Why You Need Video in Your Content Strategy
There are several kinds of content available these days, from photography, illustrations, graphics, motion graphics, animation, and video. In a previous article, I discussed the importance of diversifying your content and channels.
And today, I’m going to talk about why you should be including video content in your strategy and five things you must do with your videos.
Video is King
Twelve years ago, Instagram was created. It was a photo-sharing app and was all the rave. Photography was King. As were fake filters and Photoshop (though, that hasn’t changed).
But as the years have passed, technology has progressively advanced in a short time, and video has started to reign across social media.
TikTok is fast becoming one of the biggest platforms in the world, with roughly the same amount of users as Instagram. The difference is that TikTok has always been a video app.
Instagram tried to compete with TikTok with Reels, but it falls short in many ways. Still, if you scroll through Instagram now, it’s likely you won’t see many photos anymore, as everyone is starting to move towards video content.
Show Your Face—Or Not?
Making videos is incredibly daunting, especially if you’re not an on-camera kind of person. But with social media, you don’t actually have to be on camera to be successful.
All you need is a smartphone to record your video, and an app, like Rush or InShot to record your voiceover after filming.
Take this one I did as an example:
But if you’re the face of your business, and you don’t mind getting on camera, I highly recommend that you do. Showing your face is amazing for building that “know, like, trust” factor with your followers.
5 Things You Must Do With Your Videos
A lot of TikTok and Instagram content is geared more towards an “unedited” edited video style. Videos that are a little impromptu and casual. So for those who are not videographers (I’m sure that’s most of you), it’s reassuring to know that your unprofessional recordings will suffice.
But if you’re creating video content for other platforms, such as YouTube, you may want to take a little more time to edit your videos.
Regardless of where you’re posting your videos, you’ll want to have a plan. There are five things you must do with your videos to attract and retain quality leads.
1/ Tell A Story
A good way to keep your audience engaged is to tell a story. And the best way to tell a story is to craft a compelling script. When reading the script, even if you’re not on screen, make sure you’re smiling, and even raise your eyebrows while you speak. This will elevate your voice and give it animation.
Before publishing your video, watch it and see whether or not it’s engaging. Even ask a friend or partner to watch it (if you dare). And practice, practice, practice!
2/ Add Captions
You’ve created an engaging video that you’re pretty certain your followers will like. But not everyone will be listening. A study found that 85% scroll Facebook with the volume muted. So with that being said, caption your videos to keep them engaged whether the volume is on or off.
3/ Test Your Titles
Just like blog posts, a video title needs to grab the attention of your audience. It needs to stop the scroll in its tracks. If you‘re unsure, head over to YouTube and check out what’s trending. Then scroll through Medium to see what titles grab your attention.
Choose a couple of titles for each video, and then test them to see which ones get more clicks.
4/ Plan Your Intro and Hook
A video is very much like a blog post. You want to hook the audience in the first sentence or two. Again, if you’re stuck, watch videos from popular content creators.
If you’re making YouTube videos, creators typically have an on-brand intro with a catch phrase, followed by a hook.
Bailey Sarian does this so well in her videos.
Take notes on your favorite intros and hooks, and then create your own.
5/ Making Cuts
How boring is it watching a video for 10 minutes that’s just one single shot? Make sure you’re keeping your video interesting all the way to the end by making cuts.
Making cuts is where you’ll film from the front, then take a video from another angle, and then cut to a close-up while you’re still speaking. It’s easier than you might think, too. You’ll just need a couple of tripods or a spare set of hands.
You can also crop some shots during editing stages to go from a medium shot to close-up, for example.
Video is Not As Scary As You Think
If you’re a little apprehensive and nervous to create videos for your business, just remember that every single successful video content creator and influencer started where you are right now.
Once you start filming and get comfortable with it, it’s really not as scary as you think.
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