In my experience, videos are more memorable than traditional marketing content and more convenient for consumers to engage with. Last year, Facebook began favoring longer videos in people's news feeds in order to keep viewers on the platform based on the percent of each video they watch. There is an art to creating the perfect social media marketing video.
You only have seconds to stop someone’s thumb from scrolling and to grab their attention. Think of your video like a funnel and you will win. Grab their attention, deliver value, pitch them and then convert. Below is how I lay out my video funnels.
Use An Attention-Grabbing Thumbnail
With the speed consumers scroll through their social media feeds, you have to do something that grabs their attention to get them to stop on your video. Some tactics that have worked well for me are banners in video thumbnail that have a question on them similar to: “Do you want to grow your business?” or a banner with a statement like: “Don’t miss this opportunity!” Emojis in banners or an out of the ordinary picture can get people’s thumbs to stop scrolling.
Understand Why People Are Watching
When a user clicks to watch your video content, you often have as little as 10 seconds to not only grab their attention but reassure them that your video will live up to their expectations. That’s pretty difficult, considering the number of distractions and competition on social media platforms nowadays. When creating a video, it’s important that you understand your audience's goal. Why are they watching your video in the first place? Do they have an issue or problem they are trying to alleviate? Do they have an issue they might not even know about, but will?
Don’t force your product or service on them. Again, knowing the reason they are watching will help you better shape an opening. Whatever you do, you need to connect to their specific needs or issues. So start by introducing the issue or pain point they may be experimenting with direct language like “you” or “your company.” I usually ask them questions or set up a story that capitalizes on human emotion and walk them through the issue.
Remember that you need to respect the audience’s time, so establish that it will be justified by repeating their issue to them in an engaging way and continue to walk them through to the solution.
Deliver Value
Grabbing and holding an audience’s attention long enough to state your value in how your product or service can solve their issue is paramount in any piece of content you create. This is especially so in video. Videos already have the benefit of being highly engaging as we are very visual creatures to begin with. So, how can you hold their attention once you have it?
Deliver value and always use subtitles. Do not be afraid to give away your company's "secret sauce." If you can give consumers actionable advice that they can actually implement themselves and it works, then they will trust you. Always deliver as much value as possible to gain credibility and trust.
Deliver A Pitch
Your product or service pitch has to tie in flawlessly into your video. It’s important that you do not affect your users' thought process. If you place a product or service pitch in the wrong place or time in the video, you could potentially lose the user’s interest because they weren't ready for it. Always make sure the pitch ties in and is properly placed.
To pique interest, pitch quickly and to the point. Don’t go overboard with accolades or too much information. You can link that information to in your calls to action or next steps in the video. Rather, make sure that your product or service actually solves the user’s issue or problem. Respecting their time by walking them through a problem and offering a solution speaks volumes.
Finish With A Call To Action
Always include next steps in your video. Don’t just leave the consumer hanging. If there is a button or link in the ad, have them click it to learn more. If your content is engaging enough and delivered enough value, they will take action. At the end of a video, I like to point to where the link or button is depending on the platform. I believe Facebook is the best platform for marketing and most of the ads have buttons in the bottom right corner that say, “Contact us.” At the end of my videos, I literally say: “Click the 'contact us' button below” as I point to the right-hand corner. It makes the video seem even more real.
Whatever route you decide to take, make sure that you indicate in the video -- whether it’s in your words, annotation or lead forms like those above -- that you are giving a clear next step. A user’s time and attention are sparse, so when you (digitally) take their hand and show them next steps, it greatly increases the chance that they will take that action you want them to take.
Test, test and then test some more. Don’t be afraid to try off the wall the tactics to grab attention or go over the top with the value you provide to the consumer. Make it memorable, and help them in one way or the other than give your pitch. Remember, you need consumers to trust you before you can ask them to do anything.
