Explore tips on sourcing more video content for your accounts, making it easier to increase your video content while growing your platform.
Social media content strategy relies on fresh, consistent content that’ll continue to drive traffic to your accounts, while also retaining your current audience. When mapping out a social media strategy, research shows that video content continues to grow as a major medium on platforms. Twitter reports that tweets with video receive 10x more engagements than those without. On Facebook, more than 1.25 billion people visit Facebook Watch every month. Instagram prefers video, allowing video content to appear 4x larger than photos on the Explore page.
Not only is video becoming more prominent, but it’s also more effective. According to Insivia, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to only 10% when reading it in text. As entrepreneurs, marketers, and content creators, incorporating video into your content strategy is quickly becoming a mandate.
So, you know you need video, but how do you keep up with the pace? As many marketers know, the number of assets needed to keep accounts active grows exponentially as you expand your brand’s reach. For example, to post on one account 5x per week for one year would be 240 pieces of content. Expand that to three platforms and it grows to 720 pieces of unique content a year.
Creating video content can seem daunting. However, there are some easy tactics you can employ to help ease the pressure. We’ve prepared a list of tips on how to source more video content for your accounts to make it easier to increase your video content and keep your accounts growing.
Batch Videos
While video content is becoming more common, it’s also becoming lower-budget. This makes it a perfect entry point for marketers at all levels. You don’t need a fancy camera, lenses, or editing software to get the job done. In fact, YouTube reports that content relatability is 1.6x more important than video quality. It’s as simple as setting up your camera (or smartphone) and hitting record.
Set aside an hour a week and record multiple videos in a row. You can change up the camera angle, the products featured, or your outfits for each clip. Aim for between two to five minutes per video and keep it on topic and packed with value. Instagram states that how-to content is the top-performing video content on their platform. Ask yourself, “What value can I give to users?” and share that information.
Repurpose Content
No matter what your product or service is, it’s likely that you’ve already got some content created. Let your content work for you. A common example of this is converting blog posts or newsletters to video scripts. Have a podcast? Take the audio and use it as the basis for your next video.
Take a look at your favorite brands. Many of them use this technique frequently. For example, here’s a post from The Futur (@thefuturishere) where they took an older YouTube video and pulled a clip to feature on Instagram.
This not only provides you with more video content, it also creates opportunities to drive traffic to your backlist of content. The “Rule of 7” stipulates that a potential buyer needs to see an ad at least seven times before deciding to buy. By circulating users through your content, you’re able to have them keep your business top-of-mind longer.
Team Up
One of the greatest features of social media is the ability to connect and collaborate with anyone, anywhere. Find a business or creator with a skill set that complements your own and work together. Or, you can consider partnering with an influencer or larger brand that has the skillset and resources to create video content for use on your platform. An added benefit to this method is that you share the work and you get to share your audiences. In this scenario, one piece of video content can have twice the reach.
Another version of collaboration to increase video content output is sharing content. Leverage another brand or creator’s content (with permission) and add your own spin. With so much video available on the internet, there’s bound to be a mutually beneficial collaboration waiting for you!
Know Your Platform
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of content you need to produce, you may be on too many platforms. Take some time to think about your business. Does it make sense for you to appear on every social media platform? It’s better to fully commit to a small number of platforms and focus on growing a following than it is to half-commit to several platforms.
Video content looks different on each platform. While Facebook recommends videos from 2-5 minutes in length, YouTube is more than double that at an average of 11.5 minutes per video. Meanwhile, platforms like TikTok and Snapchat demand that videos be much shorter in length. After thinking about what makes sense for you and your business, you may find that certain platforms better align with your skill set and goals.
For reference, here are the currently recommended video lengths for popular platforms:
- Facebook: 2-5 minutes
- Instagram: 26 seconds
- Twitter: Less than 15 seconds
- YouTube: Less than 10 minutes
- Snapchat: 3-5 seconds
- TikTok: 9-15 seconds
Use Stock Video
If, after reading these tips, you’re still not sure how to get started, you may benefit from utilizing high-quality stock videography. By being selective with which stock video you use, you can brand videos to make it seem as though they were produced in-house. The biggest benefit is that stock video libraries are nearly endless. You can find the exact clip you need in minutes and quickly create new content for your pages.
Now through March 21st, Shutterstock is offering 25% off all footage. By building yourself a small library to choose from, you can incorporate the other tips with your stock footage to increase your video content and continue to grow your channels.
Cover image via metamorworks.
Need additional social media tips and advice? Check out these articles:
- The 50/20/20/10 Rule to Social Media Content Creation
- Creative Instagram Feed Ideas to Keep Your Social Media Fresh
- The Guide to DIY Video Ads for Facebook and Instagram
- 5 Tactics to Keep Viewers Engaged with Social Video
- Free Instagram Story Templates Pack