Why Video is Important for Growing Your Brand
In recent years, video has taken social media by storm and has become an important element in building a successful brand. Video has long been an effective content type for successful organic and paid social strategies, but the popularity and viral potential of short-form video like TikTok and Reels offer brands a new opportunity to reach new audiences. Video on these platforms can give brands of any size a competitive edge, offer an opportunity to reach a young Gen Z audience, and showcase the brand's humor and humanity.
Social media is always evolving
The popularity of video content on social media has grown in part thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Instagram and Facebook recently reported a 40% increase in activity on their platforms since lockdowns began in March. In addition to this overall lift, the average person spends an average of 6 hours and 48 minutes a week watching online videos. There has never been a better time to start making video content.
Social media videos serve as a powerful sales tool for your brand, allowing you to showcase products in a dynamic way. They don’t need to be elaborate, often the simplest and most authentic concepts work best. For instance, Google’s newest project, Shoploop, is a mobile shopping platform that uses short video demonstrations in product descriptions to sell beauty products. Using popular content creators with already existing audiences gives the product more credibility.
Authenticity is key
Credibility is paramount when marketing to Gen Z. This generation uses social media more than any other, and grew up with video content from platforms like YouTube and Vine. Today, they make up over 35% of TikTok’s user demographic. More importantly, they are more likely to impulse buy products they see on their favorite apps.
Videos are more relatable and persuasive than stills when it comes from a “real person,” as opposed to a model. This gives audiences a chance to learn more about a brand’s values and the people behind it. Tequila brand Solento, for instance, started an IGTV series called “Solento Gives Back,” spotlighting bartenders who were impacted by COVID-19. The bartenders’ Venmo information was included so they could make tips off of their appearance. This is a great example of making a brand more personable by showing audiences that they care.
Why videos work
Simply put: social media is a competition for attention. As a brand, we try to capture our audience's attention and stand out from other content in their feed. Video content offers more time to grab a viewer's attention—the first 3 seconds are key! The longer a viewer engages, the more likely the platform’s algorithm is to boost it to a wider audience, and those first 3 seconds are your time to reel them in. This phenomenon is most evident with TikTok but has also been seen in competitors such as Instagram Reels. Even lightweight motion can see a 17% conversion lift, according to a new guide released by Facebook.
Most importantly, video content can reach audiences across platforms. User-generated content is especially important to keep an eye on. Viral videos are often reposted by other users simply because they are proven to be engaging, and in turn can boost the popularity of a brand or creator. For example, a recent viral TikTok video posted by Nathan Apodaca included unintentional product placement for Ocean Spray cranberry juice. The elements of this video include:
a popular song: in this case ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, who had already been trending on TikTok,
authenticity: an authentic moment, with natural product placement (in this case, not intentionally sponsored), and
a popular creator: though his account @420doggface208 currently has 4.3M followers, it appears he had about 200k-250k followers before going viral
As of this posting date, his video has over 54M views and has been remade countless times, each time with a bottle of Ocean Spray in hand. This viral moment positively impacted Ocean Spray’s awareness, sales and even their stocks, which were at a historic low at the time of posting and doubled in less than 1 month. Though this is an extreme example of the impact of a viral video, it just goes to show that authentic video content can have a serious tangible impact on your brand and business.
Finally, videos have the opportunity to have a longer shelf life. Tik Tok can serve different audiences the same video for weeks, sometimes months after it’s published. Posting the same content on competing platforms such as Instagram Reels can also be successful. Once you have identified successful content on one platform, ideate ways to repurpose this content across your other platforms. Create compilations of short-form videos on long-form platforms such as YouTube, add stories as video pins on Pinterest, use your most popular branded videos in paid social ads, and post livestreams as IGTV segments. Using the same content in different ways can help boost your ROI.
To wrap it up
When created with authenticity, videos on social media can make all the difference to a brand. Their audiences, young or old, are more connected than ever. With the right strategy and content, they have the opportunity to create something that will change their social media presence for the better.
Need assistance content creation, or advice on where to start?
Hit us up, we’re here to help.
