By now, you’re probably in full personal-improvement mode with whatever resolutions you’ve made to do better and be better. Perhaps you’ve set some goals and picked a word to define your year. It’s all great momentum going into a new and fresh year. There is one word that will drive online marketing in 2019 and where you might want to think about putting some energy and effort: Video. On all platforms. Facebook, for example, is prioritizing Live and Watch. Watch launched globally last year and according to Facebook newsroom, already has 400 million monthly viewers and 75 million daily viewers. Instagram Stories has 500 million daily users and it’s growing faster than the feed.
What does this mean for you, the small business owner? Whichever social media platform is working for you right now is where you’ll be publishing more video. The good news is you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment to create fun and engaging videos. At the very least, you need lots of natural light, a high quality camera on your mobile device, and a smile.
But don’t post just to post. You want to add value to your customer’s life so she’ll come back for more. Think about what problems you can solve for your customer or what delights her. If you’re a clothing store, maybe you’ll give her styling tips, or show her how to wear something 3 ways, or what the hot items of the season are, or what 5 pieces every woman should own and how to wear them.
With so much content out there people have very short attention spans. The Instagram Feed gives you one minute, but research shows that 26-second videos get the most views and comments. Instagram Stories are unlimited 15-second clips. What story could you tell in a few clips? On Facebook, you can post 30-minute videos but it’s not advisable. The ideal length for a Facebook video to get the most likes, comments, are shares is 1 (one) minute. Now research is a smart place to start, however, the #1 thing to keep in mind is your content must be valuable and engaging. If it’s not, people won’t watch it no matter what the length. Check your insights to see the engagement on your videos. Adjust where you need to and keep going.
Set a goal for yourself to post a video – whether pre-recorded or live – once per week. Whichever way you go, take these 3 steps to ensure a great experience for your viewer:
- give yourself time to rehearse so you’re at least comfortable with what you’re going to say
- pick a spot with lots of natural light and stand facing the light
- Test the sound quality! It’s the #1 irritant to viewers. Be sure you speak up and speak clearly.
And don’t forget to smile!