Videos to Drive Social Media Engagement

Lights, Camera, Action: How to Use Video to Drive Your Social Media Engagement

Video content has never been as popular as it is today. Now is the time to start if you’re not already using videos to engage your social media audience. It takes nothing more than short, simple videos to drive social media engagement by offering tips and information. My own YouTube Channel has enabled me to connect with people all over the world who are interested in what I am doing online, and I may not otherwise have connected with them if it weren’t for me using videos to drive social media engagement.

This post will explain the reasons why video is essential for social media marketing and give you the 8 steps you need to take to get started. By the end, you’ll be ready to craft your own strategy that will get you results.

Why You Need Video in Your Social Media Marketing

Why is video so important? The main reason is that video content performs well on social media. It captures users’ attention and holds it longer than other formats, leading to higher engagement.

Video is beneficial for branding. It allows you to be authentic with your audience and builds a strong connection.

Video is also versatile. Anyone can use it to get results, regardless of your target market. It’s easy to produce short and simple videos, it costs little, and audiences across all demographics love it.

1. Define Your Objectives

You must be strategic with your video marketing to get results, so it needs a clearly defined objective. If you know what you want to achieve with your content, it’s easier to pick the right topics and deliver the necessary info to hit those targets.
For example, you might want to primarily use your videos to grow brand awareness. Your objective might be to drive traffic or bring new leads into your marketing. A common goal for social media is to engage more with your followers or online community.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Next, you need to know who you want to reach with your videos. You should already have a good idea of who follows you on social media. Create a simple profile for the segment of your target audience that you most want to engage.

Define their demographics but, even more importantly, their pain points, struggles, and questions. Your content will be a hit if you can address these issues and provide solutions, and remember that using videos to drive social media engagement is a worthy goal.

3. Analyze the Competition

Before planning, you should see what others do with their video content. This research will give you insights into what types of videos people like. You can see how many likes, comments, or shares each video gets and gain an understanding of what topics are popular.
Looking at the competition can also give you ideas on what topics to cover. You can “steal” a topic idea but give it your unique angle. You can also see what topics others AREN’T covering so you can step in and fill this gap.

4. Plan Your Video Content

Here are some great ways to brainstorm engaging ideas:

• Answer a question a member of your audience has asked.
• Cover a tip on how to solve problems. Or better yet, show your viewers how it’s done.
• Discuss recent industry trends or news related to your niche.
• Teach your viewers how to do something step-by-step.
• Show your audience how to make the best of your product or surprise them with unique uses they might not have considered.
• Highlight an audience member’s success story.

Other ideas include:

• Tutorials
• Video testimonials
• Clips from offline events – I do this often with the volunteering I do in the two communities I call home
• Behind-the-scenes look at your business or industry
• Presentation
• Live Q&A
• Footage from a webinar or online event.

You can also offer a mix of these different formats for variety. But remember, simple production is fine as long as the information you offer is valuable.

5. Make Your Videos Engaging

Once you have some video ideas, let’s look at how you create engaging content for your audience. Your videos should be short. People typically like brief content on social media. You can produce podcast episodes or other media for longer-form content. Shorter content simplifies the process for you and makes it more consumable for your audience, enabling you to have more material and explore a broader range of topics.

Each should be focused on just one topic. If possible, it should offer actionable tips that your viewers can use immediately to solve issues they’re facing. If you find yourself with more to cover, split it into two topics or create a Part 1 and Part 2. Using videos to drive social media engagement makes sense on many levels.

Videos can be very simple but must be edited. There shouldn’t be any visual or auditory issues or distractions that might make the video hard to watch.
Start each video with a hook that grabs the viewer’s attention and tells them upfront what they’ll gain from watching it. This sets the expectations and leads the viewer to watch until the end.

6. Promote Your Videos

Next up, let’s make sure your videos are seen on social media.

• Create attention-grabbing thumbnails and titles that clearly explain what the video is about.
• Use relevant hashtags and keywords so your content will appear in searches.
• Find the optimal time to post when your followers are most receptive.
• Encourage your viewers to share if they like your content.
• Create a schedule and post at consistent times because your audience will come to expect fresh content.

7. Interact with Your Audience

You can do a great deal to spur engagement with your video content. One way is responding to comments and messages to start discussions about your videos. Do this by choosing captivating topics and encouraging viewers to add their opinions or ideas.

Ask your followers what topics they’d like you to cover. If they enjoy your videos, they’ll be happy to pitch ideas. This provides valuable feedback about the needs of your audience.

8. Monitor Your Results

So, how do you know if your video marketing is actually helping you get closer to achieving your goal? By monitoring your results with data. Choose a few key metrics related to your objective to track. For example, if your goal is to grow your audience, set a goal for new followers per week.

Each social media platform offers its own analytics, and you can use these to track your progress. Experiment with different topics, formats, lengths, and other elements to see which get the best results for your videos. This will teach you about your audience’s tastes and preferences, and you can then refine your marketing strategy.

Video marketing on social media is an effective strategy to engage your audience and grow brand awareness. Know your audience, create engaging videos, and monitor your results, and you’ll craft the perfect plan for your target audience.

I’m bestselling Wall Street Journal and USA Today author, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course (Use Discount Code INDEPENDENCE) and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.