7 steps to creating a social media video strategy

From the beginning of this blog we have emphasized the importance of content for any marketing strategy. Sorry, but once again we are going to do it again, since, to this day, content is still king. However, this content can have many surnames, and at this time audiovisual content is crowned as the favorite.

Confinement and the current situation have had a lot to do with the increase in video consumption in our country, the figures speak for themselves: according to Comscore, last December each Spaniard spent an average of 47 minutes a day watching videos on Internet, seven minutes more than in the same period of 2019. Yes, we all know that platforms like Netflix are rubbing their hands while you read this, but did you know that 55% of the audiovisual content consumed are short videos, even exceeding the consumption of episodes? of series?

Companies are jumping on the audiovisual bandwagon with video marketing strategies : a total of 87% of brands, as a recent study by Hubspot shows. So yes, it is quite likely that your competitors are already using video in their content strategy.

Today we are going to give you 7 guidelines so that you do not fall behind and you can launch your video strategy for social networks as soon as possible and you can check your own figures:

1. Set goals for your social media video strategy

The beginning of any content strategy for social networks is knowing what its end will be. What do you want to achieve? Where will these videos fall in the conversion funnel?

We recommend that you don't try to cover too many goals at the same time. Some examples of video marketing goals would be to create brand awareness, promote a specific product, or help a potential customer make the purchase decision.

Whatever your goal, don't forget to be SMART, that is, to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and limited in time.

2. Choose the type of videos

There are many types of social media videos for different purposes to support your overall content strategy. Determining which one works best for your brand is an important step in your social media video strategy:

Educational - These are informative videos and can also help build brand awareness for new customers. The tone can be more or less formal, but they always position the brand as an expert in a field. They are also very useful for active clients or for leads who are very advanced in the conversion funnel, with more technical guides and tips to get the most out of the product.

Corporate videos: they show the closest side of the brand, they can be animated videos or 'behind the scenes', so that the audience can know the reality of the company through its employees.

Interviews: through experts or influencers. A way to bring more authenticity to your brand.

Entertainment: They do not provide too much information, they serve to entertain the audience, emphasize the voice of the brand and, above all, to build a sense of community among the public.

Testimonials: Here an active customer exposes his experience, evaluates a product and talks about how it has helped to solve a problem. Videos that show how a customer uses a product or service and their satisfaction with it works at the connection level: a potential customer will be reflected and will be persuaded to move through the funnel.

3. Choose the social media profiles for your videos

Virtually every social media platform has its own tool for embedding video posts. From the oldest ones like Facebook or Twitter to those reserved for Gen Z audiences, like Snapchat or TikTok.

To choose one or the other, two factors must be taken into account. First of all, think about where your current audience is and where is the audience you want to reach (and also your competition). Second, analyze what each social network offers and what video dimensions can be displayed (something very useful if you want to reuse your videos on several platforms).

It should be noted that if you want to create video series, group tutorials, testimonials, practical product guides . YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are the best alternatives to classify playlists.

4. Plan the production and post-production of the videos

A good production plan for audiovisual content saves time and money in the long term. Either using an online application that allows you to work with flows, or by pulling a pencil and paper. Among the steps to follow are the following:

Identify the necessary equipment (both technical and human).

Write a script.

Create the video storyboard.

Plan the shoot, as the recording will not be linear.

Identify the settings in which you will be filming and take natural light into account.

After executing a solid plan, it's time to move on to post-production, which doesn't mean just cutting scenes and putting them back together with music. It also includes actions such as inserting subtitles and adding printers, something very important for videos on social networks, since most users watch them on their mobile devices, sometimes without sound. Other things to consider are obtaining the necessary music licenses or adding call-to-action screens.

5. Schedule and promote videos

Now that you have the audiovisual piece ready, the countdown begins, it is time to program and promote it. Some social media management platforms offer video posting options if you want to keep your social media video strategy on schedule.

An important detail that is sometimes overlooked is to establish the optimal time of publication, in this sense the social media platforms themselves can give us clues about the best time to publish, in which time slot our audience is most active and receptive . This will help us to generate the greatest possible impact, both in the number of people reached and in the number of reactions and responses.

In addition to the time of publication, a good title and a good description prior to the video will make the difference between whether someone decides to hit play or not. Do not hesitate: concise, attractive phrases, a question that can be answered by watching the video, emoticons ... Anything that invites you to click on the video is welcome.

Don't think of social media videos as a throwaway post. A fully produced video can be uploaded to multiple networks for a long time, depending on the timing of your message.

If you're looking to broadcast live , don't forget to pre-promote your premiere frequently to ensure your audience joins in at the right time.

6. Follow-up of publications

Once the video on social networks has been launched, you have to be vigilant: users will react, comment and share it. We must be proactive and reactive to establish a closer relationship with our audience and foster the creation of a community around our brand.

We must answer questions and queries, interact with comments, encourage conversation and welcome positive comments. Unfortunately, not everyone can like you and it is also necessary to deal with negative comments, so in this post we give you the keys to manage bad comments and prevent them from leading to a reputation crisis.

7. Analyze the results

The last step of any strategy is the most important of all: analyzing the metrics. You won't know the performance of a video unless you take a look at the statistics associated with it. What are the view counts? The viewing times? Shares, likes, and comments? How many times has it been shared? Each network provides different native analysis tools, so it is important that you know how to identify them before starting production.

The metrics you use to analyze success should match the goals set in step 1.

And after these steps the only thing left to do is start over again, but now with new data, experience and resources that will be used to locate areas for improvement.