At this point, you’ve probably got your social media strategy pretty well managed. If not, to recap from every previous point in the last few years (seriously, where have you been?) it basically revolves around posting the right stuff at the right time. Content is of the utmost importance, as is timing and the use of insights and analytics to drive engagement. You shouldn’t be overly promotional, but the things you share should at least be relevant or of interest to your target audience.
Now that you’re up to scratch, it’s time to take it a step further. If you’re not incorporating video into your strategy, now is the time. Of course, sharing video from other sources works fine, providing it’s relevant and your audience are interested. But sometimes, you’ll want to get a little more creative.
One of the best reasons to get on board the video train to begin with is that it allows your brand to speak directly to your customers in ways that just haven’t been possible before. Sure, some creative content curation works wonders, but video brings out personality and allows people to make a better impression of who a brand really are.
If you’re planning on creating video to get results, or even go viral, you’ll need to think of professionalism. Just as when writing or designing materials to share in the public sphere, you should leave very little room for errors. Of course, some human mistakes can be humorous, so these are fine, perhaps for outtakes. But in general, you should write a script beforehand, think about lighting and record yourself on good equipment away from distraction.
Of course, if you were looking to create marketing content that was written, you’d use a professional writer of some sort. Likewise, if you were looking to share a new image or an infographic, you’d use a photographer and a graphic designer, respectively, whether in house or freelance. So why should your video production be any different? There’s no shame in admitting that we aren’t all professional videographers, so it’s best to leave it to those who are! There are some fantastic video production companies out there, who, like Posh Gecko, for example, will offer a range of videos from the corporate to the quirky. Companies who go for something thought provoking or interesting outside of their direct niche also see great rates of success in getting their name out there, too, as people will share things no matter the source if the content is good. This is something typically unique to video content.
By 2017, estimates say that video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic. Be creative and build your strategy around this naturally engaging method of content marketing. Can your company really afford not to?