If you use social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tik Tok etc. you might have noticed a shift in the type of content that is posted. Whether you’re on these platforms for personal use, or you run a business page, it’s easy to see that video is slowly taking over. Of course, still images and moving graphics are always going to be around, but how important is video on social media? And should you get ahead of the game and venture into video content?
The Shift To Video Content
Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook were created with the idea of sharing images and life updates as well as staying connected with the people you knew. However, with the rise of video content, in particular Tik Tok videos, their purposes shifted to fit in with the trends. These days, when you log into the likes of Instagram, you’ll more than likely be met with video content first, with images trailing closely behind. There has even been a recent update on LinkedIn which is there to encourage people to post more videos - in particular short form content. Plus, it’s worth noting that the second most popular search engine (behind Google in the top spot, of course) is Youtube. Further proving that video content is on the rise - if not already there! But why?
The answer is pretty simple. More and more users are choosing to view video over still images as they capture attention faster and can be an easier way to digest the information they need. On top of this, social media is used very much “on-the-go”, meaning that its users tend to have little spare time. They don’t want to spend the precious minutes they have scrolling through endless images to find something interesting, when a video can capture their attention within seconds.
Does my social media page need video?
Although we’ve explained above why video is most popular on social media, it doesn’t mean that every brand suits it. You need to study your demographic and understand how they interact with your page and the content you post - in particular how they like to receive the information you are putting out. You might find that the majority of your audience prefer still images and infographics, so creating more video content could seclude them and ultimately dampen the relationship they have with your brand. However, it’s all about choosing the right types of videos to create and making sure you have the perfect blend of still and moving images on your feed. For example, meet the team videos work perfectly for any size business and resonate with almost any audience. This is because you're allowing your customers to see the faces behind the brand which in turn humanises the company and builds a sense of trust in the business.
If you find that your business has multiple different audiences who might like to receive their content in different ways, it could be useful to have a business account on several social media platforms. This way you could keep the still images and infographics solely for a platform such as Facebook, post a mix of imagery and useful/trust-building videos over on Instagram, and keep the fun, quirky videos for your Tik Tok account. Ultimately you have to decide what is best for you and your audience, and how they like to digest their information.
Why You Should Test Your Content
Deciding to invest in video can be a big step. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye on how well each video is performing. You might find that a bunch of short snappy videos that you thought would perform well are actually falling behind your longer, informative videos about a certain product or service. Again, it all comes down to the type of content your audience prefers as they are the most important factor.
Keep Your Branding Consistent
While testing your video content it’s key that you keep your brand in mind. If you're a slow-paced luxury brand who usually post glamorous looking imagery, then suddenly posting video content that’s flashy and bold will throw off your audience as it won’t match the aesthetic they’re used to.
It’s true that some businesses can benefit from jumping on trends and creating a similar video of their own. However, this should never be the driving force for creating video content. Not all trends will be relevant to your brand and can actually be detrimental to your business and the relationships you’ve built with your customers. You shouldn’t create content for the sake of creating content, or for the sake of getting more views. The videos you create and post should be useful and have a meaning behind them - but most importantly match your brand.
How S2 Pictures Can Help
We know that planning, shooting, posting, and testing your own social media content can be difficult. That’s why we work closely with you to create a concise social media plan that matches your branding and the messages you want to put out into the world before we shoot a thing.
We will look at your current posts, what worked well and what didn’t, and put together our ideas. We will then meet with you to discuss said ideas, along with your own, so that a solid, consistent content schedule can be created. Once this has the green light we will book in a full day (or two if needed) to shoot a month's worth of content - this can be a mix of video and photography too! After this, we will edit all the content to the style of your branding and can even post it on your social media pages on your behalf. You’ll even receive a monthly breakdown of the results the content is driving and our suggestions for changes should any need to be made.
If all of this sounds exactly like the type of hands-on approach you need, contact us today and we can discuss how we can help your brand and its online presence.
Comments