Tag: #SocialMedia

Brand Video Content: Why Your Brand Should be Using Video Content on Social Media

INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN— BRAND VIDEO CONTENT RULES. 

Social Media platforms of all sizes are catering more and more to video creators. Just a few months ago Instagram, historically a photo sharing application, announced their move towards prioritizing video content. TikTok, an app completely dedicated to video content, has over a billion users and generated an estimated $1.9 billion in revenue in 2020 alone. When it come to a brand’s video content, here is why you should be using video content on social media. 

Here is three quick reasons why video is the current queen of content: 

1. Videos = Engagement. Let’s face it: there’s a hierarchy of how entertaining content can be. Video content on Instagram, Twitter, and almost all other platforms consistently receives the highest amount of engagement in the form of comments, shares, and likes. If you’re in marketing, you’ll know that often, engagement is an excellent indicator of conversation rates.  
2. It can be repurposed easily. This one’s for the finance team, because though the cost of video might scare them off initially, it’s some of the easiest content to ‘repackage’. Once you have your video, you can share it to multiple platforms simultaneously (for example, think of all the creators cross-posting content to Instagram Reels and TikTok, or from Instagram Stories to Pinterest Pins). You can also create snippets of the video for reuse across marketing channels. The greater the reach, the greater the return on investment. 
3. It appeals with many demographics. Of course Gen Z, one of the most digitally savvy audiences, are some of the primary consumers of video content because they have grown up with it. But you might be surprised to learn that millennials and Gen X’ers are also happily shopping and engaging via TikTok and Pinterest too. Similarly, millions of users seek out YouTube reviews or demos of a product they are interested in purchasing. Read more here regarding video tips & tricks.  

No matter the size of your company, the time to pivot to video content is now. 

But content marketers and business professionals will know that high-quality video content is not always cheap to create, nor is quality assured, especially if you’re new to the format.  You can capture video yourself but it is often low-quality.  You can hire professionals, but that is often expensive. 

Fortunately, there are solutions available: automated video content creation is now a reality.  Whether your goals are to grow your audience, promote specific products, or connect to new clients, Prontopia is the simple way to create, share, and schedule HD videos in less than a minute. 

When it comes to video creation and editing, whether you’re aiming for commercials or viral social media posts, the process of automation is all about making things easy for your business and your team. That’s why Prontopia also offers easy ways for you to create, schedule, and publish content, so you save time and money while also leveraging one of the more engaging content mediums on the market. 

Want to learn more?  Here are key video predictions in Video Marketing in 2022.

Get Started with Social Media Video Content: Do’s & Don’ts!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO USE VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Whether your goal is to garner likes, increase brand awareness, improve your engagement, or boost sales, video is an excellent tool. But how do you get started with social media video content?

Video is the perfect medium for social media. It allows you to provide both information and entertainment quickly and in a highly attractive way. High-quality videos with movement, transitions, text, and audio are top-performing social media content across the most popular platforms, from Facebook to Twitter. Other social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest also prioritize video content.

Long story short: if you’re not using video as part of your digital marketing strategy, now is the time to start.  Lights, Camera, Action!

Social Media Video Content: Do’s and Don’ts!

Because video is a carrier for so many content pillars, visual styles, and advertising opportunities, it’s crucial that you have a targeted approach. Don’t feel that you have to abandon your existing strategy, especially if you’re just getting started. Here are three quick Do’s and Don’ts to help you develop your method.

1. 
   

   Don’t Do All the Work Yourself.

Gone are the days of expensive studio rentals and pricey HD cameras. So don’t think that the only way to make professional videos is by renting a studio and hiring an expert. Instead, find a tool that can help you find clips based on the information you already have. Using keywords, style tags, and machine learning, Prontopia will identify relevant high-quality clips for you, and stitch them together.

2. 
   

   Do Aim for Consistency.

It’s tempting for marketers to want to see their videos get millions of views, and experience overnight, viral success. But the reality about video is that it’s most successful when you use it to build an engaged client base. Or use it to reach customers who are in your area and/or industry. You don’t need to aim for viral every time! Instead, re-focus on posting video consistently. Scheduling content in advance can help you do this—whether that means creating content in batches or using Prontopia to produce and schedule your videos for you. 

