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Creating the right social video content for the right social network

Determining what type of social video to upload to a platform depends on the platform itself. This necessitates a familiarity, not just with the platform for video content, but also with its community.

Every social media app is optimizing for video. That’s true, but the fact remains that they’re not optimizing in the same way. And you can’t just ignore how social media affects video marketing and your strategies. You need to learn how to adapt to changing audience needs and preferences any given time.

 

Format and Specs

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to social video. Likewise, there’s no one way to showcase video content on social network platforms. You need to know where on the platform it will show up, how it would look, and what formats the platform offers for video and video ad content. As a rough guide:

  • Facebook. The essential thing to know is that native videos on the newsfeed get more traction. The maximum length of a standard video is 120 minutes. Facebook also offers formats such as 360 videos, carousel video ads, collection video ads, and more. These have different dimensions, different levels of reach, and different advertising purposes.
  • YouTube. The most popular video ad formats on YouTube are pre-video and in-video ad breaks, both of which act as commercials when a consumer clicks on a video. YouTube videos generally play on the standard player and have a maximum length of 12 hours.
  • Instagram. Instagram videos split into in-feed videos and Instagram Stories videos. In-feed videos and ads have a maximum video length of 60 seconds, while Stories has 15. Captions that come with in-feed videos have a maximum of 2,200 characters.
  • Snapchat. The standard video length is between 3-10 seconds. But Snapchat offers long-form video ad format as well. These have a minimum of 15 seconds and show in the middle of playing user Stories.
    It’s a necessity to go through these sites in depth. Familiarize yourself with the formats to learn how to optimize your video content.

 

Choosing the Right Content

Knowing the technical aspects, you’ll be immediately aware of your social video limitations. But then, knowing these, what can you do?

  • Optimize the search engine that is YouTube. The recent trends on YouTube are for destructive content and educational channels. If nothing else, that combo speaks of the curiosity that exists within the users of the platform. Further testament is that one of the most popular keyword phrases on the site is ‘how to’. As such, YouTube is a great platform for posting your own ‘how to’ videos and for conducting Q&A’s.
  • Share what matters on Facebook. An easy way to get viral on Facebook is to post shareable content that matters. It’s the perfect place to upload emotional, inspirational, or heart-warming video stories and case studies related to your brand.
  • Engage in real conversations on Twitter. There’s a sense of real, personal connection throughout Twitter. The best way to capitalize on this is to take the time and effort to respond and talk to your followers. Using a response video to do this makes it raw, without the barrier of Twitter’s character limit.
  • Quick fun on Instagram. The video length limit on Instagram and the quick engagement makes it the perfect place for trial and error of video content ideas. Be personal on Snapchat. Given the nature of Snapchat Stories, there’s really no way to edit them. That’s okay, though. Nowhere else is the bare and natural effect more appreciated than in Snapchat. Here, people are much more receptive to reality, which makes it a perfect place for posting behind-the-scenes or showcasing how lively a company’s culture is.

Remember, the right social video content on the right network platform can do wonders for views, engagement, sales, and for building brand trust. All you need to do is know the communities you’re trying to engage.