In the near future, nearly all of the content consumed on the internet will be video. Much of this will be branded content. In fact, brands are already including video in their social media marketing.

However, this is more complex than creating and curating videos to your various social media feeds. It requires great care and planning to get a video to work for you across your social media channels. There’s a lot to consider ranging from customer segments to the social platform to sales funnel position.

Even with these complexities, there is simply no way to create a workable SMM strategy that doesn’t include video as a major component. To get started, check out these ten tips.

Craft Compelling Titles

The words you choose for your titles are very important. In fact, according to Facebook statistics, the phrase that earned the most engagement was, ‘will make you’. At first glance, this hardly seems compelling. However, if you think about it, this connector phrase can really be used to write some emotionally compelling headlines. For example:

• These Dancing Goats Will Make You Laugh Out Loud
• Watching This Dad Meet His Baby Will Make You Cry
• 10 Hacks That Will Make You a Kitchen Ninja

Obviously, this is just one option. When it comes to writing eye-catching headlines, remember that certain things are always appealing to viewers. Headlines that accomplish the following are always sure to earn engagement:

• Affirming membership in a group – ‘Only parents of toddlers will relate to this bedtime video’
• Offering explanations – ‘Here’s how Mars colonization will really work’
• Predicting emotion – ‘Watching this salesperson will make you enraged’
• Appealing to voyeuristic curiosity – ‘See teachers react to meeting their worst students ten years later’

As always, Coschedule Headline Analyzer is a great resource. It analyzes your headlines for readability and other factors.

Use Live Video to Build Your Audience And Create Engagement

By 2016 more than half of social media users aged 18 to 34 had watched live streaming videos. Given the soaring popularity of live streaming, this number has only increased. Viewership from other demographic groups is also quite impressive.

Of course, shooting live is only part of the equation. You’ve got to keep people interested once they start watching.  Here are a few tips:

• Show genuine emotion and enthusiasm.
• If you have a personal connection with an event or place let viewers know.
• Welcome viewers and respond to questions and comments in real time.
• Remember that live doesn’t mean a lack of planning.

Finally, your live video shouldn’t disappear into the ether after you are finished with it. Edit it to be uploaded to your YouTube or Vimeo channel, or share it on your blog.

Replace Annoying Annotations With Cards on YouTube

For many brands, YouTube remains their flagship platform for sharing videos. Until recently, the only reason to add any promotional messages or extra information for viewers was to use annoying annotations. These are the thought bubbles, boxes, messages, and other graphics that are used to overlay videos with additional content. They’re irritatingly intrusive, to say the least. So much so that YouTube is finally retiring the annotations editor.

Fortunately, YouTube cards are a new option. Cards allow you to poll viewers, plug contributing channels, crowdfund or solicit donations, and more. Check out more detail here. Cards are mobile friendly and give viewers much more control over their experience.

Optimize Videos For Search

In video text such as captions won’t impact search results. However, there are plenty of other ways to make your videos easier to find. To begin with, you can use keywords in your headlines and video descriptions. These will make your video content easier to find through standard search engines as well as through the search features provided by the video platforms themselves.

YouTube also allows you to tag videos. This helps YouTube to index and categorize them correctly. Then, when people are searching for your subject matter, your video will be made available to them in a search.

Use Video in Your Responses

When you share a video on a platform like Twitter, the fastest and easiest way to respond to engagement is to simply Tweet back. That may not always be the most effective or most engaging.

If you’ve shared something that’s:

• Gone viral
• Evoked a large number of responses
• Stirred up emotions
• Been challenged in some way

You might consider following up with a response video. By doing so, you accomplish a few things. First, the additional video is likely to help further engagement. In addition to this, by taking the time to record a video, rather than firing off another Tweet, you show that you take the engagement you’ve been receiving seriously. This is helpful whether the feedback is positive or not.

Response videos should be thoughtful and filmed with a plan in mind. Before starting, consider your goals. Do you need to clear up a misunderstanding? Is the point of your response to add more detail or answer viewer questions?

Another thing to consider is who to address in your video. If one specific user had a very compelling response or critique, don’t be afraid to @ them specifically. If it’s something to be directed at all followers, take that approach.

Use Captioning For Convenience And Accessibility

There are so many great reasons to use captions in your videos. First, not everyone is in the position to watch videos with sound on. In fact, up to 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. By adding captions, you make it easier for people to consume your video content in situations where they may not be able to use sound. This is especially useful if you intend to post autoplay videos on Facebook.

Unfortunately, a shameful number of marketers choose to ignore an entire demographic when creating video content. Simply adding captions makes your videos significantly more engaging for the hearing impaired, those with auditory processing issues, and those who may read your language better than they hear it.

If you are going to use captioning, and you should, be wary of using auto-captioning features. If you’ve turned CC on while watching a video and seen nonsensical text, that was likely the result of auto-captioning. Instead, invest the time and resources in using a professional to caption your videos.

Make Videos That Don’t Require Sound

Building off of the idea from above, another option is to simply film video that doesn’t require sound or captions. It’s certainly possible. The trick is allowing the visuals to do all of the ‘talking’. For great examples of this, check out the videos shared by cooking channels such as Food Network or Buzzfeed Tasty. Their videos, often shot from above and using cool editing tricks, manage to provide instruction and evoke interest, all without speaking a word.

Understand How to Use The Data You Get From Each Platform

Almost every platform that allows you to share video has some tool that you can use to track social engagement and other metrics. This is important information, and more often than not, it is provided to you free of charge. With this information, you can learn which of your videos are being watched and enjoyed most, and which simply aren’t as impressive as you would like them to be.

Take the time to learn to use these tools, and how to interpret the data you receive from them. When you do this, you can incorporate the insights you gain into your SMM strategy. This ensures that future decisions you make regarding video are based on data, not instinct.

Fine Tune With Video Editing Tools

Before you publish your videos, take some time to clean them up for public consumption. You can start by using the video editing tools that come with the platforms on which you are publishing. For example, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram all have built-in video editors. Some of these can be used after you’ve finished shooting your video, others are meant to work during the process.

In addition to these, there are also third-party editors. You can use these to add effects, edit and remove frames, and improve your audio. Remember that social media is saturated with video content. Sharing polished, easy to watch content is key.

Share User Videos

User-generated content creates a lot of engagement. People enjoy sharing their thoughts, stories, and experiences with others. Visual content such as pictures and videos are two of the most popular ways of doing so. If people are creating videos about your products or brand, share those videos.

Even better, take action to encourage your followers to shoot video and share it with you. User-produced how-to videos, explainers, testimonials, and personal stories do more than create engagement. The add to your overall trustworthiness and credibility.

Conclusion

It is virtually impossible to carry out a successful SMM strategy without video. However, there is so much competition to earn views and engagement that you have to approach things with a plan in mind. By following the ten tips above, you can ensure that your videos have the impact you need them to.

About the Author: Margaret Reid is a self-driven specialist who is currently working in the company The Word Point and trying to improve herself in the blogging career. She is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden horizons.  That`s why Margaret develops and improves her skills throughout the writing process to help and inspire people.