3. 
   

   Don’t Forget About Audio and Text.

While we often think of video as a dual visual and audio format, but these days, it’s a bit more complicated. Using trending audio on a social media platform can help get views. However, especially if you’re looking to post cross-platform, imagine watching your video from the user perspective: so often, we watch video without sound! Whether you’re in the doctor’s office or on your couch, there are many times we consume video without hearing the audio track at all. Instead of despairing, embrace this trend, and know that you can use both captioning and engaging text along with your audio. This will not only boost the accessibility of your video but allow it to be viewed successfully whether or not it can be heard.

Social Media Video Content: Make it Easier!

Finding a one-stop shop for video content sounds like a dream. But it is true: with Prontopia, you’re covered! With an automated system that learns from you, you can use simple keywords to find video content of all kinds. You can identify styles, fonts, and patterns that fit with your brand identity, and set videos to automatically post—as frequently as you like!  

Wherever you are with video content creation, Prontopia can be the next step forward. We make the process quick, effective, and high quality—just what you need to take your social media presence to the next level.

Learn more at prontopia.com or sign up for a free account to try it today!

Video Tips and Tricks for All Social Media Platforms

HOW TO OPTIMIZE VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA  

Whether you’re just starting out on social media, or you’re a veteran company with thousands of followers, optimizing content for each platform is an ever-evolving challenge. While applications continue to roll out new time limits, changes to their algorithms, and new features, staying engaged with optimization methods can help your video content reach the spotlight.  So what video tips and tricks can helps across social media platforms? 

As video continues to explode in popularity, social media platforms are in tough competition with each other. While photos, carousel posts, and text are still important parts of communicating with your audience, video is a chance to tell a story efficiently. So, grab your camera, and let’s dive into optimization!  

Video Tips and Tricks for Social Media

Here are four things to keep in mind when designing and creating your content. 

1) Have A Plan 

Video content doesn’t require you to throw out any of your existing branding or marketing strategy. You still need to think about your brand colors, your key message(s), and your audience. 

Whether it’s reach, sales, conversions, or just communication with customers, establishing a plan sooner rather than later is the way to go. Draw from your previous strategies, look at your highest-performing posts, and pull some data from the platforms you’re already on. What do people engage with the most? What seems to get the highest click through rate?  

In most cases, it’s important to include some kind of call to action (CTA), whether a hard or a soft sell. Sometimes ‘Order Now!’ will be appropriate, while other times, ‘Learn More’ might fit. But the idea of leading people to the next step along the journey is important even with public awareness campaigns. On any social media platform, the best content will tell a brand story, highlight an important moment, or show off industry knowledge—all of these are great places to start building a video marketing plan.  Garlic Media Group has a great blog related to this topic. 

2) Choose the Right Aspect Ratio 

For most platforms, a 16:9 (with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels) will serve you just fine. This is the standard aspect ratio that you would watch on YouTube or your home TV. This ratio is a great place to start.  

However, for the past few years, vertical video is on the rise, thanks to Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. In addition, story functionality (vertical content only available for 24 hours) has been added to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For vertical video, whether for a feed post—think Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, etc—as well as stories, it’s best to use a 9:16 aspect ratio. 

It’s also, of course, important to consider the destination of your content. If the majority of it is being consumed via mobile, a square (1:1) aspect ratio may be preferable, and more broadly applicable. A 1:1 aspect ratio can be ideal for social media platforms that play automatically in their feed, and perhaps more importantly, it’s unlikely that a video with a square ratio will be cropped automatically. 

Here are the quick & dirty reference points for best aspect ratios for each platform: 

• Instagram Feed Posts and Ads: 1:1 (Square)
• Instagram TV (IGTV), Reels, and Stories: 9:16 (Vertical), 4:5 Vertical, or 2:3 Vertical in a pinch 
• TikTok: 9:16 (Vertical)  
• Facebook In-Feed Ads: 16:9 (Landscape) or 1:1 (Square)
• Facebook Stories: 9:16 (Vertical) 
• Twitter: 1:1 (Square) 
• LinkedIn: 16:9, or 1:1 
• Snapchat: 9:16 (Vertical) 

3) Sound, Music, and Subtitles! 

