Through the use of sound, visuals, music, and various captivating elements, video marketing possesses the full range of features to captivate audiences. It is anticipated that by 2028, adults will allocate three hours and 30 minutes each day to digital video consumption, which is approximately half an hour more than the predicted average for 2024. Additionally, in 2024, the amount of time spent watching digital videos exceeded that of traditional TV viewing in the U.S. for the third consecutive year.
This pattern is expected to persist in the future, establishing digital video as an essential component for marketers formulating their video marketing strategies on social media.
Fortunately, there are numerous methods for utilizing video in social media marketing. We are not confined to traditional TV advertisements or flawlessly crafted educational videos. With various platforms embracing short-form video content, a growing interest in brand authenticity, and readily available editing tools, it has never been simpler to explore the realm of video marketing.
Our comprehensive seven-step guide will lead you through all the vital elements necessary to create a successful social media video marketing strategy. You can also view the video below for an introductory course, complete with tips on streamlining your video process from pre-production through post-publishing:
1. Establish video marketing goals
At the inception of any new marketing initiative, your first step should be setting specific goals. What outcomes do you aspire to achieve with your videos?
If you are just beginning, consider setting only a few objectives to avoid feeling overwhelmed. An example of a goal for your video marketing could be increasing brand awareness.
However, with the right scripting and imaginative thinking, your video marketing approach can accomplish more than just raising awareness for your brand. It can also assist potential customers in navigating the decision-making process, educate them about their new purchases, and support a brand’s advocacy initiatives.
The marketing funnel consists of five stages and videos can be tailored to fit into each of these stages, provided that you align your social media marketing strategy with each one.
As you contemplate your goals for your video marketing strategy, consider their placement within each stage of the buyer’s journey and use that inspiration to generate your social media video ideas. Identifying the funnel stage will also enable you to create highly effective calls to action in your video content.
Here are five sample goals achievable within each stage of the funnel:
Awareness: Attract new customers
The 2024 Sprout Social Media Content Strategy Report indicates that social media users frequent video-focused channels like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for discovering products. These platforms serve as more than just “social networks” for audiences, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z consumers. Digital video content acts as a means for finding and evaluating brands, products, and services.
In the initial stage of the buyer’s journey, brands aim to catch consumers’ attention and introduce themselves. Social media video marketing is a potent medium to reach new customers and convey your identity, values, offerings, and unique selling propositions.
With video, you typically have mere seconds or minutes to seize your audience’s attention–get straight to the point when developing awareness-stage video content. For instance, striking educational videos or compelling thought leadership pieces can help establish credibility and reinforce your brand identity, ensuring that when consumers are ready to make a purchase, your brand comes to mind.
Some brands heavily rely on video for advertising. These pieces may feature on product pages of a brand’s website or within social ads across multiple networks. This is particularly valuable for direct-to-consumer brands like Patagonia, where product videos are crucial for helping consumers envision using those products.
In the product video below, the outdoor apparel brand showcases several children’s winter products, encompassing coats and hats. It depicts kids experiencing the outdoors and engaging in activities like skiing while wearing the gear. The video is relatable and concise, and it can be utilized as both a Facebook post and be promoted as a social ad.
Consideration: Build demand
Once consumers enter the consideration phase, they may be aware of your brand and what you have to offer, but it remains your responsibility to cultivate demand for your products and services.
There are numerous strategies to fulfill this goal via social media video marketing. For instance, how-to guides and tutorials can demonstrate your product’s functionality, facilitating consumers to envision how they might use that product themselves. In industries like skincare, makeup, and wellness, brands such as HUM Nutrition excel at creating consideration-stage videos.
HUM Nutrition often produces short-form videos featuring influencers, creators, customers, and employees using the brand’s supplements in their everyday routines. The videos exhibit a bright and clean aesthetic that highlights the vibrant labels of the supplement bottles. In the example below, the brand’s Hair Strong vitamins are featured within a regimen aimed at restoring hair health.
