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5 Tips for Adding Video Content into Your Social Media Marketing Mix 14/3

Social video is everywhere - every time you check FB these days it turns out one of your friends has been “Live” / posted a video update. When you want to put together furniture you “YouTube“ it, when you are out on a Saturday night, you post videos on Snapchat and on Im Reviews

But social video is much more than putting together Ikea furniture / watching how your friends spend their evenings.

Facebook & Snapchat are each serving billions of individual video views per day, while YouTube reported that people are now watching a billion hours of content on their platform every 24 hours.

Those are staggering statistics - and the success of video is not done yet. According to research by Media Kix: 

“Traffic from online videos will constitute over 80% of all consumer internet traffic by 2020 (Cisco) & eMarketer estimates that U.S. spending on both mobile & desktop video advertising will reach nearly $10 billion in 2016, more than a 23% develop than last year. By 2019, the U.S. digital video advertising spend is projected to eclipse $14 billion—nearly 50% of that figure is attributed to mobile video.”

What should your business be doing to keep up on useful source? Here are some expert tips.

1. Pick Your Channels
All the major social platforms have video features of some kind. For live video alone you have got various options, including Facebook Live, Instagram, Twitter-owned Periscope & YouTube.

According to Nick Cicero, the founder & CEO of Delmondo: 

“You need to ask yourself, what is the least amount of content that will reach the biggest audience?  What channel do your audiences use the most?’  If you’ve got a large Twitter following, Periscope might be a good idea.  If Facebook is your main focus, FB Live is probably your best bet. There'll be more platforms added every year, and you cannot be in all places.”

2. Make Content That Works
Funny videos that are shareable are great. “How-To” videos are among the most searched for content on YouTube & can be a nice way to connect with your audiences.

Nick Cicero notes that:

“Episodic content works especially well – it is a great way to show the personality of a brand.  Try to create a series that is fun & shareable.”

Whatever you choose, you need to integrate your brand personality into all of your videos & tell a consistent story with your content.

3. Break Down The Walls Between You & Your Customer
A good way to do this is to simply ask your audiences what kind of content they want to see.  

Shanda Maloney, the former social media director for the UFC, says that:

“We asked our fans what they wanted to see & were very surprised by their answers.  I expect to hear from creepy guys who want to see the ring girls getting dressed but instead, our audiences wanted to get a peek inside the life of a fighter.  How do they cut weight?  What kind of meals do they eat after their weigh in? We create a cooking show based on this idea that has been extremely popular.”  

4. Be Consistent
This is true whether you have utilizing live or recorded video. If you broadcast a live feed of your restaurant each Friday at noon, then you should try to keep up the time table so your viewers know when to expect it.

Think of it like a TV show - HBO does not air Game Of Thrones on Sunday night one week, take 2 weeks off, and then air it on Thursday morning.

Building a reliable & consistent presence can significantly boost your video performance.

5. Do not Be Scared Of Live Video
Nick Cicero notes that: 

“People have this attitude that everyone out there’s a troll and are scared to put themselves out there. Do not be. Live video is an excellent way to engage your customers. Find more information.” 

You do not need a huge marketing budget; you can shoot live video on your phone. You cannot expect to have a massive following right out of the gate, but experiment, engage with your viewers, have fun. 

Live video was on each “trend” list for 2017, with most in the industry expecting more emphasis to be put on live & the connective capacity it provides.

One of the other trends that you will see more of in 2017 is that influencers will have an increased role in helping brands optimize video platforms & generate more reach.

Additional, more companies will be turning to professional studios to help them make higher quality content. Remember that everyone has the ability to broadcast but the difference is the quality of the content. Anyone could have a public access TV show, but it will never be as good as something on HBO. Do not be public access; you’re better than that.