Maximizing Videos for Your Social Media Campaign – Part One

Incorporating a video into your social media campaign is a great way to garner extra interest in your business, and keep your followers in tune with what’s going on.

Easier said than done, right? Well let’s start by talking about…

Video Production

An interesting, business-generating video doesn’t need to be an incredibly fancy thing with eye-popping effects.  You can make a catchy video simply by recording your message over a collection of pictures and still images.  Or, grab a flip video camera and someone to operate it while you deliver your message.

Filming Tips

If you go for the video camera route, here are some tips for making it look good:

• Choose a well-lit area. It’s important to make sure your audience can see you clearly on-screen.

• Find a background with minimal distractions (you want people to focus on your message, not the person making crazy faces behind you).

• Rehearse your message beforehand so you can deliver it in a confident manner.

• If you have time, do a trial run and watch it on the camera. Many people think they are very expressionate, only to find out that what they thought was a wide grin, was in truth, a barely perceptible smile.

• When there are two or more people being featured in the video at the same, be sure to sit (or stand) very, very close.  It’ll feel like you’re practically sitting on top of each other, but in the video it will look natural and there won’t be a gaping hole between you two.

• Try to avoid facing the camera dead-on.  Instead, turn yourself slightly, so that one side of you is just a bit more visible than the other.

What’s Next?

After you’ve shot the video, don’t worry about fancy editing.  In most cases, a simple beginning title and end title will do.

As for content – be sure to present a clear call to action.  Your viewers should know exactly what to do next if they are interested in learning more.  They should also know where to go, and this is where you flash your web-address.  Lastly, try to keep the video short: anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes, or break up the content into smaller segments.

In Part Two of this blog mini-series, we’re going to cover how to optimize your videos once you go to put them online.  This is an important step because it can make the difference between your video being seen, and it being lost in the shuffle.