This relatable video provides tips beyond just the brand’s products, offering followers a simple, actionable routine. When consumers can visualize how your product performs or how others utilize your services to solve issues, they can more easily picture themselves doing the same.
Animated explainer videos serve as another option besides live-action demonstrations. Though less tangible, they still allow an opportunity to contextualize the customer’s issues and present your services as the solution.
Videos in the consideration stage need not be solely centered around your products or services. Consumers are also inclined to evaluate a company’s culture and core principles before deciding to become a customer.
A Q2 2024 Sprout Social Pulse Survey indicates that 87% of all consumers either strongly or somewhat agree that they expect influencers to advocate for causes that resonate with their values and take a stance on social media. This marks a significant change from our 2023 data, where only 25% of consumers mentioned that the most memorable brands address causes or news aligning with their values.
Capitalize on this heightened consumer interest by utilizing video to emphasize your brand’s story and core values. This will create an emotional connection with your audience, increasing the likelihood that they’ll prefer your company over competitors.
Decision: Encourage conversion
The decision phase is where potential customers can transition into actual customers. Here, testimonial videos can significantly illustrate the genuine potential and benefits of your products and services.
Codecademy, an online coding school that offers complimentary courses and a vibrant community, shares brief videos about the success stories of individual students. In this particular video, Codecademy alum Noah recounts his path from being a self-taught programmer aiming to create a booking solution for his yoga business to becoming a full-stack engineer.
Noah shares a compelling story, and the video incorporates engaging editing elements. The strength of this video as a decision-stage piece lies in the aspirational yet authentic ‘this could be you’ sentiment. Codecademy isn’t exclusive to those with coding backgrounds looking to advance their careers. Noah’s experience emphasizes that anyone from any background can seamlessly join the classes. Codecademy effectively demonstrates that they have earned their students’ trust and made a tangible impact on their lives.
Employ this type of video content to illustrate to potential customers the actual outcomes and benefits achieved by others, showcasing what they stand to gain by choosing your business.
Adoption: Inform customers
It’s not only marketers who are keen to ensure they receive a return on their investments. After a prospect turns into a customer and enters the adoption stage, it’s crucial to educate them on maximizing the value of your products and services.
A lively how-to video is ideal for platforms such as YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram Reels, where users are open to investing additional time in watching and learning.
You have a range of options:
- Informative video: If your products or services encompass a variety of features tailored to specific needs or entail a learning curve, emphasize educating your audience. Content focused on hacks, tips, optimization, or unique features can clarify complexities and enhance customer confidence.
- Webinars: These can be exceptionally effective platforms as they allow customers to interact with your brand in real-time and pose questions.
- Live streaming: Going live can help you broaden your audience, particularly on platforms like TikTok, where live streams generate suggestions as users browse their feeds. However, it’s mainly your most dedicated fans and existing followers who are inclined to tune in. Instagram Live streams take precedence at the start of the Stories feature. Followers with the app open at the time of your live broadcast will receive notifications about your event, making it easy to join in for the latest updates from your brand.
Advocacy: Encourage evangelism
By the advocacy phase, you have satisfied customers who are eager to express their support and promote your brand.
The advantage of advocacy videos is that customers do not feel they are being sold anything. Take advantage of the natural, authentic admiration for your brand and product by leveraging social listening tools like Sprout Social’s. With Sprout Social Listening, you can capture brand mentions from engaged profiles and bring forth user-generated content.
Not every advocacy video will achieve virality or originate directly from your fans. Brand strategies can be enhanced through employee advocacy content. Consider highlighting your colleagues to showcase the inner workings of your company and the reasons they enjoy being part of it.
2. Choose your social media platforms for video marketing
Each leading social media platform presents its own variations of video content, providing ample opportunity to weave it into your strategy.