There are always going to be times where consumers have the sound off, either on their TVs or smartphones. Other times, they might be scrolling or avidly watching, with full sound capabilities. Because as a creator you can’t count on either one, it’s important to think about both! 

Optimizing your videos to work well with and without sound isn’t as tricky as it sounds. You can use tools like background music (royalty free or a trending piece of audio), subtitles or closed captioning, simple text and branding, a personalized voiceover—or a combination of these. Using royalty-free music and a customized voiceover in combination can provide a professional vibe, while trending audio and quirky captioning can angle more towards comedic and viral content. Closed captions or subtitles can help not only with the situations where consumers have their volume off, but also extend the reach of your content to those who are hard of hearing. 

The biggest takeaway is: create your content to be viewed with sound available, but don’t count on it. Before posting, make sure to watch it back and ask yourself: Would this make sense without audio? If not—consider using another of the visual options mentioned above. 

4) Keep Time In Mind 

Time is a toughie—but we’ve got you covered. Content creators often struggle with a) keeping track of the limits for each platform as well as b) knowing what length of video performs the best overall. 

As social media apps—particularly the video capabilities of each one—evolve, the time limits might change frequently. Fortunately, there are a couple lengths that work well as standard units: six seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 60 seconds. 

Here are the current limits for several main social media platforms as a reference: 

• Instagram Feed Posts, Reels, and Stories: Maximum 60 seconds 
• Instagram TV (IGTV): Maximum 60 minutes 
• TikTok: Maximum 60 seconds 
• Facebook In-stream Ads: Maximum 15 seconds
• Facebook Stories: Maximum 60 seconds
• Twitter: Maximum 140 seconds  
• Snapchat: Maximum 60 seconds 

As you can see, the majority of platforms currently have an ultimate limit of one minute. However, you should also consider what people will actually watch.  In general, shorter is better! Having a hook, catchy audio, and a professional branded look are what will keep people watching, especially if the video is on the shorter side. 

Video length is something that is good to experiment with, because it relates so intimately to the type of content you’re producing. Announcing a sale would fit will in a short video but sharing industry knowledge would suit a longer clip. Play around with the pairings of content and time and analyze the results as you go. 

One Key Takeaway from our Video Tips & Tricks: Optimization Is A Journey 

You can ‘go deep’ into video creation, whether you’re filming your own footage or automating the whole process, and the good news is that there are many ways to succeed. Finding your brand video voice, working within the limitations of each platform, and establishing a consistent posting schedule will take you far. Iteration and optimization will help you produce the best result!

To learn more about automating the video creation and scheduling process, check out the free trial of Prontopia.  

VIDEO MARKETING IS EFFECTIVE BUT CAN BE COSTLY

Putting aside all the advice, all the lists of tips and tricks, and all the re-branding announcements, there is one very simple truth about online content: video rules.  But how do you jump on the video bandwagon and make effective videos without breaking the bank?

The last two years threw many plans into disarray, but one repercussion has been an even more intense demand for digital content. From information and news to funny dance videos, video content is even more firmly established as a popular form of digital media. 

Even if you’re not familiar with video as a creator, you’re likely familiar with it from the consumer point of view. Whether it’s a friendly-looking video of your family dentist or a clean-cut advertisement for a local real estate company, we remember and trust brands that we see producing high quality video. 

WHY VIDEO MARKETING

According to Statista, as of 2020 over 83% of all internet users in the US accessed digital video content. Even as early as 2015 and 2016, video marketing was taking off, and for good reason. Insivia reports that based on many metrics, video is impactful almost anywhere you use it: as a YouTube Ad, embedded in an email, on social media, or even in a training scenario. 

Video is highly engaging. It gets shared more frequently with others, and the information is also often retained more easily than if it was consumed via text originally. Long story short: if you automate the creation process, video has the potential to provide an amazing ROI. 

Some reports say that including video on a landing page can increase conversion by up to 80%. In the same vein, according to WordStream, marketers who use video grew revenue 49% faster than non-video users. 

These statistics are worth taking on board because they are about video in general, not about specific industries. Video can be impactful for small businesses owners as well as large enterprises. It’s still all about maintaining brand identity and marketing effectively. Every company, cross-industry and no matter the size, should be using video in their digital marketing strategy. 

