Tips for Creating Social Media Videos

There is no fixed formula for creating great videos for social media that boost engagement and grow your audience. However, there are some elements that can help improve your results. In this post, we highlight some of our top tips for creating social media videos.

Make the Most of the Initial Five Seconds

When you’re scrolling through your social media feed, what makes you stop?

You have just a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. In fact, research from Lumen 5 suggests that you have only 5 seconds to stop someone from scrolling past your video.

So how do you make the most of the initial 5 seconds? Be sure to place your brand identity, a leading idea or call to action at the start of your video. 

Here are some excellent starting phrases: 

• Have you seen our ______
• Did you know ______ lumen
• Have you ever thought of ______

Provide Value to Your Viewers

Whether you are creating a video for LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, your video should offer something of value to your audience. 

Before you even begin to create your video, ask yourself this question:

“How will my viewers personally benefit by watching this video?”

The answer to this question will help provide direction for your video.

Include a Call to Action (CTA)

Just like when you write a social media post or a blog post, your videos should always include a call to action. 

A study by Animoto suggests that 85% of marketers believe video is a great way to grab attention online. And according to a study by Social Media Week, 95% of the polled viewers believe they retain 95% of a video’s message. 

This means that your video provides a great opportunity to turn engagement into conversions.

Be sure to include a call to action at the start or end of the video either as a verbal message or a text. Here are some CTAs to try:

• Book a consultation
• Click to learn more
• Visit our website
• Sign up for our newsletter today
• Click here for a free inspection and quote

Focus on the Reader

Users are known to engage with content more when it is addressed to them and their needs. So, instead of using first-person voice (‘me’, ‘I’ or ‘we’) in your video content, turn the focus on viewers.

Remember, your audience must be the main focus of your video. Your role as the expert is to show them how you can help solve their pain points. When you use “you” language, You are sure to sound more conversational, personable and relatable. What’s more, your content will be easy to understand, digest and connect with.