If you are new to video on any platforms, start with those where you already have established audiences. The 2024 Sprout Social Media Content Strategy Report indicates that Gen Z and Millennial audiences particularly favor Instagram, with at least 75% of users in these age brackets utilizing the platform. Gen X and Baby Boomers tend to prefer Facebook and Instagram. YouTube ranks within the top five platforms among all age groups as well.
Choosing any of these networks for initiating your video marketing endeavor is a solid first move. Let’s explore TikTok and YouTube in more detail.
When to leverage TikTok for video marketing
Undoubtedly, TikTok has played a pivotal role in popularizing short-form video content and has become one of the internet’s most cherished applications because of it.
The Content Strategy Report highlights that 68% of social media users engage with TikTok, with Gen Z and Millennials leading at 86% and 73%, respectively. Gen Z in particular uses the platform both for online shopping and as a source for news.
The app’s collaborative features like Duets, coupled with its unique culture fueled by TikTok trends and TikTok sounds, provide brands with innovative ways to unleash creativity in their video marketing.
The app serves as a robust driver of awareness, yet trends like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt demonstrate its effectiveness in converting consumers into customers.
When to utilize YouTube for video marketing
With over 2.5 billion monthly active users, YouTube continues to dominate as one of the most favored video platforms among consumers and marketers alike. A vast user base is advantageous; however, it’s not the sole reason for brands to consider YouTube marketing. Notably, YouTube ranks as one of the leading search engines globally, with its videos appearing in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). Brands can leverage YouTube to enhance visibility by producing content that addresses frequently searched topics.
YouTube Shorts provide a short-form video alternative. Short-form video offers the highest return on investment compared to other contemporary marketing trends, making it a worthwhile consideration for your strategy. Use these snippets to display clips from longer videos, share user-generated content, or convey brief insights alongside your comprehensive videos. You can also access our free social media video workbook to maximize the effectiveness of the short-form videos you produce.
YouTube video marketing can be used to address each stage of the marketing funnel, enabling you to meet the objectives set forth in your strategy regardless of your selections.
Social media video formats and features
To determine the most suitable platform for your brand’s video marketing, it’s essential to comprehend what each network offers and the dimensions for which videos can be uploaded. If you wish to repurpose your videos, it’s advisable to select platforms that are compatible with one another. Many platforms (including Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts) employ a 9×16 vertical video aspect ratio, facilitating easy cross-posting.
As various social networks introduce additional features, it may become challenging to keep track of which types of video content can be uploaded where or if any further editing is required.
Refer below for a quick overview, or consult our comprehensive social media video specs guide for all the necessary information on uploading to each network.
- Landscape and portrait feed video
- Reels posted or crossposted via Facebook and Instagram
- Facebook Live (live streaming)
- Facebook Stories (disappearing content)
- Landscape and portrait feed video
- Live streaming (Instagram Live)
- Instagram Stories (disappearing content)
- Instagram Reels (short-form and long-form content)
Threads
- Landscape and portrait feed video
YouTube
- Landscape video
- Portrait video (may use pillarboxing on some uploads)
- Live streaming
- YouTube Shorts (portrait, short-form video)
TikTok
- Portrait feed video
- Live streaming
- TikTok Stories (disappearing content)
X (previously Twitter)
- Landscape and portrait feed video
- Live stream
- Landscape feed video
- Live stream
- Portrait feed video
- Idea Pins (collection of images, videos, or text akin to Stories)
Tasty’s social media content presents excellent examples of how to customize your videos for different platforms. The brand frequently utilizes video marketing tailored for platforms like Instagram and YouTube. The differentiations not only extend to orientation but also to topics and series specific to each platform. This variety of content ensures audiences discover unique material across Tasty’s social media channels. For instance, in the video, Tasty presents a compilation of vertical short-form clips collated into a longer landscape video focused on mac and cheese recipes:
Repurpose content across platforms that support similar video formats
When you invest significant effort into producing quality video content, you want to ensure it reaches as many viewers as possible. Why not take advantage of repurposing your video material across various channels?
