How to Create a Successful Video for Facebook & Instagram
Producing effective video for Instagram and Facebook marketing isn’t as easy as whipping out your smartphone, hitting ‘Record’ and uploading the finished result to social media. To really make the most out of your social media video marketing, here are a few tips to get you started.
Keep It Short & Simple
The internet is drowning in video content, so it’s no surprise that our attention spans have a lot to compete with. No one can be absolutely certain just how short our attention spans are (at one point someone theorised that we had attention spans on par with goldfish but that claim has since been proven as a myth). But the very fact that there’s so much competition out there when it comes to video should inspire us to keep our video content short, sweet and to the point – early.
The most efficient length for Facebook and Instagram videos is around 60 seconds, although even that can be too long sometimes. Given that a viewer might tune out early, put the best bits in the first 10 seconds. From there, ensure every frame harks back to the point of your video. If a shot isn’t meaningful, get rid of it. It’s as simple as that.
Hit the Mute Button
Most videos on social media automatically play with sound – but that doesn’t mean a user actually wants to listen. In fact, many users have now taken to scrolling through social media with their devices on mute, simply so they don’t get interrupted by eager videos wanting to be listened to. As such, nearly 85 percent of all social media video content plays on silent – which is bad news for a business who has spent more effort on their voiceover than they have on their images.
This means that video now places more emphasis on the quality of images. More and more businesses are prioritising their digital video marketing by investing in professional video production. Bright colours also hold viewers’ attention, and subtitles are useful if want to express specific messages.
All of this doesn’t mean you should ignore the quality of your soundtrack or voiceover, though – because if a user does unmute their device just to listen to your video, you want it to get them over the line, not make them hit ‘mute’ again.
Use High-Quality Graphic Design
The success of a video doesn’t only come down to the quality of your video production; it also relies on other mechanisms that keep your viewer watching for longer. One of these is high-quality design elements like moving text, graphs and iconography.
Sure, you can probably do a pretty good job yourself, but a professional social media video production company will do a much better job so definitely explore your options.
Showcase a Product or Feeling
Instagram isn’t just a platform for cute photos of kids and animals; it’s also fast becoming one of the world’s best sales platform. If your business sells products, create videos that make your wares come across visually and engaging. Great product shots are essential; grainy wobbly footage isn’t going to cut the mustard or get you any sales.
Don’t Forget Your Thumbnail
A thumbnail is the first image a viewer will see associated with a video. Sometimes this could be the first frame of your video, sometimes it could be from the middle, and sometimes it could be custom-uploaded and not part of the video at all.
There aren’t any hard and fast rules about how to choose the best thumbnail for a social media video, but whatever one you choose should be able to rouse your viewer’s curiosity and get to them hit ‘play’.
Warning: if you don’t choose the thumbnail yourself, the video will default to a random frame in your video … like a mid-yawn shot of your nana. Maintain control of the performance of your video every step of the way.
Talk to the Professionals
Thanks to easy access to technology, it has become easier for the average Joe to produce videos. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Partnering with a professional video production company will help you get the best results with all kinds of video, including creating a fool-proof strategy. Need a hand with yours? Talk to the experienced team at Onepost Media Production today – we’d love to help.