What exactly is social video marketing?
You’re probably familiar with social media—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so forth. And you’re probably familiar with the concept of video marketing—using video to talk about your products, services, or other information for the viewer.
But what exactly is social video marketing? Simply put, it’s video that’s created with the intention of sharing on social media channels. It’s not a new thing, but it’s an option many companies haven’t yet added to their online marketing plan.
First, let’s take a look at a few options for social video.
Facebook Video: This includes any prescheduled video that’s posted on Facebook, whether that’s a short video of your nonprofit team in action in the field or a carefully edited 30-second ad.
Facebook Live: And we’re live in 3… 2… 1… There’s no editing involved here. Facebook Live lets you broadcast the action as it’s happening. This could be a short tour of your new office space, a quick volunteer spotlight for your nonprofit service event, or an entire press conference about a key issue.
YouTube: This is the most common social media channel for video, but it’s certainly not the only option. It’s a great place to keep all of your videos and then link to them from other channels, including your blog or email newsletter.
Instagram: You can post a short video directly to your Instagram feed, or you can use the Instagram Stories feature to create a slideshow of photos and video over time. Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours though, so make sure you watch them while you can!
So now that you know a few options for social video, let’s talk about how to use it effectively.
First, identify which business goals you will move forward with social video marketing. Like any other marketing activity, it doesn’t matter how cool it is if it’s not moving you closer toward achieving a goal. Even if it’s just a short Facebook Live video, it should be tied to your organization’s goals.
Second, make sure your video is right for the platform you’re using and right for your audience. One size doesn’t fit all here, and you may need to make some adjustments to your video if you’re planning to use it on multiple platforms. One example is adding captions to Facebook videos, since the majority of Facebook videos are watched without sound.
And finally, make sure you’ve identified the clear next step at the end of the video. What do you want people to do now that they’ve watched your video? Call you for a consultation? Share with a friend? This is also known as the call to action, but we like clear next step because it’s a little less pressure on the person watching your video.
See, social video marketing’s not so scary after all, right? Know what business goal you’re working toward, pick a social video channel that makes sense for your organization, and make sure people know what you want from them next.