With the proliferation of social media, particularly video-only networks like YouTube and TikTok, videos are no longer just the most popular type of content but the most powerful as well. Amidst all the PR noise, content that can engage with and capture an audience’s attention will always perform the best — video is a great way to achieve this while also getting your message across quickly.
So how do you create good video content for social media that can do all this and more? Here are five guiding questions to ask yourself as you embark on your video-making journey.
What is the purpose of the video?
Before you grab a camera and start shooting, have a think about the objective of this video, and who your target audience is. Maybe your aim is to flaunt your newly renovated office to industry clientele? Or showcase your work culture to attract new talent?
Knowing the purpose of the video and who will be watching it will help determine everything else about the video, such as:
- Which platforms you can find your target audience on (see step 2)
- How long or short the video should be
- What sort of content should be included in the video
- The style of the video
This is a crucial step that will set the direction for your entire video-making process, from pre-production to publishing. Once you’ve got this sorted, you can rest easy knowing that all your efforts will be aligned with the end business goal.
Which platform will the video be published on?
After you’ve thought about the video’s goals and audience, you can also make a decision on which platform(s) the video will be published on.
This is important as different platforms have different audience demographics with different preferences. Audiences on Instagram and TikTok prefer snappier, quicker videos — which requires you to capture the audience’s attention immediately and deliver your message in 15 or 30 seconds. On other platforms like Facebook, you can afford to produce longer videos between 1 to 3 minutes, while for YouTube, you can go up to 7 to 15 minutes or longer.
Each platform also has best practices that you should follow. For example, Facebook has recommended video dimensions that would work better with their user interface. Since more Instagram and TikTok users browse on their phones, portrait formats would be more intuitive, but stick to landscape for more traditional platforms.
Have you done your research?
One thing I’ve learned from my four years of experience in video is that the pre-production phase is the most important. Essentially, that means lots and lots of planning and research.
If some content has already been published, take a look at the analytics to find out which ones performed the best, and try to repurpose or take inspiration from them..
Make sure you do some research on additional information to support your key message. For example, if you need to interview an important executive for the video, do some research into their background and role so you can craft better interview questions.
You also need to make technical and logistical preparations before filming. This includes doing a location recce, planning the video shoot schedule and making a storyboard that details the flow of the video, as well as the type of camera angles you need. Be sure to also gather any necessary equipment, props, digital assets, and resources in advance.
Is the video user-friendly?
After you’ve filmed and done a rough cut of the video, make sure it is user-friendly to watch because otherwise, no one is going to want to watch it in its entirety.
Ask yourself some of these questions:
- Is the video easy to understand in one viewing?
- Do you have enough time to read all the text/captions and take in the visuals?
- Would including subtitles help the audience understand the video better?
- Would motion stabilisation help the video be more visually consistent?
Make sure you get someone else to review your video with fresh eyes as well, because it’s easy to overlook any flaws after you’ve looked at a video for too long.
Finally, is the video aesthetically pleasing?
Once you’ve answered the previous questions, you would have produced a purposeful, engaging, and user-friendly video. Now, you can finally focus on making the video aesthetically pleasing through colour grading and any special effects. Once you’re happy with what you see, get ready to hit publish!
Want to create engaging, purposeful social media content that captures your audience’s hearts and minds? Chat with us at [email protected]