Every content marketer knows just how important a role social media plays in marketing strategies. Without an effective social media strategy, a business will struggle to reach the right audience in this digital age. Social media is no longer a desirable component of a marketing strategy – it is now essential.
Incorporating social media isn’t just about posting photos of products with witty captions and hashtags. Studies have repeatedly shown the significance of using videos to increase brand awareness and engage potential clients. Video creation and consumption have risen dramatically over the past couple of years, as more and more people have looked to succinct and interesting videos to keep themselves informed. This medium has grown in popularity, helping new and independent businesses increase traffic and sales, and adding a touch of personality to their branding.
And it’s not as daunting as it seems! More effort and logistics are required to create a consistent social media video marketing strategy, but with the help of a video production company (like us), there are far fewer issues to worry about. We’ve listed below some handy tips and tricks to revamp your social media adverts that attract new clients near and far.
Let’s Start at the Very Beginning
The first three seconds of any piece of video marketing are the most crucial part of capturing your viewers’ attention. As social media adverts are a total of 15 seconds long, it’s even more important to make the beginning as engaging as possible. This not only hooks in your audience but also ensures they watch until the very end.
But how do you achieve such an awe-inspiring beginning? A quote, a statistic, or a mind-blowing fact are all excellent ways to draw in your viewers and pique their interest to see what your business has to offer. From the very beginning, your video needs to challenge your audience’s perception of a specific topic related to your brand or product. Encouraging a different mindset will set your business apart from other companies offering similar products or services. You don’t necessarily want to shock or anger your viewers but you do want them to remember your brand.
Short and Sweet
It goes without saying that a 15-second long video is supposed to be short and sweet. A social media advert is hardly a star-studded blockbuster, but it’s important to gather all of the information you want your viewers to learn about your brand. This means sticking to one or two simple ideas.
Bombarding your audience with lots of different visual and sound effects will not only overload them with too much information but will also confuse your messaging. 15 seconds is a very short amount of time to convey your branding and product, so keeping things simple and stripped back will keep the clutter out of your content.
Think about the main thing you want your viewers to remember about your brand. If you want to incorporate a compelling story, stick to one or two main characters who can sell your brand effectively. A small number of words, visuals and sound effects will keep your social media advert clean and tease your viewers into wanting more.
Emotive Video Marketing
You only need to watch the annual John Lewis Christmas advert to know that striking a chord with your viewers’ emotions will add character to your business. Although you have a limited amount of time to build up an emotive narrative arc, resonating with your viewers will increase the chances of them remembering your brand.
It’s worth mentioning that triggering an emotional reaction should only be used if it’s relevant to your product or service. You want your potential clients to remember your brand for all the right reasons; you don’t want to confuse them and associate your business with a level of sentimentality your products don’t necessarily represent.
Condensing an emotional story into 15 seconds is also no mean feat. You need to be completely sure about the main purpose of the story you want to tell, what emotions you want to conjure, and how it will convert viewers into consumers.
Sound
Videos aren’t just about the visuals. What your viewers hear is equally as important as what they see. Be it some pleasant background music or a collection of satisfying sounds, putting some thought and effort into your video’s sound will contribute significantly to its effectiveness.
For example, if you want to build up momentum to reveal your product, you could use a dry percussive beat that increases in complexity, rhythm and instrumentation. This not only builds your audience’s curiosity and excitement but also reflects your advert’s visuals.
Music plays a huge role in creating the atmosphere you want your advert to convey. A string quartet serenading the central storyline will portray a much more peaceful advert, whereas a large and loud brass ensemble will reflect a more lively and dramatic video. Your choice of music will also affect your audience’s response, so make sure it is a positive and memorable one.
If you’re using a voiceover artist, it pays to think about the type of accent you want to use. Be it to reflect the overall feel of your video or a specific region, bear in mind that the voice is relevant to your visuals.
Direct Address
You can have a lot of fun involving your audience with your advert. Not only does it give an open and honest portrayal of your brand, but your viewers will also feel a part of your business, increasing the chances of them eventually making a purchase.
This can be achieved in a myriad of ways. Breaking the fourth wall is a popular and effective choice, as it shocks viewers when the video suddenly speaks directly to them. Suddenly connecting the actors to the audience creates a comedic approach to marketing and shows that your brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. Viewers will then remember you for your light-hearted marketing and encourage them to invest in your business.
