Social media has become a virtual world in itself. People, in billions, flock to social media platforms to relax, connect, learn, share, and do a lot more.

On average, per week, people watch 16 hours of video on various platforms. Interest in the video has jumped by 52% in just two years.

It’s no wonder 87% of marketers include videos in their social media marketing plan. Marketers use videos on social media because 84% of them found video content helpful in generating leads. Plus, 87% claim that videos increase their ROI.

Nowadays, it’s quite easy to find and hire video editor professionals. This too has contributed to the growing use of video content on social media.

As you can see, almost all marketers are using videos to promote their clients. Millions of videos are uploaded to social media platforms every day.

Social media users have so many videos coming their way. It can become difficult to differentiate good videos from poorly made ones.

The ounce is on you. Video content that’s engaging, entertaining, and informative will stand out.

Here are 5 ways to produce stand-out videos for social media.

1. Create Killer Video Titles and Descriptions

Marketers always discuss video titles and descriptions in the context of SEO. It’s always about how to optimize video titles and descriptions to improve ranking. After all, it’s widely believed that the title can make or break the video.

Title and description also play an important role in engagement. The title and thumbnail are two elements that attract a user’s attention. For SEO purposes you also need to include the keyword. While doing so, try to make the title enticing and interesting.

There are some best practices. These tips are not only good for SEO. They also help you catch the attention of social media users.

• Keep the titles short. Experts say 50 – 60 characters (approx.) is the ideal length.
• Tutorials, questions, lists, and comparison-themed titles perform better.
• Pique the audience’s curiosity.
• Avoid Clickbait to gain trust.
• Feature the main benefit the audience will receive in the title.

The description provides valuable information about the video. Social media users rely on descriptions to gain a deeper understanding of the video.

On YouTube, you have 5000 characters to work with. That said, the first 150-300 characters need special attention. Make the first few sentences count.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Integrate the main keyword into the description.
• Include interrogative sentences early in the description.
• Mention how the video provides value to the viewer.
• Add timestamps to make the videos more engaging.
• Provide links to other videos on the same platform.
• Add a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) in the description.
• Include links to other social media platforms, websites, etc.

2. Pick Thumbnails That Mesmerize

You’ve got only a few seconds to impress the user. The thumbnail is just a tiny picture. But it plays a disproportionately large role in the success of a video.

An impactful thumbnail can arrest attention. Fail to impress, the user will just scroll on.

For the users, the thumbnail is of vital importance. Although small, they provide enough details about the video for the users to make an informed decision.

The elements in the thumbnail can also help showcase brand identity. Plus, well-chosen thumbnails will add a professional look to your videos.

Thumbnails are indispensable for videos. Hence, various social media platforms will create thumbnails from video clips.

The automatically chosen images might not be the best preview of your videos. A better option would be to create custom thumbnails.

There are quite a few free and paid programs to help you with video thumbnail creation. Even those who lack basic graphic designing skills can create captivating video thumbnails.

So, go on, create them. You won’t regret it. In fact, 90% of the top-performing videos on YouTube have customized thumbnails.

With a heavy heart, we’ve seen people failing to give due importance to video thumbnails. Perhaps, they are unaware of some of the best practices.

The following points should help them create engaging thumbnails.

• Give a personal touch to the images you create. You could add the brand logo and your brand’s color theme and fonts. Unlock your branding potential with Looka’s AI-powered logo maker.
• Choose a strong emotive scene as your thumbnail. If possible, have the picture of a person, exhibiting surprise or happiness, on your thumbnail.
• Use the best quality image as your thumbnails. The color and fonts must be attractive and eye-catching.
• The thumbnail image must be clean, clear, and simple. Seeing the scene there should be no confusion about the content of the video.
• Never entice users with false promises, claims, or clickbait headlines.

3. Choose Video Types That Best Suit Your Niche

Regardless of the niche, there are at least a few types of video content that are popular on social media. Let’s take a brief look at each and also discuss how to make them engaging.

Explainer Video

These are short videos that explain the brand, product, or service you offer. Explainer videos also address the pain points of the target audience and how to solve them.

This type of video offers you the best chance to engage with the audience. That’s because you divulge what you do and also how you intend to serve the viewers.

Tips to create engaging explainer videos:

• Identify the pain points and explain how your product or service will help solve the audience’s problem.
• Always prepare a script before creating an explainer video.
• The explainer video must be short, succinct, and clear. Don’t pack too many key points in just one short video.

Tutorial Video

Users retain 95% of the information after watching video content. That’s why people love watching tutorial videos.

The tutorial video is among the top three most effective video types. By teaching the audience some valuable skills you’re gaining brand awareness, showing your expertise, and building trust.

