promote a social media competition if you don't have a large organic following already, with those entering needing to follow the brand’s account in order to win a prize.
Reach out to those that are already talking about your brand, product or service, and try to develop a relationship to create more content or a collaboration campaign.
Is long form content dying?
With attention spans seemingly at an all-time low and short-form video platforms like TikTok dominating the social media landscape, it could be easy to assume that short-form video content is the only way to go for maximum engagement. But in fact, long-form video content is still really important with many overlooked benefits.
One of the main obstacles for brands producing social media video content is the time, resource and expense required for the output. This is why long-form content can actually be very useful, as there is a minimum level of resource and effort required to produce video content for social media, so if you're going to do it, you may as well make the most of it.
Let’s use a 10-minute interview with a product expert as an example. It is an incredibly economical way of shooting video content because from that chat, you can chop up 10 or more soundbite clips for each of your social media platforms which stir up intrigue, spark discussions and draw people into watching the rest of the content if they are interested.
It is also impossible to tell what will go viral. You may assume that one section is the most likely to be popular, but actually by covering a lot of ground in one piece of content you give yourself the best chance of real engagement.
Quality vs quantity
When putting out video content to social media, is it better to focus on high-quality content or regular posting in multiple places?
Ultimately, if you can afford the time and resources to do both, go for it! If, like most marketing departments, you are on a budget with ambitious targets, you should always be informed by your authentic brand vision.
For younger B2C audiences on platforms like TikTok, production quality is less of a priority. It is also true that platforms like Instagram and TikTok reward posting frequency in their algorithms, so for social media strategies in this space, lean towards quantity slightly over quality. It is always important though that the content you produce is still authentic, people-focused and in-line with your brand personality.
For B2B audiences on platforms like LinkedIn, production quality is more of a priority but it does depend on the product you are creating. A brand film needs to work hard to position the brand and its proposition. This is usually reflected in higher production values. Compare this to an interview at an event, which could easily be filmed on an iPhone and edited in free-to-use platforms like CapCut, and you can see it’s really about finding the right balance.
There are also ways to ensure that you don't sacrifice volume whilst focusing on quality. By streamlining the creative and production process you can create an efficient production machine. Consider ideas like:
Shooting long-form content and chopping it up into soundbites for different platforms.
Employing a quick technique for brainstorming content ideas like the 10x10 process so you can reserve maximum time for capturing content and putting it out.
Don't chase trends for the sake of it
The social media landscape of 10 years ago, when video trends would last weeks or even months (remember the ice bucket challenge?), is long gone. Social media video trends in the age of TikTok become irrelevant as quickly as they emerge.
Exhibit A: the ‘very cutesy, very demure’ trend on TikTok became stale incredibly quickly. As a brand looking to jump on viral trends, you quite literally have about three days:
Day 1: Too early so not enough people ‘get it’.
Day 2: Bang on the zeitgeist, congratulations your brand is cool (for now).
Day 3: Already too late, it looks clunky and your audience are already over it.
The moral of the story is, don't just jump on viral trends for the sake of it. It is one tool in your arsenal to pull on when it is appropriate. It is important to engage in a meaningful way when it genuinely aligns with your wider social media strategy to do so, and if the trend aligns with your brand’s story, values and identity.
Be on the lookout for the holy grail - starting your own trend. A celebrity’s popular but overly contrite video could be skewered for comic effect, or a competitor’s content can be responded to or mirrored, for example. Give your teams the remit to explore new ideas and new approaches, if it aligns with the brand and its positioning, give it a go.
Maximise results from your video content
The most important thing to ensure when planning out social media video content is that the message and ‘vibe’ is consistent with your brand’s personality and audience. Time and time again we are reminded that successful content isn’t always the best quality, or even content which engages with viral trends, it is all about building consistency and authenticity over time.
Audiences want an emotional connection with the brands they engage with, and to feel they have a ‘behind the scenes’ view. Implementing some of the best practices I’ve mentioned should help ensure you foster brand loyalty with the people that matter most. By creating social media video content which resonates, you will see a substantial return on your investment.
For expert guidance on your brand’s social media strategy, contact the MTM agency today.