If you weren’t convinced already, video is also becoming even more prioritized on all social media platforms, from Twitter to LinkedIn. Even Instagram announced that its algorithms would be more actively promoting reels (short videos) instead of still images. 

So, how can you jump on the video bandwagon?

TIPS FOR VIDEO MARKETING

Whether you’re looking to use video as a source of ad revenue, a chance to build customer trust, or just provide an update about your current stock levels, there’s an easy and cost-effective way to give video a shot.  

1. Don’t abandon your marketing plan. Think about who you want to talk to – your customers—and how you can connect to them. Your brand identity, your style, your brand colors and ‘vibe’, are still crucial parts of how you approach video, whether you’re using it to promote a one-time sale, or just remind clients of your hours.  
2. Use Prontopia to automate video creation! Add a few of the keywords associated with your brand, choose the duration, as well the style/theme you like, and plug in your text. A high-quality, fully tailorable video will be yours in just minutes. 
3. Schedule the video. With Prontopia, this step is seamless. You can connect your social media accounts, and schedule your video to post on each one, or just one, platform. You can also then set Prontopia to produce and publish additional videos as frequently as you want! 
4. Sit back, relax, and check out the analytics. As your videos go out, Prontopia will help you check out the data. You can see things like the engagement rate for each platform, which is invaluable data. Monitor, tweak, check back, and watch your results unfold! 

Digital marketing is a fast-moving and competitive field, but you can be ahead of the curve by automating your video content creation process. With your plan and Prontopia’s prowess, you’re off to a strong start already. 

Want to try it for free? Check it out here! 

These days, everyone is making videos. From YouTube Ads to Instagram Stories, short-form video content is all around us—and business is booming. Video is a highly engaging, highly effective form of entertainment and marketing, and enterprises of all sizes are cashing in. This is why we have outlined eight need-to-know strategies for effective video marketing.

Content creators, marketers, and communications folks will all know: it’s a lot to take in. But developing a digital marketing strategy that include video content is crucial.

Here are eight strategies for effective video marketing to help get you started with incorporating video into your social media content plans:

1. Tell Stories

Whether professional or personal, harness that creativity and tell the story of your brand. Think of the memorable commercials you’ve seen: the best ones often incorporate tear-jerking moments as well as humorous stories to sell products.

2. Include a Variety of Content

Within your brand identity and products, there is a lot of room for both creativity and professionalism. Creating a variety of videos for your page will allow you to showcase the best parts of your business. You might want to try out content like product features, sales or discount, and shopping highlights, but you can also create tutorials, behind the scenes reveals, or showcase a client or an employee. This variety of content will keep people on your page, and all them to find the information they are looking for.

3. Incorporate User Generated Content

If you have a business that clients are interested in leaving a review for, lean into this!
Encourage your clients to make videos of their own, and to tag your company in their own social media content. Re-posting and re-sharing personal content can boost the positive light in which your business is viewed. Campaigns like giveaways can help with getting customers to generate their own content, but you can also ask your clients to leave reviews.

4. Don’t Forget a Call To Action (CTA)

A classic marketing technique, but don’t forget about it when using video. Whether a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ sell, remind viewers of what to do next. Make them feel like they want to buy immediately, learn more, save your post, get in touch – and don’t be afraid to clearly communicate it! Most marketers put their CTA at the end of the video, so make sure you give a clear indication when it counts. If you’re at a loss, a simple ‘visit our website’ might be all that you need.

5. Optimize Your Content

Optimization can mean a lot of things, but there are two main goals: optimizing your content for SEO, and optimizing the content for best performance on each platform. Optimizing for SEO has more to do with the text you choose in your title, video description, and caption—using keywords, hashtags, and tagged accounts can help get views and engagement. For platform optimization, this means making sure your video won’t get cropped, the text will show up, and that your brand identity is salient. Check out this article on optimization for social media platforms for some nitty-gritty details.

6. Analyze Your Results

If you aren’t gathering data already, now is the time to start! Digital Marketing is driven by data, and no matter how wonderfully creative you or your team is, you’ll want to pull numbers while your campaign is ongoing, and after it’s over. Being able to tweak keywords or hashtags and respond flexibly to a campaign is a smart idea, as is paying close attention to the end result of what works and what doesn’t. Reporting can be an amazing source of fuel when designing future campaigns, too.

