You’re ready to take the plunge and are all set to get your social video game on. You’ve lined up the event you want to promote, the product you want to demonstrate, testimonials from customers and experts in the field you want to share… now what?
What To Use & Where to Use it
You have to bring that message to life! 74% of all internet traffic in 2017 is projected to come from video so channel your inner Stephen Spielberg or Tim Burton, if that’s the right tone, and take action!
Tools
Shooting – You can get quality video from tools as simple as the iPhone or Android smart phones. Look into a small tripod to steady your shots, a simple light kit and a small microphone and you have all you need to get a low-cost video out to your audience.- Editing – If you’re going with Facebook Live, you are good to. Facebook Live is organic and in the moment – a genuine message speaks to a tech-savvy audience more than a polished, pat 30-second commercial. But for other platforms like YouTube, you may want to check into simple video editing software like Apple iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.
Platforms
- YouTube – Still the world’s largest video search engine and the second largest search engine after google. A great location to house your video for use on you website, in blogs and from other social media sites like Facebook.
- Facebook Live – Who isn’t on Facebook? Simple and user-friendly. Use a great headline to snag your viewer and promo your upcoming Live video to garner an audience in advance.
- Instagram / Snapchat / Twitter – All options for social video, shorter with some limitations – sound not always automatic so consider captions and visual markers. Length is limited so messages need to be concise – which is actually to your benefit.
Tone
- Excite Your Audience – What’s your company’s persona? Get an identity and own it. When you stand out from the crowd, you stand out to consumers.
- Appeal to Emotions – Make your message pique curiosity, inspire action and, don’t forget that faithful standby, make people smile – humor goes a long way in making your video viral. If you can add some quirk or an element of laughter to your videos, you are ahead of the game.
- Use Your Space – Let viewers see behind the scenes, get a sneak peek that they’d never get by stopping in your store or ordering your product. Everyone loves to see what happens behind the curtain.
- Take Your Product Out in the World- Change locations, show up somewhere totally unexpected and engage your surroundings.
- Get Staff Involved – If you are a brick and mortar shop, get the staff in on the action. For those who know the faces, it creates a connection and opportunity to put a real person behind that consumer experience.
