No longer just a fun extra feature to stumble upon as you browse the web, videos are a prevalent and essential part of social media. While you might naturally think of YouTube as the only platform for videos, that is no longer the case. A wide variety of social channels are featuring their own tools for video sharing.
Video autoplay is now included on Facebook, which allows users to upload videos directly to the site. While you can still post YouTube content on Facebook, visibility of a YouTube link will be less than if you post your video directly. Both Instagram and Vine have taken on the “micro-video” craze, while Twitter is now rolling out 30-second videos for tweets. Pinterest is also joining in, as they have recently unveiled GIF-like videos called cinematic pins.
Described below are three different video types that may be used on your company’s social sites, blogs, and websites:
- Short-form video – Instagram and Vine have made the short-form video an extremely popular choice among marketers. Instagram videos are a maximum of 15 seconds, while Vine features 6-second video splices. Short-form content also appeals to the internet surfer’s limited attention span and is much more convenient to watch repeatedly. If you haven’t explored this type of video for your business, you may be missing out on an opportunity for more reach and shares.
- Social-quality video – These types of videos may be uploaded on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and business websites. They are higher quality, and are a minute to a minute and a half in length. How-to videos are a perfect example of this video format. Add punch with a musical soundtrack or with a voiceover in the background. On the Global Marketing Solutions website, be sure to check out our portfolio of videos captured for clients by our talented digital production team.
- Instant video – This type of video content can be filmed on the fly with a mobile device. One of the best ways to utilize this digital format is for live coverage at company events. All of your employees and your clients can get in on the action. Instant videos are recommended be no more than 30 seconds in length and may be uploaded to networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Videos that are 15 seconds or less can go on Instagram.
Marketers and businesses have embraced all of these widespread digital formats, so consider using these tools to create videos that will showcase your company and its services.
What types of video formats have worked best for marketing your business?
