Brand videos are all over Social Media at the moment, but their presence is not aimed purely at increasing engagement on the platforms themselves. They have a huge impact on purchasing decisions, with 64% of consumers saying that they are more likely to make a purchase once they have engaged and enjoyed a brands video. Millennials, in particular, crave social videos. A staggering 75% of Millennials say that they watch social videos every day. Commercial and non-commercial videos appear side by side on most consumers social media timelines and most are happy to view both.
Social Media is all about inspiration, consumers turn to it when they need ideas for what to wear, what to eat and where to holiday. Social video is the favoured medium to consume these ideas. Content is no longer being consumed quite so passively. Consumers are seeking out social video on Social Media platforms. Video is so immersive, this is one of the reasons why it is such an effective tool for generating purchasing intent amongst consumers. Once a consumer sees a social video the impetuous is there to search for the product featured online. Another key reason why social video is so effective at generating sales is that it greatly satisfies consumer desire for peer recommendations. If a social video appears on the profiles and pages of the consumer’s friends, it becomes a great source of social proof. If the video includes influencers then even better- this will drive purchases. Even if the video doesn’t include influencers and is just a bog standard ad, the positive comments, and shares on the video, from the consumer’s peers will still prove influential.
Brand videos have become an intrinsic part of the Social Media experience, with people consuming content as they scroll instead of actively seeking it out.
Let’s look at the ways you can improve your social videos to achieve maximum engagement:
Give a CTA
Rounding a video off with a clear call to action is vital. Regardless of the type of video you are pushing, a CTA will move consumers from Social Media platform, onto the relevant eCommerce site. User attention is always limited on Social Media, so a strong CTA in conjunction with attention-grabbing imagery is a winning combination.
Focus on length
Length is important. Not only does your messaging have to be succinct and coherent, you often need to get across all that you want to say in the first 15-30 seconds of your video. After this time period consumers tend to lose interest and with so many other pieces of content vying for their attention on Social Media, it is easy to understand why. Once a consumer is hooked after the minute mark, they are open to taking in more information. If you want to educate consumers with your videos then start strong, command attention and then after the opening first minute communicate your message. Long, shoppable videos that lure the consumer into following a story, can be effective forms of social video. These are deliberately lengthy as the story has to convey drama and suspense to keep the consumer following the tale.
Know your market
It is important to know who your target market is and to understand where they are most likely to view online content. You have to ensure you post to the most relevant platforms. If you aim your products at Millenials, SnapChat and Instagram may be a better platform for your videos than Facebook.
Use mobile
With 82% of Millennials digesting their content on mobile, it is paramount that you make sure your social videos are optimised for mobile. Create the videos in a square or vertical format and feature text overlay.
Social video can help you engage consumers with your product, in a way that will lead to sales. We already know that consumers love to digest content through social videos and it is therefore up to brands to produce succinct and attention-grabbing offerings.
