Wondering why should you use videos in your social media marketing strategy?
Because it can help liven up your brand. But this can also be tricky!
There could be many ups and downs, ifs and buts to be taken care of. One of the dilemmas faced by marketers is which type of content to use and when.
Let’s clear it out for you.
Images and text have been in the game for too long, and the audience is now gravitating towards moving content, i.e., social media videos. Videos on social media networks, especially Facebook, are reaching more people and engaging better than any other type of media, as stated by a Databox report.
Because videos give more in less. Videos are attractive, exciting, and consume less time to give more information. Imagine reading about a product or watching a product video. What would you prefer?
The product video, of course!
Videos are the new form of content to attract audiences. And, when I got to know that 89 percent of video marketers experience an excellent ROI through videos, I thought to myself, “What are brands waiting for?”
For those of you who are new in the social media marketing world or those who haven’t yet started with video marketing, here is something for you to read.
Benefits of Videos in Social Media Marketing
1. Your brand can reach new audiences
Social media videos never just come with a single benefit, instead, they have a long list to follow. Social media holds different kinds of audiences. Some prefer to read long texts, some like to go through infographics, and some like to save their time by watching videos.
Though there might be a set of audience for your social media already, with videos, you explore and invade a new group of people. YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users and 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter. Moreover, 87 percent of online marketers use video content.
This clearly tells how big of an audience you are about to conquer.
And, anything that brings more people brings more brand awareness.
2. You can tell a story
There might be a lot of times when you have a bunch of ideas to express on your social media but with limited types of content i.e. text, visuals, it is difficult to do that.
At such times, videos can help you express yourself in an elaborate way.
You can make the users feel connected with your brand through videos on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. This attempt can help you build an emotional connection with your audience, which further contributes to converting the audience into paying customers.
3. It can effectively build trust
As easy as it is, the competition for producing, editing, and sharing videos on social media is dreadful. If you haven’t started yet, start wondering why the number of brands diving into social media videos is increasing each day.
I will tell you why.
Social media videos are an elaborate form of brand expression where brands can say exactly who they are and what they are doing.
This shows that you are being honest with your audience.
When your brand starts being honest about itself, it’s inevitable to gain more trust from the audience and build an emotional connection with them. And the more you show and talk about yourself, the more honest you are. According to statistics, people with an emotional relationship with a brand recommend them at a rate of 71% compared with the average rate of 45%.
Types of Videos To Use In Social Media Marketing Strategy
1. Create Short Instructional Videos
One of the primary purposes of social media video marketing is to solve the audience’s problems. Because this only makes them want to be connected with your brand even more.
You can take your first step towards helping your audience by creating short instructional videos. For example, if you have a product, you can explain a step-by-step process of using that product. This will make the audience know more about your product without paying for it.
While you do that, try to touch as many pain points as you can because your goal is to make the audience relate to your product and eventually develop the need to buy it.
Well, reaching out to audiences on social media isn’t a toughie. In fact, with these instructional videos, you are already a step ahead in the social media video marketing game.
The ice cream brand Ben and Jerry nailed their social media video marketing by consistently releasing short video clips like this.
The best part is that they don’t mean to take much of the user’s time and post a short video while mentioning the full recipe link in their Instagram bio.
2. Long-form Product Videos
The social media influence is now real. So many people let social media influence their buying decision.
And, you should make the most of it.
But when you have a complex product to sell, it can feel impossible to create attractive videos like the ones made by bakers, restaurants, bloggers, etc. Don’t worry!
If you have a complex product and a genuine audience, creating long-form videos will work best for your social media. You can simply start explaining your product without thinking twice. These videos can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level. And make sure to include this regularly in your content marketing strategy.
3. Testimonials/Reviews
Whenever buying or researching a product online, people tend to check out the reviews before purchasing. This makes them develop faith in the product as reviews/testimonials are from a second person who spoke about the company.
When a person who isn’t working for the company says something about their product/service, it’s counted as much more useful than any other marketing method.
Therefore, testimonial videos work best on social media and significantly impact sales. Because the present and previous happy customers are naturally more believable to the audience. Usually, a testimonial video goes like this.
- Introduction to the persona and their problem
- Explanation of how your company provided the solution
- The ups and downs
- The result and its benefits
But, you should always add a pinch of creativity to your testimonial videos to make them more genuine and believable.
Tip: Don’t rush into posting testimonials; instead create different drafts after going through examples of testimonials made by big brands and patiently work on your own.
Dove, an American personal care brand, won thousands of hearts with a testimonial video as genuine and heart-touching as this one.
4. Live Videos
Live videos work wonders if you have a significant number of followers already. You can easily connect with the audience through Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Youtube Live, etc.
Live videos are normally used to showcase a product launch, behind the scenes, important announcements, Q&As, recipe demonstrations, fashion tips, etc. In short, something that is usually done in front of a huge audience.
The best part about live videos is that it reaches a huge audience in just a few seconds. And platforms like Instagram have made it easier for marketers. As soon as you go live on Instagram, your followers will be notified of it, which increases your potential reach.
This is how Dunkin’ Donuts made a Valentine announcement using Facebook Live.
5. User-Generated Videos
These are videos simply created by the users for your brand. And there are different ways to do it.
Offering a reward to them in exchange is the first option. If you offer free rewards, the audience will love to create videos for your brand.
Zomato did something exactly like this.
Fantastic, right?
Zomato made the most of the criticism they received and launched a contest campaign with it. Moreover, they also received so many user-generated video advertisements.
What a smart mind!
So far, user-generated social media videos contain a lot of potential for shareability. And, which is why they need to be a crucial part of your social media marketing strategy. Because for example, if people have participated in the #zomatoloot contest, they would obviously ask other people to share their advertisement in order to get more recognition.
Pro Tip: You can give a shot to user-generated content around special days and occasions. For example, the holiday season can be the time that can boost your marketing idea or maybe even a viral trend.
6. Behind-the-scene videos
Behind-the-scene videos are known for bridging the gap between a brand and a user. Because as soon as you start showing your story from a different point of view, people start relating to you more.
If you are still confused about how to utilize this, let me help you further.
Behind the scenes can consist of highlights of the day, employee interviews, customer chat, etc. In short, anything that can show your brand as more human and relatable. These videos can also help you develop a brand voice on social media. And, if your videos are interesting, they are meant to be shared.
And when you start posting these, make sure to track their results at every stage. Because tracking and analyzing takes you one step ahead in the game.
The market is now full of social media tools like MeetEdgar, Hootsuite, etc., that offer scheduling, analysis, content management, etc but I understand how it can sometimes take a toll on your marketing budgets and expectations, especially for newbies and small-scale businesses. To conquer all the shortcomings, give a shot to MeetEdgar alternatives to find something beneficial.
Learn how to rank first in google with these Video SEO tips
It’s a wrap
Social media video marketing is hot right now. Both large and small businesses are diving into it one by one and taking over the audience million by million.
Creating, editing and posting can seem to feel daunting at first, but if you are still here, you now have a broader idea of the types of videos that you can use in your social media marketing strategy.
What are you waiting for?
We hope you found this information useful and we would also love to hear from you. Let us know what kind of videos worked for your social media marketing.
