Business owners of all sizes know the importance of social media in today’s day and age, but many don’t realize that creating engaging and shareable video content can be one of the most effective ways to build your social media presence and brand.
If you’re a business owner, you know that you need to stand out in today’s incredibly competitive market if you want to be successful. Luckily, one of the most effective ways to do this and increase your conversions is with social media video marketing.
To help you get started on the right foot, here are five steps to a successful social media video marketing strategy for business owners.
1) Understand Your Target Audience
Before you can make your video, you need to know who you’re talking to. The biggest mistake business owners make is not doing enough research before putting together their video marketing strategy.
You don’t have time to waste on cheap tactics that don’t work. Instead, focus on knowing what your target audience wants and needs and how they want it delivered.
Once you know that, the rest will fall into place! To help you get started, here are some questions to ask yourself: Who are my customers? What do they care about?
What do I care about? How does my product or service solve their problems? Are there any barriers between my customers and my business that I can remove through my video content?
What kind of language should I use in my videos? What topics do they like to see covered in videos? How much money am I willing to spend on video production and promotion? What kind of return on investment (ROI) am I looking for from these videos?
If you’re having trouble answering these questions, reach out to your existing customer base. Don’t be afraid to survey them!
Ask if they would be willing to participate in an interview with you. Or find someone in your industry with a similar-sized customer base and get their feedback.
2) Develop A Storyboard
Many people who work with social media video production companies make one common mistake: they neglect to develop a storyboard first.
You must create your video with your audience in mind, so developing an outline of what you want each scene to look like will help you streamline your production process and ensure that your final product is what you had in mind. Developing a storyboard may take some time, but it’s worth it!
For example, suppose you’re working with a social media video production company specializing in comedy. In that case, they may have different ideas about what your final product should look like than if you’re working with one that specializes in documentaries or commercials. This is why it’s important to work with professionals who know their stuff!
3) Think About the Context in Which Your Video Will Be Viewed
What platforms will your videos be watched on? Consider each one’s social media video specs, like length, resolution and file size. Social media viewers who only see thumbnail-sized videos may never play them, so you must ensure your videos work in different environments.
Additionally, consider whether or not mobile users can view your content. If not, you might want to create an entirely separate set of videos for mobile viewing or take into consideration during concepting how they should look and sound when viewed on smaller screens.
Since social media is largely driven by sharing and user-generated content, posting material people are likely to share with their friends is crucial. Keep things fresh with eye-catching images, interesting copy, and interactive elements (such as polls) that encourage engagement.
You can also try repurposing existing content from other sources. This way, you don’t have to create something completely new every time you post on social media—you just have to find something relevant and interesting to attach it to.
5) Be Consistent
The number one reason most businesses fail on social media is that they don’t put enough effort into maintaining their presence there. If you’re going to make social media marketing part of your strategy, then make sure you commit yourself to consistently producing engaging content.
Remember that consistency doesn’t mean posting once a week; it means regularly interacting with followers and responding to comments, questions, and complaints.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should My Videos Be?
While there are no hard and fast rules, it’s best to keep your videos short. Studies have shown that consumers respond better (watch more, comment more) when they’re kept engaged through shorter content.
The sweet spot is generally between 2-3 minutes—if you can keep them entertained longer, consider making an expanded version of your video with even more information.
But if you feel like you need to say more, try breaking up what you want to say into multiple segments or create a series of related videos instead.
Remember: You don’t have to cram everything into one video! Think about what’s most important in your message and focus on that first. Then, save other points for future videos.
What Equipment Do I Need To Shoot A Good Video?
There’s no need to go overboard with production value when making videos that work. It’s not about whether or not your video equipment’s fancy or high-tech but what you do with it. You can shoot an effective video on just about any consumer-grade camera in good working order – point and shoot digital cameras are perfectly viable.
The more expensive professional-quality DSLR Cameras will produce better results (and allow for additional editing options), but they aren’t mandatory. If you have access to video editing software, feel free to use it; if not, don’t worry too much about having proper software. A simple editor like Windows Movie Maker will suffice.
All you need is something that allows you to cut clips together, add music and text overlays, and export them in a format compatible with social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Most smartphones come equipped with at least one of these functions, so check out your device before buying anything new.
Success Isn’t Always About Greatness. It’s About Consistency
The biggest step in executing your video marketing strategy is being consistent. Uploading content to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites weekly (or more often) can help grow your audience and increase traffic to your website or landing page.
Remember that customers are not loyal-they will go where they get what they want. If you keep providing them with good content and constantly give them reasons to interact with you, they’ll come back time and time again.
Be creative and use your imagination. You never know what might work until you try it. Lastly, remember that video marketing takes time to build an audience, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen overnight.
It took years for some of today’s most popular social media stars to reach their current level of success, so be patient and enjoy every moment of it!
