Only truly engaging videos stop the mindless scroll. If the content is saved or shared, your message could gain traction to delight more viewers. To harness the power of video for your brand, here is your quick-start, rapid-fire guide to keep you from getting too bogged down in the details of video production for social media.
Video Marketing Campaign Goals
What do you hope to accomplish with video marketing? In most cases, you’re hoping your video will have one of the following effects:
- Educate potential or current customers about your product or service.
- Increase conversion on your website or marketing campaign.
- Reach new customers and build your brand awareness.
- Boost the demand for your service or product.
Your video may focus on just one of these goals, or it may hope to achieve several of them. As you get started, it’s best to focus on one or two goals at a time to center your message on the desired outcome.
Acquire Video Equipment
Social media videos don’t have to be of professional quality to be effective. However, it goes a long way to creating an elevated brand image. And you don’t have to break the bank to accomplish this. Here is a short list of new equipment you can invest in that will have the most impact on your video marketing.
Lighting Kit
No matter your message, you want your video to be brightly illuminated by as many lights as possible. If filming inside, we recommend a minimum of three lights to eliminate shadows.
Camera
If you have a smartphone, chances are you have all you need for a high-quality video. While you can certainly invest in a specialized camera, it’s not necessary when you’re just getting started with your video production for social media.
Tripod
Whether you’re using your phone or an actual camera, a tripod is necessary to ensure your video is stable and clear. Don’t trust your arm to keep it steady; buy this inexpensive tool so your footage doesn’t suffer.
Microphone
If you want your viewers to hear your message clearly, use a microphone to capture it effectively. There are budget-friendly options that will get the job done and noise-canceling barriers to minimize wind and background noise if shooting outdoors.
Hire Professional Expertise
Video production for social media is a detailed and highly nuanced undertaking. If you’d rather stick to your strengths, consider outsourcing this task to a professional team and stay focused on what you do best.
Choose Social Platform(s)
Whether you make your videos or hire someone else to produce them, you will need to decide where to deploy them. This next section gives you a quick overview of the most popular platforms and their strengths.
| Platform | Strengths | Specs |
TikTok | Short-form videos with millions of daily users. Great for increasing brand awareness. | Recommended resolution: 1080×1920 Max size: 287.6MB Video length: 5-60s [1] |
| | Video-driven platform with live streaming, short-form videos, and disappearing content. | Max file size: 4GB Max length: 60s for stories, 10 minutes for IGTV [2] |
| | Social media giant with live streaming and disappearing content. | Recommended resolution: 1280×720 Max file size: 4GM Video length: 240 minutes max [3] |
| | Lifestyle idea boards with “pins” displaying videos and images. | Max length: 30 minutes File Size: 2GB Max Minimum resolution: 240p [4] |
YouTube | Long-form video platform with live streaming. Short-form videos also available. | File size: 75KB – 5GB Video length: 3s-10m [5] |
Snapchat | Videos rich with filters and features. Both long-form and short-form videos. | Recommended size: 1080p x 1020p Max size: 32 MB Video length: 3-10s [6] |
| | Professional social media site. Videos should be polished and geared toward business networking. | Video length: 3 seconds – 10 minutes Resolution range: 256×144 to 4096×2304 [7] |
Decide What To Create
Now that you’ve decided where to put your videos, it’s time to determine what kind of videos you will create. There are several types to choose from, and your choice should depend on the goals we discussed earlier. Here are the leading video types to consider:
- Educational – Teach your current or new customers about your product or services
- Behind-the-Scenes – Give viewers a peek into your daily operations
- Testimonials – Interview customers as they sing your company’s praises
- Entertainment – Fun videos showcasing the lighter side of your business and brand
- Product – Introduce new products or offer tips and tricks about how to use current ones
Production Planning
Video production for social media doesn’t have to be stressful but it does require some planning and strategy. To save yourself time and trial, prepare a framework for what you want to accomplish.
Think through aspects such as scripting, props, and settings. Who will “act” in your video? Do you need approval from anyone in the company for any part of your video? Iron out as many of these details ahead of time as possible.
After Filming: Post Production
Once you’ve finished filming your video, it’s time to polish the final product. Edit the video with voiceovers, subtitles, and music. When navigating video production for social media, always include captions since many viewers won’t have the sound turned on when watching. This also ensures your content is accessible to those with hearing impairments.
Video Promotion
You’ve put in the hard work, and now it’s time to promote your video. All that’s left to do is upload, schedule, and deploy on your chosen platform. Research the best time to post your content, either from the platform performance statistics or by polling your audience. Beyond social media, you can also use the video in an email campaign, direct marketing, and anywhere else you already see videos.
Content Scheduling
There are several helpful tools that make sharing your video easy and automated. Find the ones that work best for you and structure your content delivery. Many platforms or supporting software allow you to use triggers that will push your video out without having to manually click and post each time.
Tracking and Understanding Video Metrics
As with any new goal, it’s crucial to measure your success with metrics. Make it a habit to check the following key metrics regularly:
- View counts
- Watch Times
- Interactions (Shares, Likes, Comments)
Video marketing is an ongoing effort, not something that’s one-and-done. Make adjustments to your content and posting schedule wherever needed.
Level Up Your Video Production For Social Media
Don’t waste time being intimidated or stuck in analysis paralysis. Make the decision today to either produce your videos or outsource your social media video production, so you don’t miss out on untapped revenue and customers.