By Gavin Pease
More and more users are flocking to Social Media apps to keep themselves entertained and informed. With a world always on the move, it makes sense traditional browsing has moved away from desktop computers and cable TV ads.
On average, people spend 147 minutes on social media a day (Broadband Search). Businesses are reading into that, and finding immense success in the process. According to Wyzowl, 93% of brands got a new customer because of a video on social media. ‘In 2020, social engagement videos are among the top four most common types of video marketers are investing in’ (Hubspot).
Brands are increasingly taking to apps in efforts to sell their goods and services. So how can your business keep up and stay effective in the growing trends?
Consistency is Key
We’ll start with the most important step in getting your content seen: consistency. Not only is this known to be the top factor in beating social media algorithms, but it helps tremendously with brand awareness as well. The more often that people see your content, the more they will be familiar with your brand, and ultimately the more they will associate your products or services as the solution to the topic you’re addressing. Overall, more posts equals more eyes on the prize.
With both the technicality and psychology of marketing on your side by way of constant content, social feeds are now ripe for gathering new customers.
Know your Platform
As with any marketing effort, you have to know your audience to be effective. The huge benefit to Social Media marketing is that, in each platform’s attempts to appeal to and grow their own niches, they have essentially categorized your audiences for you. Like channels on TV, users intentionally browse platforms for the types of content that they are looking for. While someone may search for a quick tutorial on
Below are some suggested types of content that are inherent to each platform.
Twitter - Status Updates, News, Accomplishments & Goals
TikTok - Trends, Tips & Tricks, Comedy Sketches, Word of Mouth/Influencer Advertising
Instagram - Bold Imagery, Instagram Stories, Influencer Advertising
LinkedIn - Formal Updates, Accomplishments & Goals
Google My Business - Status Updates, Deals/Offers, Photos
As much as the content you are posting matters, so does how it is presented. Social platforms tend to skew their UI and visuals towards the method in which their users browse. So should you. Mobile-dominant apps like TikTok are almost exclusively tailored to the vertical aspect ratio of your phone, at 9x16. Instagram primarily utilizes the 1x1 square and 4x5 vertical ratios in traditional feeds. Web-based platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are still very much tied to desktop browsing and are ideal to stick with the typical 16x9 ratio. Use all the screen real estate to your advantage, and frame your videos appropriately for your targeted platform. Nothing is more skippable to a social media user than black bars or a poorly cropped video.
Reduce, Reuse, Reciprocate
Content creation can get overwhelming fast with planning and filming all sorts of concepts. Using your target audience as a guide, decide on a couple platforms that you feel would be most appropriate for your goods and services. This will narrow down your focus and reduce the amount of effort allotted to your campaign. Along the same lines, keep your videos short. Time is of the essence, and attention spans even more so. Snappy, bite sized content is most effective at combating scrolling.
Reuse content across platforms. Plan for how you can stretch a single topic/promotion across multiple posts, and get the most out of the time you spend creating.
Another aspect that Social Algorithms take into account is your engagement. The more people comment, like, and engage with your content, the higher your post is driven to the top. Try focussing posts on provoking responses from your followers. Ask questions or opinions, host challenges, and appeal to your audience. Just the same, your business should be engaging with others as well. If your account is only seen as putting content out, and not interacting with others, it is more easily dropped in the feeds. Social success is a two way-street, and reciprocation goes a long way.
Tips for Phone Cinematography
Avoid High Contrast Lighting Conditions - While newer phones have good quality imagery, an area they still struggle in is dynamic range. Shoot in evenly lit environments to achieve the best results. Avoid shooting against windows or in a mixture of sun & shadows.
Utilize Different Angles and Lenses - Just because it's a phone, doesn’t mean it's not cinematography. Use what you have to your advantage, and get creative with different points of view. If you have a wide angle lens, shooting from a low angle could be a good opportunity for showing your product in a more prominent position.
Download Third Party Apps - Some apps like Filmic Pro allow for a lot more manual control of your phone’s camera. They can exercise some more flexibility, and help your phone stand up to consumer DSLR’s. Adobe Rush and others also allow you to edit entirely on your phone.
Other Marketing Opportunities
Variety is a good way to keep people up to date on your content, and avoid fatigue from traditional advertising. Infographics spice up traditional text updates by infusing some visual appeal. Tutorials or Tips & Tricks posts help provide value that customers can take away, and establish you as a trusted source. Reining in another social media personality or influencer to review or advertise for you accesses a whole new pool of potential customers.
E7 Subscription Plans
As a company owner, it can be time consuming to devote a lot of effort towards content creation while also maintaining your business. That’s why Element 7 created our Social Media Subscription plans. We offer quarterly based plans providing you with consistent content to post to your social feeds.
We will get familiar with your business, learning the advertising opportunities and aspects you want to highlight, and collaboratively concept out a plan for creating your custom Social Media Campaign. Our crew will shoot and edit content for your selected services with our high-end equipment, taking all of the hassle out of your hands and ensuring quality. Each week we deliver to you the content for the week, and they’re yours to post however you like.
To learn more about how we can help build your Social Media Campaign, visit our Subscription page, or reach out directly. Element 7 is all about helping local businesses grow, and we’d love to get in touch.
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