You can also have an actor speaking directly to the camera and, therefore, to your audience. This will catch your audience’s attention and imply that they are at the heart of your video. A bold entrance will set your social media advert up for success if you choose to go down this route.
Straight to the Point
One main benefit of creating a social media advert is less time to worry about the finer details of your video. Getting straight to the point throughout the whole video will draw in your viewers and help you concentrate your storyline without accidentally distracting viewers from your branding’s main purpose.
Being as concise and coherent as possible means you have to limit the amount of information you want your viewers to learn about your business. The more distinct an idea is, the more likely your audience will remember your brand. Be it a new product, service, or offer, you want to control the amount of information you convey, increasing the chances of your viewers wanting to learn more.
Simplicity is key with social media adverts. The human brain is confronted with a constant stream of content, so keeping your ideas to a minimum will help your social media advert cut through the clutter and stay in your viewers’ minds.
Clean Conclusion
When thinking about your storyline, always keep the ending in sight. What do you want your viewers to do once they’ve finished watching? Do you want them to subscribe to your social media page? Visit your website? Buy your product?
Whatever you choose to incorporate in the main body of your social media advert, make sure viewers know exactly what to do after watching. Links to your website, an email sign up form or your main social media page will motivate viewers to learn more about your brand and the services you provide. You could even include links to other videos, such as testimonials from current customers, FAQs, and any other products you want to shine a light on.
It’s also worth including these links at the top of the comments section of your advert. That way viewers will have quick and easy access to your brand and show that you care about convenience.
Branding
A social media advert is a brief introduction and promotional opportunity for your brand. And how do you make the most of that? By incorporating your branding at every stage of your video.
Ensuring that your logo and colour scheme are constantly present in the top right-hand corner will increase brand awareness and brand recognition. You want potential clients to not only remember your advert but also recognise your branding. Only including such crucial aspects of your marketing at either the beginning or the end of your video won’t guarantee viewers remembering your company.
A logo and colour scheme are the basis of a marketing strategy and are the face of your brand. Making them constantly visible will boost the chances of viewers recognising your brand and encourage them to listen to any future video marketing campaigns.
Humour
Making a positive impression is the most important part of any video content marketing strategy. Making your viewers laugh will win your viewers over. A smile goes a long way but a laugh even further.
A 15-second long video gives you time to squeeze in a couple of jokes or puns into your script. Big rival brands, such as Coke and Pepsi, are known for poking fun at each other and having fun with their consumer fan base. Although this might not work for smaller brands, you can make your own jokes about being an independent business that differs considerably from your competitors’ services. You can also include a sprinkling of clever wit. This type of humour gives your brand a professional yet entertaining character, which will prove popular with potential clients who want to invest in a business that can be both charming and competent.
It’s important to only include humour when it is relevant and appropriate to your video. A corny joke here and a cheesy pun there might make your viewers cringe if it doesn’t match your storyline. Make sure you have a full grasp on the voice, style and tone of your video before launching into a humorous script.
Platform
Last but not least, it’s all about the social media platform. Your choice of social media platform will affect multiple aspects of your video. Where will your target audience most likely see it? What logistics do you need to consider? What about aspect ratios and audio descriptions?
Optimising your video for both online and mobile use will ensure that your engagement rate doesn’t decrease, regardless of how your audience chooses to view your advert. When it comes to aspect ratios, think about how people watch videos on their phones. Vertical or square videos are essential for social media adverts. For videos on Facebook and Instagram, we recommend a 4:5 aspect ratio.
Did you know that 85% of Facebook users watch videos without audio? Subtitles are a must for social media videos and adverts, especially if you have a voiceover or an actor talking directly to the camera. This type of extra written content will also work wonders for your SEO strategy, especially if you incorporate the keywords your client base will most likely look up.
Finally, think about the age of your target audience, as this will determine the social media platform they will most likely engage with your content. Younger generations will want to see your social media adverts on TikTok and Instagram, whereas those over 50 will be more present on Facebook.
Final Thoughts
From being concise and coherent to adding humour and character, there is a myriad of ways you can engage with future clients on social media through social media adverts. Now that 4 billion people live online, social media is no longer an option in your video content marketing strategy – it’s a must.
We can make video work for you, not the other way around. With over 2000 videos, both animated and live-action, we can sort all of the logistics associated with your testimonial video, meaning no hassle or stress on your part. Still interested? Contact us to get our creative partnership started.
