The use of videos by marketers and brands is increasing rapidly. In 2018, 81% of business have leveraged the power of video as a marketing tool. Videos can help you engage audiences more effectively and stay in their minds for longer.
76% of brands say that videos have helped them boost their traffic and sales. But to achieve such results, you can’t simply can’t grab a camera, record a video, and post it.
You need to make sure that your video generates maximum engagement. This post will help you with some effective tips and tricks to increase video engagement on social media.
Let’s dive in.
1. Add a Strong CTA
To increase video engagement on social media, add strong calls-to-action to your videos. The objective of your videos on social media is to drive traffic and boost sales. So, once your prospects have watched the videos, the CTA will direct them to take the required action.
Social media platforms like Facebook have a key feature which allows you to add clickable CTAs. This feature enables you to direct your prospects to your ecommerce store, another video, or website. You can add your CTAs in the description box below your post.
You can also add CTAs on the video itself using the text overlay feature and direct your prospects to the next obvious step.
For example, Adidas uses this Facebook feature very well. This video has gained 4.9K views. The CTA is included below the post and it encourages viewers to click the link and watch the full video.
Image Source – Facebook
2. Make an Interactive Video
You can also create interactive videos to increase engagement on social media. According to The State of Video Marketing 2018, 20% of marketers reported using interactive videos. And 78% of them said that it’s an effective strategy.
The same report stated that the adoption of interactive video among marketers will increase to 1 in 3 from the current 1 in 5. Interactive videos which will motivate prospects to engage with you even more.
You can organize a Q&A session or live stream an event for your potential customers. Social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook allows you to broadcast live videos.
You can also use 360 videos to generate engagement. 15% of marketers have used 360 videos, out of whom, 62% found them to be effective. Big brands like Mercedes-Benz have used this strategy. They gave their potential customers an opportunity to explore their new Mercedes-Benz SL. The YouTube video managed to gain nearly 3 million views.
Image Source – YouTube
3. Use Text Overlays and Captions
Many mobile users don’t watch videos with the sound on. This is why you need to add captions or text overlays to your videos. Otherwise, your potential customers might simply scroll past your videos. Obviously, you don’t want that to happen.
When commuting via public transportation, your prospects might not feel comfortable turning up the sound. So, make sure to add relevant text to your videos. It can help your prospects understand the content of the video on their mobile devices, even in the silent mode.
Instagram and Facebook allow you to add captions or .srt files to your videos. In fact, Facebook even auto-generates captions for you to use on your videos.
The Instagram page of The Dodo focuses on animal rights. They always add captions to all of their videos. The video shown below managed to received 136K views within a few hours of posting it.
Image Source – Instagram
4. Repurpose Video Content
Videos in the 1:1 aspect ratio works perfectly for Instagram and Facebook. And the 16:9 aspect ratio works well for YouTube.
However, it’s difficult to watch a 16:9 video on a mobile screen. So, you shouldn’t cannot create a single video for all social media platforms. You need to create multiple versions of the same video for every social platform.
To promote their movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, LucasfilmStar Wars used both YouTube and Facebook. They repurposed the same video for both the social media platforms.
Image Source – YouTube
Image Source – Facebook
5. Create Videos for Mobile
This is the age of mobile video. Globally, 58% of all videos are watched on mobile devices. This figure indicates that a majority of people prefer mobile devices for watching videos. So, don’t ignore the power of mobile devices. Create videos particularly for mobile.
Select the best frame to shoot your video. You don’t need to take wide angles shots if the sole purpose of the video is to be viewed online. You can create how-to videos to generate more engagement from your videos on social media. Always create videos which are compatible with mobile devices.
Final Thoughts
Videos are one of the most powerful marketing tools to generate sales, drive organic traffic, and increase engagement. So, make sure to create quality videos.
When used done correctly, the tips mentioned above will help you increase your video engagement on social media.
Do you know of any other tips to increase video engagement on social media? If so, then please feel free to comment below.