Mara’s article this month focuses on online video marketing. Video has quickly become the most effective way to promote your business online, both organically and through paid advertising, and it’s expected to become even more dominant this year. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering virtually every major social media channel is incorporating video posting, video advertising and, in some cases, live streaming into their platforms. Here are some video marketing options that your business can take advantage of on five of the major social media networks.

  1. Facebook – If you’re a regular Facebook user, you’ve probably noticed a dramatic increase of videos in your newsfeed over the last couple of years. Around 100 million hours of video are now being watched on Facebook every single day. There are a few different ways your business can take advantage of this trend. The most obvious is to integrate video content into your regular posts. Video posts have a much higher engagement rate than image or text posts. Another great option is paid video advertising. Just like regular Facebook ads, video ads are incredibly targeted and trackable but generate a 135% greater reach than image-based ads. The final option is utilizing Facebook Live. This can be optimal for giving your audience an inside look at your company culture or promoting an event you have going on. Live video content is viewed 3x longer than normal video content.
  2. Instagram – When Instagram debuted video posting in 2013, it was met with a lot of skepticism. After all, the entire platform was built around posting photos. Well, it’s 2017 and not only has video caught on, it has blown away expectations. So much so that Instagram increased their maximum video length from 15 seconds to a full minute just last year. The culture on Instagram makes it the perfect outlet to develop a personality for your brand as if it were a person. Use video posts to share your story and let your audience know who you are as a business. Try to avoid being too salesy on Instagram with your posts; it’s simply not the right platform for that. Instagram also offers paid video advertising and since it is owned by Facebook, every time you place a paid ad on Facebook you can place it on Instagram for free! Why not?
  3. Twitter – Another social media giant that offers video applications is Twitter, where 82% of users watch videos on the platform. As with Facebook, Twitter videos are a great way to promote your products/services, engage with your followers and tell your brand’s story. Just as you get 140 characters when you post on Twitter, you also get 140 seconds of video. You can also run paid video ads or Promoted Videos. As with most social networks, video ads tend to perform better than images. Last month Twitter also launched their live video broadcasting capabilities. This can be utilized by your business to showcase live events and promote your company culture, similar to Facebook Live.
  4. YouTube – The most obvious social media choice for video marketing is YouTube. The platform was built for videos and has well over a billion active users. In fact, YouTube reaches more people ages 18-49 than any cable network in America. Any of your business’ original videos that you use on other networks should always be uploaded to your YouTube channel. Aside from actively uploading to your channel, YouTube also offers paid video advertising, known as YouTube Pre-Roll. These are the video ads that play before other videos on YouTube. Pre-Roll ads are highly targeted, allowing you to utilize age, gender, location, behavior and interest demographics. You only pay if a viewer clicks on your ad, watches at least 30 seconds of it or watches it to completion ensuring that none of your budget is wasted on skips.
  5. Pinterest – A growing social platform that allows you to post, or should I say “pin” your YouTube videos, is Pinterest. Of its 100 million users, 79% are female, making Pinterest one of the best social platforms available for marketing to women. Repurposing your video content for Pinterest is an easy way to drive traffic to your website or other social media pages. Just last year, Pinterest opened the floodgates for paid video marketing by unveiling Promoted Videos. Your brand can now post video demo, how-to and sneak peek ads, which are about 4x more memorable than non-video Pinterest ads. Unlike other platforms, users must actually click on your video ad to view it, giving you more reliable data for measuring impressions. Pinterest also allows you to pick six additional related pins to display under your video ad, helping you redirect users to view more of your content.

If you’re interested in boosting your business with video marketing on any of the social platforms mentioned above, give us a call at 701-478-1111 and ask to speak with a Marketing Advisor, or visit absolutemg.com/contact. We have the most experienced video team in the area and would be happy to help.