Your audience, and thus your brand, might have a favored social channel. It makes sense to tailor your video content with that network as the focal point. Nevertheless, viewers on your other accounts will likely appreciate a well-crafted video as well.
Video lengths and types may vary by platform, but the good news is that feature and length parity is becoming more consistent. Recently, YouTube raised the maximum length for YouTube Shorts to 3 minutes, simplifying the repurposing of videos from other platforms.
Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts predominantly use a 9×16 vertical video format, meaning you won’t need extensive cropping or editing to repurpose a video. So long as you are mindful of maximum lengths, there’s no downside to reposting your meticulously produced Instagram Reel onto YouTube and TikTok. You may even capture the attention of audience members who missed the original posting or attract new customers along the way.
3. Choose your video types
Selecting the type of video that aligns best with your brand is a crucial step in your marketing strategy. Not all videos are the same, and that is perfectly acceptable–what matters most is that they support your primary goals.
Our findings in the Content Strategy Report revealed that consumers are increasingly willing to engage with brands on social media. Approximately 48% of consumers indicated they have interacted with brands on social media more frequently over the past six months. They utilize these interactions for both connection and consumption, valuing brands that exhibit humanity and authenticity.
The takeaway? Consumers seek genuine authenticity in your content.
Here are several types of social media video ideas and their advantages to help you initiate the authentic content consumers are looking for:
- Informative: These videos provide valuable information and can generate brand awareness among new customers. They often adopt a more polished tone to convey the brand’s expertise. Conversely, when tailored for current customers, the videos might emphasize tips and guides for maximizing product utility.
- Explainer: Similar to educational videos, explainer content focuses on educating the audience about your brand and the products or services you provide. Utilize these videos for a rapid explanation of what your company does and how your brand addresses a specific problem. Conclude with a compelling call-to-action to encourage viewers to progress further along the marketing funnel.
- Behind-the-scenes: These videos offer insights into company operations and employee experiences. They serve to entertain audiences or provide a virtual glimpse behind the scenes.
- Interviews: Featuring guest speakers, interviews can introduce your audience to a new influencer, fostering mutual connection. Handing the virtual microphone to a guest can be engaging and lend additional authenticity to your brand.
- Amusing: Whether they include jokes, adorable animals, or pranks, these videos entertain while great emphasizing your brand voice and cultivating community among your audience. Customers also appreciate “edutainment” content: 66% of respondents in our Content Strategy Report cited it as the most engaging type of brand content.
- Customer stories: These videos resemble customer highlights, helping to create social proof for your brand. Videos that demonstrate how a customer utilizes your product or service and their satisfaction with it forge a connection: ideally, potential customers see themselves reflected in that video and are urged towards a purchase.
- Product highlights: Demonstrate the key features of your brand’s most sought-after product or service by showcasing it in action. Shining a light on what makes your product or service distinctive can aid customers in visualizing themselves using your brand.
- Narrative: Adopt the role of storyteller and share an engaging narrative to leave a memorable impression on viewers. Utilize animation or employ a documentary approach to narrate how your brand was founded or how a customer’s problem was resolved—anything that features a compelling story.
Once you have determined which types of videos to pursue, the subsequent step is to plan the actual video production.
4. Organize the content production
A comprehensive content production plan will save you time and resources in the long run. Whether you use a spreadsheet or the traditional pen and paper method, articulating how you’ll create and film videos is crucial.
Assess your options for both content production and post-production. Engaging an agency or production company can alleviate much of the stress, as they will manage all planning and approvals, while you only need to provide guidance.
However, if you prefer to manage the project in-house, you’ll need to consider all steps required to produce a successful video. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Determining necessary equipment and props
- Drafting the script
- Editing the script
- Storyboarding the video
- Scheduling the shoot for optimal filming conditions; filming is often not linear.
