When you’re creating social media content for your business, do you think about video? But then overthink it, put it off, procrastinate and post an image instead? Perhaps you think no one wants to watch you. Or that what you have to say is boring. At Tubefest, I listened to a talk by Sam Bearfoot, all about gaining followers using short form video content. Here are some of the tips I picked up.
What is short form video?
If you want to create short form video, then it’s usually 5 to 90 seconds long. It’s popular on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube shorts
Why is short form video popular?
Any video is great as part of your marketing strategy. But short form video is particularly popular as it’s easy for people to consume on the go and ideal for entertaining short attention spans.
How to create short form video content?
Putting yourself on camera is anxiety inducing to begin with, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. But what should you post about?
In her speech, Sam talked about a ‘content cake’. She recommends that you break the subject you want to talk about down into slices, like you would do a cake. In this way, you’ll be able to create short content which won’t overwhelm your audience.
So, in this instance I would focus on the thing I want to talk about. Then break this down into lots of little sections so that I make it easy for the viewer to follow.
Another tip I have for this is to think about the end goal. What does the viewer need from watching this? How can I help them? If you think of that first, then the ideas for content should start to flow.
Where to post short form video?
Sam recommends that we post on all platforms where you want to reach your audience. But we’re told that platforms don’t like it when we post content from one social media channel to the other. When you download or share a video from TikTok or Instagram for example, it adds their logo watermark.
Instead of creating the content within the social media apps themselves, create it on your phone first. Then upload it separately to each platform.
How can you repurpose short form video content?
Creating a video and uploading it to social media doesn’t just end there. You can repurpose your content.
You could use it to create:
- a blog on your website
- a snippet for promoting your products or service
- an email newsletter
- landing page copy
How do you know if short form video is working?
As always with any marketing content, make sure you are monitoring and reviewing your metrics. When you look at your social media insights and YouTube analytics ask these questions:
- Are you gaining followers?
- Are people watching?
- Are they scrolling past your content?
- Are they looking at more of your content?
If they are engaging and wanting to see more of what you produce, then that’s great. If not, maybe it’s time to revisit the content you’re creating and making it more tailored to your target audience.
I need another pair of eyes for brainstorming sessions
If you’re struggling with content and want help – perhaps another set of eyes or a creative angle on what you’re trying to say, then book a mentoring session with me.
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Thank you to Sam Bearfoot
Sam’s social media content is entertaining, engaging and resonates with lots of us. You can follow her on Instagram here. Or check out her services on her website here.
Tips from Tubefest
I’m creating a series of blogs from Tubefest, you can read the others here:
