Social media video is the most effective way of gaining more views, creating more engagement and receiving more responses than any other technique of posting online. Let’s explore the different avenues for social media video for your business.
Here’s some evidence that supports why social media video is so important for your business in 2020?
- Animation Video Marketing Stats – Our studios own 20202 animation business survey results.
- Avasam article about video and social media video stats: 30,000 words x 60 seconds = 1.8 million
- Online videos are shared ‘1,200% more than text and links.’
- Social media users are ‘95% more likely to retain a message from a video than written text.’
- By 2022, ‘the number of videos crossing the internet will approach 1 million translating into 82% of all online traffic.’
- ‘A one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words!’
- ‘Video consumption on mobile devices rises by 100% each year.’
- ‘80% of online shoppers’ look at videos first to inform their purchases.
- The average adult spends almost a quarter of their day watching videos.
Why should you consider bespoke social media video for your business?
Making social media video content which can be shared across all of these platforms is great. Yet, producing social media video which is bespoke for each platform will make your business stand out from the rest. Each social media platform has different ways of displaying video, therefore learning the correct techniques of all channels will ensure your videos are well received. Don’t panic, we will explore all these methods in this blog post!
What social media platforms have the best video content for your business?
There are multiple channels you can share video content online, however, in 2020 the most important social media platforms for your business are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and the new kid on the block… TikTok. In this blog post, we will tell you why each of these platforms are important – after you’ve read it all and still don’t have a clue where to start… We can certainly help!
Why should you use Facebook video for your business?
Facebook is the most recognisable social media platform; it boasts 2.45 billion users. Facebook videos are extremely popular as 75 million people visit Facebook’s video platform each day – equating to 100 million hours of video content being consumed. This staggering statistic means that getting video content correct on Facebook is thoroughly important.
Generally speaking, Facebook is a slower-paced platform than the likes of Snapchat and Instagram. According to Digital Marketing Strategist, Brian Peters, ‘the most successful Facebook videos are usually no more than two minutes long.’
What is the reason?
To understand how video works as a marketer it is important to put yourself in the shoes of the consumer – 96% of active Facebook users access their accounts through mobile devices. Consumers will be on the move, meaning that they do not have time or patience to watch a video that is any longer than two minutes. The following graph shows the high number of people using Facebook on a mobile device:
LADbible lead the way
People use Facebook for entertainment, so creating video content to make people laugh is a great idea. With this in mind, it is no surprise that LADbible lead the way on Facebook. LADbible brings in approximately 1.6 billion video views a month on Facebook, not bad for a company that was founded at a student house in Leeds. To prove the point, here is a perfect example of what LADbible offer:
This video has reached a whopping 151 million views and accumulated over 1 million likes. However, if laughter isn’t what you are after, what about tickling your taste buds? Tasty is fifth on Facebook videos most-watched list, raking in a whopping 190 million views for their 1 minute and 18-second video:
#LowBatteryAnxiety
Those are successful examples, we get it, videos like them are not brand specific. A better example of brand-specific social media video marketing is the #LowBatteryAnxiety campaign LG launched in 2016. As you probably already know the mobile device market is extremely competitive, with Apple and Samsung being the most recognisable brands. Nevertheless, LG managed to crush Facebook advertising with its 55-second video:
Low battery anxiety is now a diagnosed issue, which supposedly affects 9 out of 10 of us. LG manage to playfully show the issue in their advert, where they are offering a solution to prevent low battery anxiety.
Tips for Facebook video success
- Create emotion, whether it’s upsetting or hilarious this will make people want to watch.
- Great graphics = super success. 85% of people will watch videos without sound, therefore the graphics must tell your story on their own.
- Consider captions. According to Facebook adding captions to your Facebook videos can increase viewing time by 12%.
- Upload straight to Facebook. In the past, users would upload their videos from YouTube onto their Facebook profiles. Facebook has tried to stop YouTube’s dominance by giving videos which are uploaded straight to Facebook preferential treatment. For instance, larger thumbnail images and greater organic reach.
- Create a playlist and add more of your video content. If your audience likes what they see they will undoubtedly want to watch more. By creating a playlist they can easily click to see what else you produce.
Instagram video is important for your business.
Instagram turns 10 in 2020 and has rapidly grown – it attracts 1 billion users worldwide. There are 500 million stories created each day and is the second most logged-in social media site for daily use. Instagram is the platform for millennials, according to Statista ‘more than half of global Instagram users are under the age of 34.’ Moreover, 25-34 olds are the most active on the social media platform as shown by the graph below:
Instagram is a platform where users can happily scroll without information overload – hence why imagery is important here. Users tend to write short posts on Instagram and videos are limited to 60 seconds long. Instagram is known as a fast-paced social media platform where it is important to capture your audience’s attention as they are quickly onto the next post. There are several ways you can utilise video on Instagram, such as Instagram live, Instagram stories, IGTV and posting a video to your feed. Here are examples of brands and influencers who are experts in executing video.