- Gathering and nurturing your talent (the individuals featured in the video)
- Identifying the filming locations and considering natural lighting for timing
- Knowing where to send the footage for editing
- Identifying who will be responsible for approval at each stage. For example, you’d want to ensure that the script is coherent and matches your voice. This may require dual reviews.
- Verifying that the music used is properly licensed for your use
As you progress through the content plan, you might discover necessary adjustments or previously overlooked aspects, especially if this is among your initial attempts to construct a comprehensive video content plan. Be prepared to modify as necessary. Following the execution of a well-crafted plan, it’s time to transition to post-production.
5. Understand what post-production involves
Allocate ample time for post-production, particularly if your videos will be utilized for advertisements or require intensive editing. Post-production encompasses much more than simply trimming scenes and adding music. It also includes elements like closed captions, text overlays, calls-to-action screens, and more. The more footage you record and the higher the polish you desire for your video, the more time you’ll need to dedicate.
Some videos may require only light edits in post-production. For instance, with a Facebook Live, the video is promptly published right after the session ends. You will be able to edit the title and caption but not much else.
Uploaded videos will undergo a post-production process. On YouTube, for instance, you’ll be able to add tags, multiple language closed captions, detailed captions, and more.
Know the efforts required before you begin: formal, polished videos for YouTube demand significantly more effort than a basic live stream.
6. Schedule and promote the videos
Now that you possess the finished video, it’s time to schedule and advertise it. Certain management platforms, such as Sprout Social, provide publishing options for videos.
For instance, Sprout’s YouTube publishing features include options such as tags, category, playlist, and privacy settings. We are the sole social media management software enabling you to manage your TikTok content by allowing you to schedule your videos alongside your other social posts, all from one platform.
Don’t regard social media videos as a one-time effort. A single fully produced video can be uploaded to multiple networks over an extended period, depending on your social media schedule and plan for repurposing content. On X (previously Twitter), you could promote it numerous times. For live streams, consistent promotion is vital to ensure high attendance during the event.
A single film recording session may yield multiple video segments. Various clips can be repurposed for promotional content or pieced together to create new videos. Think expansively when it comes to promoting your video.
7. Comprehend and assess metrics
The final step in any strategy is the most critical: analysis and reflection. You won’t understand how a video has performed unless you review its associated statistics. What are the view counts? Watch times? Shares, likes, and comments? What is your YouTube engagement or TikTok engagement like?
Each network offers different sets of video metrics, so it’s pivotal to familiarize yourself with them before you commence production. Moreover, every platform contains native analytics that will reveal the performance of your video content. The metrics you choose to analyze for success should align with the objectives you established at the outset. If your aim was brand awareness for a video, a pertinent metric might be impressions or video views.
Alongside scheduling, Sprout provides an expansive suite of analytics. For instance, you can analyze your performance by reviewing TikTok analytics to determine which video posts have proven most effective. TikTok’s native analytics retain your data for a short period, but Sprout’s Reporting and Analytics tools do not impose an expiration date on your post performance data. You can view how your TikTok videos have fared over time and compare them to your content on other platforms.
Bear in mind that viewers may still engage with your older videos. With the right keyword strategy and an evergreen topic, a three-year-old video can remain relevant for your audiences today.
Kickstart your video marketing strategy today
Social media video marketing is one (albeit a substantial and thrilling) component of your overall content strategy. Setting objectives that align with your broader social media marketing plan prior to commencing content creation will assist you in selecting the appropriate platforms and video types for your brand. With a thoroughly thought-out production, promotion, and analytics approach, you’ll be prepared to create engaging videos that resonate with your target audiences.
Just as your video content should be customized for distinct audiences and networks, it’s essential to ensure that all of your social media content receives a tailored approach. To cultivate a data-informed social media marketing strategy, download our 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report for in-depth insights by platform.
The post 7 steps to a successful social media video marketing strategy first appeared on Sprout Social.
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