Previously, we’ve shared about how to adapt to social media video productions in the current era in Singapore. With new practices and regulations, we are taking steps to ensure the wellbeing of all our production personnel. But… what about the wellbeing of the video that was created?

People are congregating on social media more than ever, it is little wonder then that most video babies we birth are destined for various social media platforms.

But with so many video babies headed in the same direction, you may be thinking - will anyone even watch them? How do we ensure that they thrive amidst the cacophony within these spaces, fulfill their destinies... live long and prosper?

We’re here to help! Let us shed some light on making videos not just for the sake of keeping up with the jonesesand unwittingly contributing to cyber clutter, but ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE - get those views and grab those likes!

1. Log down all your ideas, yes even the trashy ones.

Not sure how to start? At the risk of sounding cliche - Just.. do.. it! Ideating is like training a muscle. To be effective, you have to do it every day, and ingest ample amounts of the right nutrients. Work it! Feed it! Repeat!

The most scrumptious ideas and inspirations for your social media videos can come to you in the most unexpected places and moments: in the shower, in the car, at the dining table, at the gym, or even when you’re half-asleep. When the ideas flow in, it’s best to have a snacking container where you can dump all your little tidbits of inspiration in. You can always sieve through them later and separate the nuggets of beauty. And as with all foods, a little help with seasoning just to get that overall oomph is key!

If you’re already actively brainstorming ideas for your social media video production, take a quick peek at your top-performing and highest shared videos. They may be able to indicate what your audience generally prefers, what they are more receptive to and will be happy to devour. At Arkchetype, we recognize the differences and note the priorities, and we are also happy to drop you some chef’s recommendations to help strategize and personalize your content for your target audience!

2. Start simple, don’t jump the gun!

With all these ideas you have on hand, things could start getting messy. You may want to squeeze in all your creative juice in your video straight away now that you’re on a roll and thehypeisrealandyoujustwanttostartthisrightnow - but hold on a second! 

Step back, take a breather, collect your thoughts together. Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Make simple organised notes, and you’d be good to dive into developing the structure of where you are headed, scripting and storyboarding later on with a clear mind and goal!

Ask yourself: What message am I delivering in this video? Who is my target audience? What is my branding? And also… Where should I post this video?

It is important to be platform-conscious. There are many video platforms available to choose from, and they all have varying types of audiences. Link your target audience, message, and video platform together.

For example, if you’re aiming to mainly attract the younger audience, TikTok is your best bet, with 32.5% of active users aged 10 - 19, as of October 2020.¹ And if you’re aiming to attract a wider range of age groups, Facebook would be a better option, 23.8% of active users are between 18-24, and 49.4% between 25 to 44, as of July 2020.²

Find out which platform is the most suitable to use in engaging your target audience! Take time to research, experiment and find that spark that feels just right, so that you can ensure your video is the best one you could ever do. At Arkchetype, we believe that good content is not storytelling, it’s telling your story well.

3. Optimize your video.

Most videos are viewed on mobile devices today! If you want a greater reach, optimizing your video to make it mobile friendly is key. Simplify your graphics such that it looks neat and legible on a small screen. Test it out on your devices before posting your content. 

Another thing to check on is the audio - most viewers would be scrolling through their feeds in public areas, which means they are most likely watching… shh… in silent mode... with their devices on mute. In fact, many social media platforms don’t automatically activate audio to start with! In face of this, add captions or descriptions to help your audience understand, and also ensure your content is eye-catching enough without sound.

But optimizing for mobile is not all - you have to optimize your video for your chosen platforms too as each platform shows posts in varying aspect ratios! What if you upload your content and it turns out stretched, or end up having black bars around it? 

Oh no! That doesn’t look good.. 

To combat this, remember to optimize according to the platform you are posting on, so that it fits in like a perfect puzzle piece. If you are uploading to many platforms and don’t have time to optimize for each one, go for the 1:1 aspect ratio square video as your safest bet.