Lego build the best Instagram videos
If you are not following Lego on Instagram, then you are missing some excellent content. Lego manages to encapsulate a wide target audience with their Instagram videos. Harry Potter, Manchester United and Friends feature on their Instagram channel. Their videos get an average of 500,000 views and 100,00 likes. Lego successfully manages to link their videos to popular culture, for instance, a post related to Star Wars in timing with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Fyre spreads fast
The Fyre festival/influencer link up will go down as the biggest in Instagram’s short history. Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland managed to create hype by rounding up 400 of the most influential influencers on the platform. McFarland, his team and the influencer’s convinced Instagram users that they were creating the biggest music festival in world, however it turned out to be a hoax. McFarland stole millions of paying customers money and was jailed for six years. Yet, none of the influencers were held accountable for their actions. The promotional video gathered ‘300 million impressions in 24 hours across various Instagram pages,’ showing the importance of influencers on social media.
Of course, these examples are the elite of social media video marketing. We aren’t telling you to approach Bella Hadid or Kendall Jenner to collaborate. However, considering an influencer for your Instagram video will increase traffic to your business, according to Jeff Bullas one of the world’s top social marketing talents.
Tips for instant Instagram success
- Frequent but not too frequent. A study by Social Media Today found that posting frequently on Instagram (up to 3 times per day) would increase overall engagement. Although, be wary of over-posting as 25% of respondents in the study admitted that they unfollowed brands for ‘posting too much.’
- Tag your products in your video. According to Instagram, 62% of people surveyed said they were more likely to buy a product from a brand after seeing it in stories
- Consider the sound. Unlike Facebook, 70% of Instagram users listen to Instagram videos with the sound on. So, not only should your video look good it must sound good too.
- Target the millennials. With the highest amount of Instagram users being under the age of 34, make your Instagram video content stand out to this audience.
- Contemplate an influencer. Influencers who are niche to your brand will bring in consumer traffic.
Are you using YouTube video for your business?
YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world, behind Google as it attracts 2 billion users. 1 billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every day – more than Netflix, Amazon Prime and Facebook combined. Moreover, 90% of US internet users between the age of 18–44 have accessed YouTube at least once. In addition to this, YouTube is owned by Google, therefore, it is no surprise that using YouTube videos will improve your SEO. If you aren’t using YouTube as a business then you are already lagging behind because 62% of worldwide business use YouTube to post video content. YouTube’s statistics are phenomenal, to say the least, yet with such a high saturation of video content on YouTube, how do you get it right? We have picked out two leading examples of brilliant YouTube video content.
Disney is magic
Disney has 4.29 million subscribers on YouTube and accumulates approximately 1 million views on their most popular videos. As you probably already know Disney are the masters of storytelling and they have found a unique way of sharing their stories on YouTube in the form of ‘as told by emoji.’ These videos are the most popular on their channel and gain engagement from a wide demographic:
Tips for YouTube video success
- Long live the longer video content. According to Statista, the average YouTube video is 11.7 minutes long, unlike Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook people are more likely to have patience with your YouTube video content. Therefore, you have scope to show your business off.
- People like personal. PewDiePie is extremely personal on his channel – he lets his viewers into his life mainly by vlogging and sharing his opinion. Allowing people into your world is a great way to gain attention.
- Establish your audience. The quicker you find your niche the more your content will resonate with your audience.
- Quality over quantity. YouTubers are very particular about video quality. If your video is a low-resolution people will not watch. Investing in high definition video cameras and being savvy in editing will help your cause.
- Inform or entertain. Consumers go to YouTube to either learn or enjoy themselves, ultimately, accomplishing one or both of these will lead to success.
Try Twitter
Twitter was originally invented so people could keep tabs on one another by creating a status no longer than 140 characters. Thus, Twitter is not the social media platform you would associate using video for your business. But you are wrong, as 2 billion videos are watched on Twitter every day. Adding to this, Twitter suggests that you are 6x more likely to gain a retweet if you post a video.
Twitter is one of the most difficult social media platforms to get video right, but we have found a particular brand which are specialists in delivering Twitter video.
Outrageous Paddy Power
One of the most talked-about U.K. Twitter accounts is Paddy Power. The betting company has 700,000 followers, generating approximately 1,000 likes and 500 retweets on their posts. In comparison to the other examples we have discussed Paddy Power does not have the same outreach, however, their content thinks completely outside the box. Paddy Power caused an uproar in the footballing world by slapping their logo over Huddersfield Town’s football kit. This was a marketing campaign Paddy Power called #SaveOurShirt, which was introduced via a tweeted video. The video racked up 1.1 million views and 6,600 retweets. Once the campaign finished Paddy Power announced that it was a parody, but sponsors should think more carefully about ruining supporters’ shirts. Here is Paddy Power’s, which proves how important bespoke social media video is for business:
Tips for Twitter video success
- Spark conversation. Twitter is about consumer engagement, so creating video content which gets people talking will make people notice.
- Live will tell your story. Twitter live allows brands to get more personal with their audience. Often, successful brands will live stream events or even ‘days at the office.’
