There’s no getting around it. Video is here and your brand has to commit to it to grow. It’s become a tool that marketers are turning to for quick wins. In fact, as many as 71% of marketers say that video helps them drive more conversion than any other form of content they produce.
But there’s a little more to how crucial video has become for business. One of the major issues that so many businesses and brands are facing on social media has to do with the limit organic reach that platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram usually bring with them.
Yes, social networking sites are home to a combined 3+ billion users – and that number is still somehow increasing on a regular basis. But for most businesses, they now have to pay for ads just to stay in touch with their followers and generate engagement. These pay-per-engagement (PPE) ads are valuable to a certain degree, but they can also quickly grow expensive – and eat into that return on investment that they were trying to create in the first place.
So how can you still grow your social media channels with this limited organic reach, you ask?
It’s simple. By leveraging video content.
Online video is a great way to take that limited organic reach and run with it in the best possible way. With the right type of video content, not only can you boost your brand’s engagement and visibility in a cost-effective way – you can also dramatically grow your followers.
In this blog post, we’ll share 6 types of videos you can use to generate more engagement and drive more results for your business.
In this article
1. Live Videos
If you’re looking for a perfect opportunity to supercharge your social media engagement, look no farther than live videos. Part of the reason why this particular content format is so successful is that the users themselves absolutely love them. Studies have shown that consumers engage with live videos three times more than pre-recorded videos. Moreover, live videos will help you keep your audience engaged for longer, which in turn, gives you more time to deliver your message.
But more than that, there is a very logistical reason why live videos need to become one of the cornerstones of your social media engagement efforts. Unlike most other types of content that people need to “find” themselves, your followers will actually be notified when you start to stream, on live streaming platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
If you’re looking for a quick way to boost your engagement and grow your online community, live videos give you the power to do so.
Here’s a great example of a brand leveraging live videos. The folks at Benefit, host a series of live videos, called “Tipsy Tricks” every Thursday:
2. Educational Videos
Another great way to grow your social media engagement involves creating content around the types of conversations that your audience members are already having. If you’re paying attention to hashtags relevant to your industry on Twitter and see that people keep asking the same question over and over again, for example, why not devote some time to creating an educational video to definitively answer it?
You could show them how to get more out of a purchase they’ve just made, or help them understand a particular topic in your industry by going into detail about it and giving them your thoughts. This is a great way to boost your social media engagement not just because of the conversational aspect of it, but because you’re letting your audience dictate the conversation. You’re not creating videos from the perspective of “here are the things I want you to be thinking about.” You’re letting people ask questions or bring up topics and you’re also showing that you’re actually paying attention to what matters to them the most.
A great example of this type of video content comes from Moz:
3. User-Generated Content
User-generated content is also a great way to boost your social media engagement, get more views on YouTube, and accomplish nearly every other goal you probably have in mind, too.
One of the most famous examples of a user-generated content campaign was one from GoPro, where the company solicited videos shot on GoPro cameras from users around the world. Entries poured in and the most impressive videos got significant prizes… but more importantly, GoPro had more engagement (and more attention) than they knew what to do with.
All of this works because people love content from users, not brands. Videos created by (and starring) average, everyday users get 10 times more views on YouTube than strictly branded content, for example.
Come up with a few potential user-generated content strategy ideas and see which one lines up with your audience in the best way. You could solicit videos of people using your product in the real-world, for example. Just try to find a creative way to inspire people to leverage their creativity to your advantage and you WILL be rewarded for it.
4. Contest Videos
As a marketer, one of your top priorities is always to provide as much value to someone’s life as you can. You’re not just trying to “sell” to people anymore. The fact that millions of people around the world now employ ad-blocking software – even on mobile devices – shows that people want to be seen as more than just a line item on a balance sheet somewhere.
Part of that value involves educating your audience, using techniques like the educational videos outlined above. But simply giving them that value-free of charge can also get the job done – and contest videos are a perfect type of OTT video content to use to that end. If you are looking to build your own OTT platform, contests and user-generated video content are great ways to spark engagement and acquisition. Consider partnering with an OTT platform development company to leverage these techniques at scale.
According to one recent study, this type of video “gamification” on social media is something that over 70% of big companies are already doing. People love the opportunity to win free stuff and there isn’t much they aren’t willing to do to get it. In addition to boosting your online engagement, contest videos are also a perfect chance to build your email list and inspire virality – both of which are perfect chances to increase your social media ROI as high as it can go.
A great example of this type of social media contest comes from Henry’s, a Canadian digital camera store. In celebration of national dog day, Henry’s asked the social media followers to submit a 60 seconds video explaining why their dog is tops.
Social media video contests are a great way to combine the power of user-generated video content with social media contests. To get started with this strategy, find something that your followers love to show and talk about, and ask them to submit a video for a chance to win a special prize.
5. Product Reveals
Another part of your job as a marketer isn’t just to make people aware that you have a product that will soon be released – you want to get those people as excited about that launch day as you possibly can. Product reveals videos are a great way to do just that, all while also increasing your social media engagement, too.
