8 Mistakes to Avoid With Social Media Videos
There are many reasons why you should create social media videos as part of your marketing strategy.
First, because social media videos enable you to build deeper relationships and trust with your audience, which will make it easier in the long run to turn viewers into leads and sales. Another reason you should launch social marketing video campaigns is because organic reach is much higher for videos than standard posts. In other words social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram prioritise videos in people’s newsfeeds. Another reason to publish social media videos is because they lead to higher engagement levels. Plus, not a lot of people use them as it can be daunting to create a Facebook video or Instagram video. So if you create social media videos to market your business you can really stand out.
However, many things can go wrong when creating a social marketing video and there are many mistakes to avoid.
The first mistake to avoid with a Facebook video or Instagram video is not addressing your audience. In other words, not speaking directly to your customer avatar, and trying to make the social marketing video for everybody instead of a specific type of person who fits your target audience.
For example, if your social marketing video is about helping people improve their golf swing and your target audience is beginner golfers who play for leisure, make sure you state who the video is for straight from the beginning.
The second mistake to avoid when it comes to creating social media videos, is not using the proper video creation tools.
When recording a Facebook video or Instagram video, basic equipment is required. The equipment required is:
• A camera (phone cameras are now good enough to produce quality social media videos)
• A tripod (to keep the camera steady). If using a phone to record your video, phone tripods can be used.
• Lights but they can be quite pricey, so if you can’t invest in professional lights, use natural light.
• A microphone. Quality sound is very important for a social marketing video. If you don’t have quality sound, your video can look unprofessional. We recommend using lapel microphones which can easily be clipped on clothes and remain discrete.
• A teleprompter. A teleprompter is optional but can come in handy if you plan to record a long script and avoid forgetting what to say or avoid pausing to find your words. We recommend “Prompt-it Maxi Teleprompter”.
The third mistake to avoid if you want to increase your chances of creating a social media viral video, is having bad lighting. You don’t want your Facebook video or Instagram video to be too bright or else the screen will look white and you don’t want your video to be too dark either. You also don’t want your social media videos to have shadows. So change location until you find one that is well lit. Or use camera lights instead.
The fourth mistake to avoid with your social marketing video, is having a shaky camera. If you’re moving around too much or shaking your camera too much it makes it a really bad viewing experience for people and they might stop watching.
The fifth mistake to avoid if you want to increase your chances of creating a social media viral video, is not being in the right location. Make sure you’re in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted by phone calls, or people coming in and out or making noise. It’s also important that your set is not too cluttered as it can be quite distracting for your audience.
The sixth mistake to avoid in your Facebook video or Instagram video, is not including captions. Social media videos play without sound, and people have to turn the volume up. But if they’re in a public place and can’t turn the volume up, it’s important to add captions so viewers can understand your video visually, regardless of whether there’s sound or not.
The seventh mistake to avoid is not including calls to action in your social media videos. Regardless of whether you’re using videos for marketing purposes or not, it’s important to always include some sort of call to action. It could be a low commitment call to action such as leaving a review, sharing a testimonial or just leaving comments. A higher level commitment call to action in your social marketing video could be to register for something or to make a purchase.
Lastly, another mistake to avoid if you want to increase your chances of creating a social media viral video, is not following a structure with a beginning a middle and an end. Without structure, your Facebook video or Instagram video will most likely be confusing, repetitive or not take viewers on a journey.
The beginning of your video should be your introduction.
