Originally published in The Daily Memphian.
It should come as no surprise that video content will continue to dominate social media in 2019. It’s certainly key to making your brand’s presence felt in a meaningful way across social platforms.
Using compelling video often drives notable audience engagement and elevates your brand. Let’s face it, video works on many different levels. Videos are memorable; good ones tell a story; and strong video content appeals to the emotions. A well-executed video can hit the audience right in the “feels,” or go viral. And what’s more, video can also be a catalyst for the highly coveted sales conversion.
According to Cisco Forecast and Trends, video marketing will draw more than 85 percent of US internet traffic by 2019. Video content is what people want. Did you know including video in your landing-page content can raise your conversion rate by 80 percent? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Instagram reports that one in every five organic stories posted by a business account gets a direct message. Similarly, they’ve recently announced that over one-third of the most-viewed Instagram Stories come from business accounts and 80 percent of Instagrammers are following a business on the platform. It’s no secret that Facebook has predicted their content will generally be “all video” by 2021. Oh, and Facebook’s search algorithm loves video, which drives additional viewership.
What’s the best way to leverage video on social media in 2019? Here are a few best practices.
If you’re Facebook savvy but lack budget, Facebook Live is a great way to engage your audience. It may seem scary at first, but the benefits will soothe your nerves. Benefits include the opportunity to see reactions, comments and viewer numbers in real time as well as asking and answering questions in the moment. You can’t get much closer to your audience than with live video.
If the spontaneity of live is too much, you can always go with preproduced content, such as product videos, demos or explainer videos, all of which can drive traffic to your website and be natively uploaded to your Facebook page.
If you’re interested in the potential of 500 plus million active Instagram accounts every day having the opportunity to view your story, here’s an idea. Instagram has the ever-popular Stories feature. Although Stories come with a 24-hour lifespan, a lot can happen in those hours. Use limited-time offers for specials, price-break coupons and outrageous deals to attract your tribe. Once you’ve made people aware of your brand, take a baby-step toward humanizing it with stories about your people.
Finally, use your social metrics to see how your audience reacts to your content. Adjust your content strategy to align with what is resonating most with your market. Video content – consistently executed – can contribute to increased traffic, sales and elevated brand awareness.
2019 promises to be a banner year for video. To make it work for you, first decide your goals. Start small and think big!
Tricia Warren, Marketing Strategist at RedRover Sales & Marketing Strategy, can be reached at www.redrovercompany.com.
