They have been the wave of social media for the last several years, and it is easy to understand why. A video clip is engaging and draws the viewer in much quicker than a post of many words. Pictures have been a primary method of communication for thousands of years.
Think cavemen.
Graphics can tell stories to any kind of audience, no matter what language they speak, or even if they don’t speak at all.
When you take the concept of pictures and place them together incorporating the use of music, movement, sounds, and colours, your story becomes that much more vivid and evokes that much more emotion from the viewer. Language and grammar are unnecessary to get the point across.
With so many using videos to share their stories, including businesses, what is it that will make your videos stand out? How will your business be successful in drawing in your target audience with the use of videos on social media?
Let’s find out.
Thinking back to the basics of even the most rudimentary of pictures, we know humans process graphics while viewing them thousands of times quicker than any text they read. Pictures can evoke thoughts, emotions, and memories. Think about babies. They don’t read; therefore, all their early learning is done by what they see. Their mother’s smile brings feelings of happiness and comfort, while a furrowed brow tells them someone is annoyed. A story is told, a feeling is generated. This is what is key in your video message. What story do you wish to tell? What feeling or feelings do you wish to evoke?
Start by thinking of your target audience and begin to produce a story through your video by answering these questions:
What problem do you believe your target audience has? What product or service are you offering to them, and what will your product or service provide them? How will your product or service benefit them or offer them a solution to their perceived problem? How can you show the solution or the results of the solution?
People engage in a video that can be funny, have unexpected, or even outrageous details. These types of videos can stand out in the viewers’ minds and are then attached to your brand long after the video was seen. It can also encourage sharing amongst other friends, family, or business connections.
What do you want your audience to do? Remember to create an impactful call to action in your video. You want them to engage immediately and appealing genuinely to their emotions can help achieve this.
You will need to decide what type of video you wish to produce. Are you offering a sale? Are you wanting feedback from your audience, or are you introducing a new product or service? Answering these questions will give you an idea of the type of video you will produce and where you will share it.
For example, slideshows work great for giving details about a product or service, while a story video or testimonial can be used to share the newest update about your company.
If you are new to making videos there are some key concepts you should be aware of. Be sure to stay true to your brand. You want people to readily identify with your business, so be sure to always use your colours, logos, and fonts. If you still have not done any branding for your business, that could be a good place to start.
If your video includes graphics, be sure to use ones that are of excellent quality and that you are legally allowed to use them. Many people believe that just because the graphic was found on Google, it is ok to use and that is often not the case as there may be copyright issues. Excellent resources are available for royalty-free graphics such as Unsplash.
There are many video creation apps out there to help you along including Biteable or Animaker which are great for making popular animated or explainer videos. Whatever type of video you plan to create and whatever platform you plan to share it on, have fun with it, but be true to your brand and always think content first.