Posted by Video content has taken over the usual photo album feeds that businesses and individuals focused on in the years before the pandemic hit the world.
Slowly, social platforms started to build features that encourage more people
to create video content.
For example, Instagram had the IGTV feature launched and the Reels feature was in the works. The biggest breakthrough was when Tiktok stood banned in many countries. This was when Tiktok was replaced by Instagram Reels even though it was a work-in-progress feature with limited things you could do.
What is important about video content is, to be able to put together well-thought-through and engaging videos rather than stitching together moving photos. To understand the purpose, what you’d like to communicate, your content niche, and your target audience.
Let’s look at 8 different practices that are highly recommended to be able to make a difference to your social media gains through video content.
1. Focus on the product or service
Always put your product/ brand in the spotlight. The first few seconds of the video are super important. It captures the audience’s attention and allows your brand to be registered in the mind of the viewer.
2. Dimensions are important
There is no one-size-fits-all and it’s the same with the video dimensions and aspect ratios that differ for each platform you’re publishing to.
The most commonly used aspect ratios are 4:3, 16:9, 1:1, and 21:9.
These are usually tweaked while creating and it heavily depends on what the social platform allows you to publish.
Each platform has its own aspect ratios, resolutions, length, and supported file format.
For example, Instagram allows you to publish videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16 and the preview in your grid/ feed is 4:5.
3. Frame it for sound off
If your video content is mainly dialogue, the only way to communicate it without sound is by adding captions.
You can use a video editor to add text as an overlay on your running video.
However, platforms like Facebook and Instagram now have auto-captioning tools integrated to help make this process seamless.
4. Keep it short and clear
On Instagram, more than thousands of reels are published daily. To make your reel stand out, it’s important to do things differently. One of the best ways to create thumb-stopping content is by keeping your videos short and crisp.
One way to do this is to ensure your first 3- 6 seconds have a hook (something attention-grabbing) to make a viewer spend more time and watch at least more than 30 seconds of the video you’ve shared.
5. Catchy thumbnails
Thumbnails or cover images play an important role in decision-making for a viewer to stop scrolling and tap to watch your content.
You can create custom Reels cover images to give your viewers an idea of what they can expect from your videos and Instagram account in general.
You can use apps like Canva that have the dimensions of an Instagram reel cover image. All you have to do is simply lookup up “Instagram reels”, pick a theme, or create something new from scratch, add colors, and text, and you’re done.
6. One message at a time
Video grabs attention and is very engaging for a viewer. But, this does not mean you try and fit in all your details on one single long video.
Divide your video into important key points. Once done, ensure you create short videos that focus on one message you would like to communicate with your audience.
Based on the message you can create a thumbnail to ensure your content is reaching the relevant audience and then boosts your click and engaging rate.
7. Visual impact
When you consider what type of content to create, video content should definitely be on the top of your list for a platform like Instagram. This is because Instagram has shifted its attention towards creators and video content. They also officially mentioned that they are no longer a square photo-sharing app
That said, everything you put out is going to be big, and rewarding. It helps you grab attention, communicate effectively, and increase social engagement.
8. Keep an eye on sound trends
Instagram audios trend every now and then, keeping an eye on what trends and creating Reels using them allow your video to be qualified to rank higher on the reels feed. This is why audio is super important for your Reels and this is why Instagram also decided to add a search option for audio. This means, you can search for audios just like you could search for accounts, hashtags, and locations earlier.
That’s it, folks! 🙌
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