Creating engaging visuals for social media posts has been a go-to tactic for generating more interest in your brand, but have you considered going live? Videos for social media are increasingly focused on live content and the benefits can be key for your company.
If you’ve been creating 15-second videos and want to extend that experience for a much longer period, live videos for social media can help you reach that goal. The thing is, you want your audience to stay connected to your content, so a 15-second video may not help you reach that goal, but a live video segment can.
Keeping Them Engaged
Just because you’re live doesn’t mean your audience is going to stick around. You have to create engaging content. To do that, build your content around a captivating story. If you’ve been keeping up with the interests of your target audience, you will know what direction your story is going to take.
Keeping the audience engaged is easy if you’re solving a problem for them. What interests do you and your audience share? Mention one or more of those interests in your live video and you’ll establish that connection.
Talk from experience. Reveal something to them that happened to you and how your product/service helped you get through it.
Getting Replays
Videos for social media, even if they originate as a live event, should be made available for viewing even after the fact. If you’ve developed a compelling story line, you’ll influence your viewers to share your video with others.
Prompt your audience toward the end of your video to share it, and make it easy for them to do so by including a link on the screen. Also, ask your viewers to comment. This makes them feel more connected to the situation and it promotes conversations that can be revealing and helpful in how you approach new offerings.
When you prompt your audience to share, you’re essentially “activating” them, so you need to make sure you’re doing that with the right amount of tact. For example, don’t attempt too many activations and don’t do it too soon in the video because it can disrupt the flow and you may lose viewers.
While viewers sharing your content to others can promote new business, the goal is really to deepen the connection you have with your current audience so they remain loyal to you and continue to do business well into the future. The deeper your connection becomes, the more you’ll learn about their needs and how to cater to them.
At SJC, we have seen firsthand the power of videos in social media. We have assisted clients in many industries create videos that speak directly to their audience. If you need to boost your engagement, contact us and let’s talk about how videos can make a big difference.