- Keep them coming back. Twitter videos are often successful when brands introduce daily, weekly or monthly episodes. Just like ‘Paddy Power news’ – their audience creates a buzz about the next episode.
- Keep it short. Twitter allows videos to be up to 2 minutes 20 seconds, but seeing as Twitter users are accustom to quick updates, it is a good idea to keep them short. We advise between 30 – 45 seconds long.
- Grab attention immediately. Capture people’s attention with an eye-catching quote or image. If you don’t, they will keep on scrolling.
Spend some time on Snapchat
According to Statista, Snapchat has ‘210 million daily active users worldwide.’ Similarly, to Instagram, Snapchat is a platform for the under 35 generation as they make up 75% of users. Moreover, 41% of teens admit that Snapchat is their favourite platform – if you wish to target the youth then Snapchat is the platform to utilise.
There are two businesses which do things different on Snapchat, their innovative ideas make them popular channels with fans all across the world, this is what they have to offer…
Taco Bell have all the fun
Snapchat offers ‘on-demand geofilters’ which allows brands to have some fun with their audience. Taco Bell is a brand who operate Snapchat extremely well by making the taco filter accessible for all. This helps consumers to share the brand. After all, why wouldn’t you want to have a giant taco on your head?
Another brand which has Snapchat video on lockdown is Gym Shark. Their video content gives viewers daily workout routines, meal plans and shows off their new products. Furthermore, Gym Shark pushes for audience engagement by giving fans the chance to do ‘Gym Shark Snapchat take-over.’ The idea of the take-over is that Gym Shark fans can log onto Gym Sharks Snapchat profile and video themselves reviewing products or working out. This type of video marketing makes consumers want to buy the products so they can feature on the brands Snapchat:
Tips for Snapchat success
- Make use of geofilter’s. Geofilter’s can cost as little as £5.99 a day and are particularly good if your business is running an event or a new product launch. By having a geofilter consumers can get involved with advertising your brand.
- Be fun. People want to be entertained on Snapchat, make a comical video to give your audience reason to keep coming back.
- Time is of the essence. There is nothing more annoying when someone has a two-minute-long Snapchat story. People lose interest quickly on Snapchat, so captivating your audience early is good practice.
- Master all features. Snapchat has some great hidden features which take time to work out, such as the magic eraser. If you create a brilliant Snapchat video but someone’s head is in the background you can simply rub them out. Utilising these features will make your Snapchat experience much easier.
Don’t mock TikTok
TikTok is the baby of social media platforms and some expert marketers believe the platform is just a fad. Nevertheless, the statistics show that TikTok should not be overlooked. Impressively, TikTok brings in 500 million active users each month. The growth of TikTok is immense considering it was only released in 2016 – it is currently the fourth most used social media platform and is the most downloaded app worldwide.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short video sharing platform where users can create quick videos using sound, animations and stickers as effects. Videos on TikTok are only 15 seconds long, but users can combine clips to make a video of up to 60 seconds, live streaming is also available.
There are a few businesses that are already utilising video on the social media platform TikTok, these are the two that stand out.
Behind the scenes @WashingtonPost
Washington Post is the champion when it comes to TikTok, their unique selling point is personality. When imagining Washington Post you will think of a well-respected newspaper. This is not how they want you to perceive them on TikTok. The workforce at Washington Post plays the main role, where they post hilarious social media videos showing off their business. This technique is brilliant as it manages to break-down people’s perception of the brand. Have a look at their page to under how Washington Post use social media video effectively for their business.
Liverpool FC is one of the only premier league football clubs to utilise TikTok so far and they have already obtained 1.6million followers. Their videos range from on the pitch, behind the scenes and out in the community. The flowing theme in their videos is humour which Liverpool FC execute in all their videos. If you want to see how Liverpool utilise TikTok video for their business then give their page a follow.
Tips for TikTok video success
- Humour is key. Successful TikTok channels use various sound effects and video footage to add to the humour.
- Showcase your business. TikTok is an excellent platform to go behind the scenes at your business, hence why Washington Post has such a loyal fanbase.
- Market towards the kids. 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 to 24, therefore making your content relevant to this demographic will bring success.
- Choose your sound wisely. Successful brands on TikTok use sound effects to bring their videos to life, for example, Liverpool FC using The Chariots of Fire instrumental.
You must believe us now…
So, there it is, all the evidence you need to prove that social media video is extremely important in 2020. The future of social media marketing is in video and we want to make your business stand out from the rest of the competition.
Can Stormy Studio help with your social media content production?
We take time to understand your brand to deliver the best bespoke social media video for your business. Our team are experts in animation mixing bespoke motion graphic visuals (often with live-action filmed footage) to deliver engaging content with a big spoonful of style. We are award winners in animation and video production – working with some of the best brands in the world.
Our passion is to create video content which goes against the norm and blows people away.
If you want help improving your social media presence and you wish to create meaningful content for your audience, then please get in touch.