Online video content is no longer just shaky YouTube videos. With channels from Snapchat to Netflix providing new technologies for video, Social Media Lead Jenny Bernarde looks into the latest ways to integrate video into your social media strategy.
Forbes have stated that “a third of all the time people spend online is dedicated to watching videos.” Whether this is via social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram, or snuggling up with a cuppa to watch the latest Netflix hit, it’s clear that video is here to stay.
In fact, social video has become so successful that “87% of online marketers are currently using video content in their digital marketing strategies.”
How has video content aligned to the opportunities given by social media platforms? And how have social media platforms transformed their channels to accommodate the rise in video content?
"The most popular video posts include the brand identity and message in the first 3 seconds."
Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are redefining the way users consume video. Recent updates to these apps include auto-play videos, meaning users will potentially see at least the first 3 seconds of a video whilst scrolling through their Facebook or Instagram feeds.
How do you make a success of this? Bearing in mind that sound doesn’t unless the user taps the video, reports have suggested that the most popular video posts include the brand identity and message in the first 3 seconds.
Publications are now reassessing video content to reflect the needs of users. For example, viral videos from pages like LADBible use eye-catching black and white banners across videos to instantly indicate what the video is about without the user having to turn the sound on. News publications such as The Guardian and Sky News have followed suit with bold text over video content to act as subtitles on screen.
We’ve also seen an influx of hands-on cooking videos from pages such as Tasty and Buzzfeed Food, which captivate user in quick-blast tutorials for cooking. These videos are optimised and created solely for social media platforms, engaging with users who are mindlessly scrolling (we’ve all been there).
The success of these videos has meant an increase in brand partnerships between the creator and the sponsor. We’ve even seen merchandise such as cookery books produced and sold based on these videos.
Our work with African airline fastjet helped us to devise the Wirehive 100 winning We Film Africa campaign for the people of Tanzania.
We asked users to film a short video demonstrating what Africa meant to them and upload it to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The ease of being able to film and upload to social in an instant meant the campaign was a huge success with the target audience.
We reached over 2 million users across social media and gained over 11,000 YouTube views in the first 8 weeks.
Live video is one of the newest and most exciting forms of video content to surge across social media - particularly for brands holding events.
By showcasing their product launch event via a live social video, cosmetics brand Lush gave their audience a taste of an aspirational lifestyle, persuading them to make a purchase and have the experience first-hand.
Our recent event with musical instrument retailer GAK was filmed and live-streamed through Facebook, giving music lovers at home a taste of the real-time action and allowing for an online experience that’s as close to reality as possible.
"Four times as many customers would rather watch a video demonstrating a product than read about it."
Facebook’s video targeting options optimise video ads for those most likely to engage with them, based on previous video-viewing behaviour. This is good news for marketers, as it’s said that after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to make a purchase online.
It’s also said that four times as many customers would rather watch a video demonstrating a product than read about it. This illustrates how video not only increases engagement and raises brand awareness, but also gains consumer trust, making them more likely to convert.
We’ve all seen viral cat videos, but are you ready for our #NationalBlackCatDay video? We’ve teamed up with Cats Protection to create the campaign for their annual event. Keep your eyes peeled for a disruptive cat video like no other...
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