We have just completed another social media video project for a charity which ran on Twitter. As experts in production of social media videos, we have produced them for the BBC social media channels which have millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you are considering whether your organisation or campaign could benefit from a social media video here are a few tips to consider.
What is a social media video?
Video is extremely effective on social media and will grab attention and might even go viral. There is a lot of research around what makes a successful social media video. Here are the factors we consider most important:
1.Intimacy
If you think about how you scan your social media feed on your mobile phone, it is the in the palm of your hand not very far away from your face which is right up close and in your personal space. This is what you need to think about when you are putting together a social media video – how to make the most of this intimate position with the audience. The best way we have found to make best use of this, is to feature people first and to use close angle shots.
2. Authenticity
Everyone says it all the time, be real, don’t be fake. But it is honestly true. Being genuine and yourself is just so important. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practise what you want to say – you can be rehearsed and authentic. Social media lends itself to being more informal and an approachable kind of vibe.
3. Newsworthy
In our training at universities, we try and put front and centre the idea of thinking about what factors give a story newsworthiness – this means how to make a story meaningful to your audience – what do they care about? What are their concerns? What is going on right now which might link into what you are trying to get across? The narrative arc has to hit the right tone with your audience and always be relevant to them without being preachy or trying to shove a concept down their throats.
4. First 3 seconds
The golden first 3 seconds is all the time you’ve got to make a person stop scrolling and start watching – so it better pack a punch right at the start. Your social media video has to have a strong hook to start and you must make this clear from the start.
5. The post wording and hashtags
Spend some time thinking and wording the post that will intro the video and what hashtags to use that will amplify the content. Once the video is made, that’s just the start, you have to try and make sure your audience sees it. This means making sure it shared among the relevant groups and networks.
Talk to us about your campaign and whether we can get your social media video done to the correct time and ratio specifications using high production values and storytelling techniques.