7. Use Audio Effectively

You’ve likely encountered videos with catchy chart-topping songs, as well as ones with neutral instrumental music—showing us that all kinds of audio can be successful. Here’s the catch when it comes to audio: it’s not a guarantee. Some users will be listening actively, while others will have volume off almost all the time. So, learn to tell your story with and without audio. If users can follow the gist of a silent video, it can increase how effective your content is overall. Consider using compelling and high-definition visuals, text-heavy descriptions, and subtitles in your silent content.

8. Create Consistency

You’ve probably heard that consistency on social media is really important. But what does consistency really mean when it comes to posting? It refers to maintaining a recognizable voice, reliable and familiar branding, and stable brand identity, but it also, more practically, refers to the number of days per week that you post, and perhaps the time of day. Being able to provide consistent content at high-engagement times of day will make sure your pages stay at the top of user’s feeds.

Every organization will have limitations when it comes to budget and time, so know that you can start anywhere! With Pronto, you can set videos to be created and posted automatically – which is the best-case scenario for those short on time but looking for professional, high-quality video content.

Thank you for reading about our recommended strategies for effective video marketing. To learn more about the trends we are seeing today, read more about our Predictions for Video Marketing in 2022 article.

Or sign up for an account at prontopia.com today!

Lurking in every conversation between digital marketers and content managers are the questions about how to create high quality video content… quickly. How To Master Social Media Platforms With Video Automation.

Gone are the days where high quality video could immediately set a company apart. Now, video is ubiquitous across social media, advertisements, and even in customer relations. It’s a necessary part of any strong digital marketing plan. So, the questions arise: how can your company create professional, brand-consistent videos, without breaking the bank?

Content marketers who entered their field before video marketing was so popular and accessible are also often left with the question of how to engage with video content without spending hours and hours of their time learning how to film and edit. Especially when most social media platforms have slightly different requirements!

Fortunately for everyone in the marketing world, no matter the size of your enterprise or the particular expertise of your marketing team (whether that’s just you, or a team of twenty!), there is a solution just around the corner.

Some content management platforms (that link their platform with social media accounts) can be a helpful first step on the journey. But, the real time- and money-consuming parts of content creation happen before the posts get scheduled. The writing, filming, and editing processes are where social media content creators could really use some help.

Automation is a way to cut the time commitment of video creation down to mere minutes. With Prontopia, you can choose from many high-definition, brand-consistent clips, based on both industry-specific keywords and broad terms for styles and themes. In just a few clicks, you can add text and voice-overs, dates and details—and if you’re seeing clips you don’t like, everything can be tailored and edited at any time. All of this happens in just a few minutes!

Besides the massive savings in budget and time when making one video, the special thing about Prontopia is that you can schedule future videos to be created and posted automatically. Prontopia’s AI-based technology allows the system to learn from you, so that it’s even easier to stay consistent.

When it comes to social media, gathering data about your highest-performing posts will help you respond quickly to tweaks you want to make, or deals you want to extend. Prontopia takes all these components of video creation and puts them into one easy-to-use platform.

Never before has the phrase ‘set it and forget it’ been applied to video creation—but it’s finally here. Prontopia makes it simple to:

1. Schedule an automated video once and reap long term, continuing benefits;

2. Get bigger, better results with less effort, and in less time;

3. Establish consistent , high-quality communication with your clients and followers.

These three benefits to automated video creation for social media can transform how much time and budget you have for content creation. As Instagram prioritizes Reels , TikTok continues to boom, and YouTube Ads increase in frequency, it’s becoming standard cross-industry to keep up with the video content.

With Prontopia, you can explore all your options: schedule a video for the day you know you get the least customers, to give your online visibility a boost. Or, run a couple videos each week on all your platforms, and see which gets the highest engagement, or CTR. You can even try different fonts, styles, and voices to see which combinations perform well, and track all these changes with Prontopia’s analytics. It’s truly a shortcut to optimization.

Thank you for reading our input on how to master social media platforms with video automation.

To learn more, check out our blog on key strategies for effective video marketing.

Want to try it out? Head over to prontpopia.com.