How important is video in social media today? Some would say that it's absolutely everything, and there are those who have built a successful social media marketing campaign solely around video.
There are three key reasons why video has become increasingly important:
1. It's simply popular. Video gets more sharing and other interaction on social media than other types of content. People love videos.
2. Videos appeal to the most hyper-active age group of people on the internet – those in their teens, twenties, and early thirties.
3. Major social media sites have native features that allow you to share video easily and there is a wealth of tools that make video production easy.
One final reason is that your competitors are probably already using video.
Video is likely to become even more important in the future, so if you're not using it now, it's time to get started. A good place to start is to observe your own social media activity. Have you watched any videos on social media in the last few weeks? What were they and why did you watch them? This will help to give you some ideas on the type of videos you can produce yourself.
For many businesses just getting started with video, it's hard to imagine what you might create. Don't worry about having the latest and greatest professional camera. Most smartphones today provide great quality video for social media platforms. Also, videos that aren't highly polished come across as more authentic.
Here are some ideas for videos that you can produce yourself:
Answer a Question or Solve a Problem.
Take a common question or problem your customers face that your expertise can solve, and solve it for them in front of the camera. This is especially handy for businesses that perform services like cleaning or repair work. You can actually show your audience how to do it.
Get in Front of the Camera and Talk.
"Vlogs" or "video blogs" are simple but extremely popular on the internet. This is where a person simply sits in front of the camera and talks. Take a topic that's of interest to your audience and discuss it in a quick video of not more than a few minutes. Express your opinion and ask for your audience's.
Behind the Scenes.
Take your audience behind the scenes in your business or industry and show them a side they don't usually get to see. Show how your products are made. Introduce your employees. Take a tour of the office.
These are just a few simple ideas to get you started. Remember that videos don't have to be complex. In fact, short simple videos are the most shared on social media.