Video is flourishing on social media these days and video content domination will only increase in the future. By 2020, video content will make up more than 80% of all internet traffic.
It is not a secret that video is the best way to engage with your audience on social media. Videos, with their dynamic pull as well as the ability to show emotions and real-life situations, are best one of the best tools to stop people from scrolling down and pay attention to your content.
We need to be aware that video content for social media should be created in a different way than traditional videos. What makes things even more difficult is that each social media network has its own character, a different audience, and their preferred video format, length and aspect ratio. Keep on following my LinkedIn profile, and I’ll cover all of those aspects in the future.
It’s important to remember that social media is an extremely dynamic and fast-paced medium and you need to constantly create fresh content to keep your audience engaged.For that reason, simple and short formats are much better for a long term social media strategy.
My experience shows that genuine and authentic content is much more engaging than flashy and fancy video production. Overloaded by motion graphics, “impressive”, “high quality” videos are time-consuming and much more expensive for the creators. Of course, there is nothing wrong with polishing and enhancing your content; as a videographer, I am a perfectionist myself. However, comprehensive video editing and shooting take time (and involve a lot of money). We are not always able to spend one day or more editing a short video (or wait for it to be edited by someone else). There is also another issue: we’ll soon need to shoot and edit another video again.
On another note, people tend to trust simple and genuine content like live videos. This depends of course on your marketing strategy, audience, target group, the social media network you’ll be publishing in, your company size and your budget.
However, when I mention “simple” videos I do not mean that low quality can be accepted. Nowadays, it’s crucial to remember that people expect a reasonable quality because producing video is common.
Here are a few factors which can make or break any video:
Sound quality
Trust me when I say that sound quality is of the utmost importance: whether you’re using a camera or a smartphone, an external microphone is a must. Remember to get your microphone close to your subject. You can usually get the best sound quality by using a lavalier microphone when recording speech. Lavalier microphones are also available for smartphones.
Stabilisation
Shaky videos make up for a chaotic, unprofessional impression. My advice is to invest in a tripod for your camera or mini-tripod for a smartphone. For doing live videos on the move, selfie sticks are better than no stabilisation; however, we need to try and minimise any sudden movements. A costly but quite impressive solution for beautiful shots is a gimbal.
Lighting
Lighting can be very important, especially if you’re using a smartphone to shoot indoors. You can do a decent video for social media channels by using only a smartphone or web camera. However, because of the small sensor size, the scene you’re filming has to be bright enough. Among vloggers and YouTubers, the most popular solution is a ring light. Nonetheless, small normal LED lights can do the same job. You can easily buy a lot of affordable lighting on eBay.
No plan, strategy or editing
Some kind of planning before you shoot is decisive for a good video. This involves planning what we are going to say. It does not always have to be a detailed script, but it’s good to have a list of the key points about which we are going to talk. This is especially important in the case of live videos. Location and background are also influential because a relevant and well-composed background will convey an emotional context and give a more professional look to your video.
Even if you use a smartphone, it is always recommended to edit your videos afterwards. Cut all unnecessary bits and unappealing shots off. The easiest solution is to use free or cheap apps on your smartphone and, eventually, invest in some simple editing software for your desktop. Alternatively, you can find remote video editors on freelance websites. However, for longer and more comprehensive videos, the best, affordable and more efficient solution is to use a locally based video editor like me, with whom you can meet personally.
Would you like to know more about social media content creation? Add me to your LinkedIn network or follow my profile!