You could start by pushing out a series of teasers promoting your product and the value it brings, all before devoting a full five-minute video to it in its entirety. Another recent study indicated that nearly 2/3rds of people are MORE interested in a product after seeing a video about it on a social media site like Facebook, making it the perfect type of content to boost your engagement on these types of channels. You could even go for the classic “two birds, one stone” approach – don’t just film a product reveal, film a LIVE product reveal. That way, you can extend your engagement efforts even further than ever.
6. Video Blogs
Last but not least we have video blogs – something that is perfect for supercharging your social media engagement because of the almost unparalleled level of intimacy it brings to the table.
Even though social media is naturally immediate, it’s still easy for your users to think of you as little more than a brand name and a logo. If you really want people to start paying attention (and engage with the content you’re posting), you need to show them that you’re MORE than that. You need to pull back the curtain and reveal the hardworking men and women who have dedicated themselves to making the lives of those audience members better through unbeatable products and services.
Video blogs are how you do it, as they can show off your team members, your personality and your company culture – essentially all at once. One of the best examples of video blogs is Gary Vaynerchuk’s DailyVee series. In DailyVee episodes, Gary takes the audience behind the scenes and shares his day with his audience:
Where to Share Your Videos
Having new video to share with the world is great. But where do you publish it?
Here are 6 social platforms and 16 ways to share your video content:
In-feed
In-feed video is the most common way to share video content. You can also broaden your in-feed ad reach using paid ads.
Facebook Stories
While Facebook released their stories product later than other platforms, they’ve seen exponential growth in a shorter time frame.
With just over 150 million daily active users, Facebook Stories is the ideal platform for brands to be found and to share their video.
Facebook 360 Video
Unlike traditional video, Facebook 360 Video offers a much more immersive experience. Viewers are able to interact with your video and explore different angles by dragging their fingers on their screens or turning their mobile devices as your video plays.
While Facebook 360 Video is an attractive option, note that you’ll need to invest in a few new 360 camera equipment to record 360-degree videos. You can also use an online editing tool to rotate your Facebook video.
Facebook Carousel
The carousels allow you to promote up to 10 images or videos. This is only available as a paid service.
Facebook Cover Images
Facebook cover images went through an upgrade in 2017. The enhancement gave brands the ability to use their cover image real estate to showcase video. The great news is that this feature is free and Facebook provides a large surface area for brands to share a strong and engaging video with your audience.
Messenger Stories
Facebook Messenger Stories are 15-second videos and only available as a paid media option. While only 15 seconds long, they can be used to grab attention and drive traffic to long-form video and written content.
In-feed
Similar to Facebook, Instagram in-feed video comes in free and sponsored options.
Instagram Carousel
Instagram’s Carousel, like Facebook’s, allows you to promote images or videos within a single ad. You’re also able to showcase up to 10 pieces of content.
Stories
Instagram Stories offer both organic and paid options. Organic videos run for 15 seconds and users can record as many stories as they like. Paid media is limited to 15-second slots along with the option for viewers to click-through and watch up to 120 seconds of video.
In-feed
Twitter video is optimised for video captured on mobile phones. While a mobile-first platform, you are still able to share your video recorded on other devices. Learn about Twitter’s video specs recommendations and best practices.
Twitter in-feed video can also be promoted using paid ads.
Snapchat
Despite what most people think about Snapchat, the video social platform gets as much as 3 billion daily snaps. Snapchat also offers a set of 6 types of paid video options that you can use.
Snap Ads
Snap Ads are designed to drive traffic to your app, app store page, AR Lens, video or website using a swipe.
Collection Ads
Collection Ads are ideal for showing a series of products. Viewers are able to tap on the ad to make a purchase.
Story Ads
Story Ads live are displayed in-between popular content and tailored according to viewer preferences. Viewers are also able to shop for products showcased in Story Ads.
Commercials
Commercials are 6-second, non-skippable videos that are placed within high-quality premium content. Viewers are able to swipe up for more information.
In-feed
LinkedIn video can be published as organic in-feed video or ads. What makes LinkedIn Ads unique is that they can run for up to 30 minutes.
Video Pins
Pinterest offers brands the opportunity to pin videos on various topics. This helps create comprehensive collections of content that users can find and pin to their own boards.
Pinterest also offers promoted video.
Wrapping this up…
Video marketing is one of the proven ways you can increase your organic engagement and drive more results for your brand. It has been proven to generate higher conversions than any other form of content.
Why does this approach work particularly well on social media, you ask? Consider the fact that about 82% of Twitter users say that they actively watch video content on the platform on a regular basis. Or how about the fact that about 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook videos every single week?
Your users are craving more and more video content on social media all the time. If you can both fill that need and do so in a way that gives them something relatable about your business to attach themselves to, you come out all the better for it. They start to see the real people behind the brand who are just concerned with the best interests of their customers – and they start to want to learn more about your products and services, too.
It’s a win-win situation in the best possible way, and it’s the kind of thing that only the right type of video content can provide.