Another thing to note is that not all platforms are compatible with one another - for instance, YouTube is owned by Google, (read: not BFFs with Facebook), and therefore YouTube links don’t do well on Facebook. But now that you have your videos optimized accordingly, you can easily upload your video directly to the separate platforms instead of sharing or linking it, which would make your content look better!

4. Stay trendy.

Your audience is more likely to engage – and stay engaged with you if you dish out relevant content that they like and care about, especially content that is widely shared i.e. “trending”. 

Take advantage of these in your social media video production. Trends come and go quickly. They’re akin to huge majestic waves - you have to catch and ride them quickly to gain that ‘wow’ boost of interaction! Once you miss a good one, you’d have to wait out for the next. The key to this? Speed. (Whoosh.) Act fast, and don’t forget your surfboard!

Trending! Trending! Read all about it! Knowledge is Power!

Every morning, scroll and glimpse through your local news websites to see what’s hot (sizzle, sizzle..) in your country. Certain key events can be predicted in advance to grow warm... warmer... and then.. Hot! 🔥 HOT!🔥

Just like how when a majority of people had to stay and work from home due to the pandemic, many brands jumped at the idea of making connections through videos for their consumers, to connect and interact with them in this rough time. Psst..we appreciate you!

A final note to remember is that not all social publicity is good publicity. It’s important to read the room and note your brand as well as tone of voice. Be mindful of how and what you communicate, especially for trending hot button topics that may border on controversial.

5. Reel ‘em in!

Without a doubt, most of our lives tend to fall into the same old same old from time to time, even for us elves at Arkchetype. Don’t you agree that we need something striking to wake and bounce us back up, make us go ‘Ooh! Shiny!’ as we scroll through our feeds? Something that makes your video enticing and attractive, right from the first few seconds. 45% of people who watch the first three seconds of a video will continue for at least thirty seconds more!³

In fact, studies show that the average human attention span is just eight seconds - that’s right - the goldfish wins over us! All the more your content should start with a bang and grab your viewer’s eye.

While not straying away from your personal branding, message and style, consider inserting dynamism and colours, playing with emotions, adding some fun, action and interaction, and even simple texts in your video. Something that leaves an impression!

Pique your audiences’ interests, hook them right from the start of your social media video, and your catch rate will be maximised! Gotcha!

6. You have to be social on social media, there’s no way around it.

Busy times aren’t over after you’ve hit that UPLOAD button. In fact, it gets even busier. Whaaaaaat? The key to being engaging isn’t just confined to your videos – the creators also play a part in forming that sweet connection, which is all the more important in the current situation. 

Continue drawing the audience in by ‘Liking’ 👍  and ‘Commenting’ on their replies. This includes answering their questions, leaving a genuine contextual response, or sometimes even a 😊  will make the person feel valued ❤️ . In return, they will be motivated to continue interacting and sharing. A relationship will be formed, and it all goes uphill from there! 

Cross-share your content to get more views and engagement. For example, if you’re posting on YouTube, you can easily share your content on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. A good split will be 70% of your efforts spent on the main social media site, and 30% on the other social media sites. But it’s still best to master one social media platform first before expanding to others. Start small and simple, but with big dreams.

Still overwhelmed on where and how to start? Just.. confused? Fret not! We understand that each social media video is unique and we can help you tailor your video content according to your brand so that you’re always up-to-date with your target audience. Come ideate, engage, and communicate with us now at the ARK!

References:

1. Clement, J. “U.S. TikTok Users by Age 2020.” Statista, 22 July 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/1095186/tiktok-us-users-age/. 

2. Clement, J. “Facebook: Users by Age and Gender.” Statista, 24 July 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/376128/facebook-global-user-age-distribution/. 

3. “Capture Attention with Updated Features for Video Ads.” Facebook for Business, 11 Feb. 2016, www.facebook.com/business/news/updated-features-for-video-ads.