Tips to create engaging tutorial videos:

• Be authentic and express your personality.
• Keep the tutorial simple so that everyone can understand.  
• Develop a script and practice to get your message right before shooting the video.

Behind the Scene Videos

If you were ever curious about how your favorite products were made, you now have the chance to find out. Behind-the-scene videos are popular because they satisfy our curiosity.

It can cover a wide range of topics. How does the broadcasting team cover a football match? What’s the training routine of top athletes? How do your employees unwind after a hectic day of work?

It also helps humanize the brand.

Tips to create engaging behind-the-scene videos:

• Give a glimpse of the never-before-seen side of your brand.
• Make the video fun and authentic. Reduce the amount of editing to make it genuine.
• Invite comments and feedback from the audience. In certain cases, you can ask for ideas too.

Question and Answer Videos

Instead of visiting the FAQ page, how about hearing from the horse’s mouth. You can boost credibility and build trust by answering your audience’s questions.

It’s even better if you can do it in a live session. If a single video can’t address all the questions then make it a video series.

Tips to create engaging Q&A Videos:

• Generate questions from the website comment section, social media, and various other sources.
• Keep the answers short and to the point. Otherwise, the audience might lose interest in the video.
• At the end of each video, invite ideas, feedback, and questions for the next Q&A session.

4. Ingredients of an Engaging Video Content

The list of elements crucial for a video’s success is long. We have presented the main points you need to focus on.

Social Media Video Strategy

It isn’t easy to boost social media traffic. Just creating videos isn’t enough. Every successful video begins with a solid strategy.

Bear in mind that the strategy (or plan) is incomplete without technical elements. This would include the filming equipment, software, sound, lighting, etc. Also, include the following in the strategy:

• Research your target audience and their interests.
• Define your goals for the video and overall social media marketing.
• Include tips, ideas, and inspirations that can make the videos more engaging.

Length of the Video

Talking about videos for social media, one size doesn’t fit all.

The ideal video length depends on multiple factors. These factors include your preferred platform, the audience’s preference, your chosen niche, and more.

You can use the statistics on this subject as a guide to decide the ideal length. The performance of previous videos and analytics information could show the way for future campaigns.

That said people will accept video of any length so long as it provides value.

Tell a Story

It’s easy to reach a person’s heart when a message is weaved into a story. Showcasing a product or explaining a service alone won’t attract viewers.

Social media users are bombarded with hundreds of videos every day. Stories are effective and powerful in engaging the audience.

You need to blend the message with a story to connect with the viewers at a personal level.

Add a Call-to-Action

After watching an engaging video the viewers will be in an excellent mood to listen to you. Tell them what to do and where to go from here.

Don’t sell products through your CTA, sell them a solution. Your call-to-action might be anything. For example, it can encourage the viewers to sign-up for more information. This could be used in your next email marketing campaign.

The CTA may take the viewers to your product’s page, which can solve their problem.

5. Exercise Flexibility With Your Video Strategy

A video that is a hit on one platform might not be well received on another.

Social media platforms have different requirements. Users of these platforms have different preferences too. You should be mindful of these differences before launching videos.

For some, optimizing video content for different platforms can be too much work. You can hire video editors who would deliver professionally made optimized content.

You can then distribute to various platforms by scheduling videos using social media management tools.

Here are a few best practices to follow for videos on three of the most popular social media platforms.

Facebook

• You have six seconds to impress the viewer. Users who stay past the first six seconds are more likely to watch the whole video.
• We’re suckers for emotional content. Make use of this natural vulnerability. Create videos that appeal to people’s emotions.
• The majority of Facebook users watch videos with the sound off. This is a large number you can’t afford to ignore. Include subtitles to engage people who have the video on mute.
• We believe videos directly uploaded to Facebook appear higher on the feed. Avoid publishing the videos on YouTube and sharing their link on Facebook.

Instagram

• Instagram is known for its creative and aesthetically pleasing videos. Hence, put in extra effort to increase the quality of the video in every way.
• Instagram is not built for formal communication. Hence, add personality to the videos and humanize your brand.
• Experiment with the video format. Both horizontal, vertical (e.g. Reels), and square video formats have their pros and cons. Test both formats to ascertain your audience’s preference.

Twitter

• Tell a story even if the video is just a few seconds long. Videos that inspire and educate perform well on Twitter.
• Add a call-to-action in the middle or at the end of the clip. Encourage the viewers to like and share the content.
• Make the videos mobile-friendly to avoid slow loading. Videos that load slower or consume too much mobile data will lose viewers.

Final Thoughts

Don’t shy away from video content because of the competition. The era of video content has just begun. Videos will help create brand awareness, connect with potential and existing customers, and increase conversions.

Create quality videos. It’s the only way to attract and engage with more viewers. Most importantly follow the 5 aforementioned ideas. These will ensure your videos and brand stand out from the crowd.