They say the one thing that’s constant is change, which certainly applies to Facebook’s algorithm. You guessed it: the social giant is once again changing the way content is served and how often; now pushing personal profile updates on the News Feed more frequently, and reducing the number of views publishers and brands receive.
Think this is bad news? Think again. Videos are still a top performer in the Facebook algorithm, shown more frequently in the News Feed and commanding the attention of followers to watch, listen and engage. The great news is: video is not only a powerful strategic element for Facebook but all of your brand’s online platforms. Best of all, you can connect with fans and influencers by incorporating video into your social media strategy in just one hour per week.
20 Minutes
These days, video doesn’t always have to be a professional (and time-consuming) production. While it is wonderful to have high-quality brand videos online, that level of production is not required for everyday content flow. Most can be filmed and produced in a much more casual manner, reducing time and effort for you and your team, and pleasing your viewers.
Using Animoto, Rival IQ created six short social videos (see above) promoting our latest report, the 2017 Social Media Industry Engagement Report, in less than 2 hours from beginning to end! Since the key takeaways are already outlined in text, we decided not to include captions for a clean look.
Given the short recording format on popular social video networks like Snapchat and Instastories, it’s also important to remember people have grown accustomed to videos getting to the point and immediately giving viewers a reason to care and watch. Keep that in mind as you put your video content together.
This week, take 20 minutes to evaluate your editorial calendar and brainstorm ways you can create a video to demonstrate or complement your messaging visually. For examples of video strategy within an editorial calendar, just look at the wildly popular BuzzFeed Tasty Facebook Page. BuzzFeed Tasty is THE brand doing video right on Facebook, with an average of 476,013 interactions per video. For March Madness they were rolling out Game Day snack ideas which are content pieces that can be repurposed for future national sporting events, like Super Bowl Sunday.
You can create video campaigns for the major events and milestones throughout the year, or you can create daily content designed to connect with viewers on a regular basis. For example, you may want to showcase your company location to help viewers understand what they can expect when they arrive (e.g.: an apartment complex or dance studio).
Get started:
- Pick a day to spend anywhere from under one minute to up to twenty to give a tour of the area while filming.
- Bring along staff members to interview on camera. They know and represent your brand best and are already on the payroll, making them an excellent option for on-camera talent.
- Filming doesn’t have to be continuous and can be broken up into bite-sized clips (published sequentially or edited together later).
- If not posting live and saving for the editing room, spend another 20 minutes or so at your computer reviewing the footage and editing together any clips that might need transitions, background music or animation (all optional).
- Lastly, schedule the video for uploading and publishing to the social networks and blogs where your audience follows along.
As you will come to find, taking just 20 minutes here and there throughout the week can help you produce and publish compelling video content for your audience.
Show and Tell
Sometimes it’s easier to demonstrate something in person rather than explain it in wordy text. Since you can’t possibly reach all of your followers in person, video is the next best alternative. If you own a gym, jump on Snapchat or Instastories to demonstrate proper technique. If you own a hair salon, do a series of snaps/stories to host a tutorial on how to do a complicated updo or use a styling wand. No matter your industry, think about the content that is highly valued by your target audience, and create videos to help them get more of it, more often.
Say what?! Consider using captions.
Since 85% of videos are viewed on Facebook without sound, consider adding subtitled instructions in addition to any verbal instruction you’re providing on camera. You never know who is trying to watch a video on their commute home, in a loud location or at the library. Headphones aren’t always accessible, and volume up isn’t always an option for your viewers.
With these short form videos, you can film for just a few seconds or have several minutes of footage released over multiple clips. Track your audience’s feedback to gauge interest levels and adjust accordingly. If your audience is demanding more, consider filming more frequently and for longer lengths of time. If people are jumping away from your videos without finishing, or skipping through, re-evaluate what it is they’re looking for, but not finding. Do a little research to discover new ways to optimize your videos on social media and learn best practices. Analyzing and iterating your content will cut down your long-term time investment in producing social videos as well as reduce your audience’s time commitment required when following along. They’ll appreciate that.
Go Live in an Instant!
An event is about to kick off, people are arriving, and the positive energy in the air is hard to ignore. Chances are if you’re attending and think it’s exciting, your brand followers watching from home will likely also agree. Events are the perfect opportunity to whip out your phone and broadcast live! Your decision to broadcast live can be spur of the moment, or planned in advance and reflected on your editorial calendar.
There’s something captivating about watching a brand go live on camera without a lot of obvious prep or scripting. Brands that act like people instead of brands have much more success connecting with their audiences. An excellent example of a company that excels in live social broadcasting is Warby Parker namely because they invite their followers to share in brand experiences.
Warby Parker’s technique not only engages with their audience but also helps promote partnerships and activities, like the Warby Parker x Tyler Oakley collaboration launch party. In this particular live video, a brand team member (and likely staffer of the event) served as the on-camera spokesperson and talent to show behind the scenes content. Viewers followed along as the spokesperson attended the event, showcasing a new product, interviewing Tyler Oakley himself and driving home important key messages.
Their conversational demeanors and casual conversations align with the brand style and allow viewers to establish an emotional connection with the team. The entire live video makes the viewers feel as though they’re attending the event without having to leave their seat. The platform also enables viewers to leave comments and reactions while watching the video, helping Warby Parker get data insights instantly, and allowing for two-way communication between brand and consumer in real time.
Lastly, live stories are not just for events. Film a class, interview participants at a conference, capture in office activities and interview a team member. These are all examples of opportunities to take your viewers on a journey and establish deep connections to help them feel part of your brand family and story.
How are you using video to connect with your audience? Please let us know in the comments!
