Successful social media strategies have increasingly come to lean on video content. But with more companies than ever striving to create professional, high quality campaigns, how do you make your videos stand out from the crowd? Here, we run through a five-point list for sure-fire success.
Identify your audience
This is perhaps the most crucial step to start with, as it gives a clear direction to the tone and style of the video. Content tailored toward a younger audience, for example, should avoid intense action scenes, dark colours, and gore, but older viewers may be attracted to their inclusion. Properly selecting your audience also allows you to identify potential outlets for the video content, so it can be tailored accordingly. For example, Facebook videos are more likely to need subtitles and to be under 60 seconds, whereas YouTube content can be longer and tends to work better as a purely visual format with a voiceover.
Get creative
If your video is not engaging, people won’t engage. It’s a simple premise, but one that can get lost in trying to communicate facts and figures in a short space of time. There is no shortcut to quality creative work, but the viewer is far more likely to be genuinely hooked by something professional and aesthetically considered. This can be something as simple as matching your captions to your company font or making a slick introduction for your videos, all the way through to a full cinematic trailer with big, flashy title cards. Make sure they can’t look away!
Gather some snappy footage
This could be game capture, dynamic illustrations, or motion graphics. This is your chance to really show off your product – try to vary your examples as much as possible to explore the whole picture of what you have to offer. As an example of what this could look like, our video trailer for Corruption 2029 included multiple angles of gameplay footage, slow-motion effects, and a bespoke title sequence that explored the dystopian theme of the game.
Make the first seconds count
You may only have one or two seconds to establish your audience’s interest, especially if your content is being advertised through social media. Make sure to get straight to the point – this is your chance to ensure viewers stick around to the end. Prevent your audience from scrolling past your content by introducing the concept quickly and succinctly, using the tips from above to make sure the video is looking its best from the very start.
Include a call to action
If your audience is now hooked on your video, make sure they know what the next step is. How can they access more of your content, buy your game, or share with their friends? This should be abundantly clear toward the end of the video – there’s nothing wrong with urging viewers to ‘pre-order now’, ‘buy now’, or ‘add to wishlist’ as directly as possible. Make sure links are live and easy to follow, and as a secondary benefit, you’ll have an easier time tracking your success.
Following these tips is sure to enhance your audience interaction and ensure a successful campaign. All that remains is to share your content! Broadcast it out to as many people as possible, utilising the reach at your disposal. Remember that Project N can help with all of the above – just drop us an email to arrange a chat.