Social Media Video Content material Concepts

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TikTok, Reels, Tales, livestreams—there’s a cause why video content material is in every single place. Capturing that spotlight pays off. As much as 84% of customers say that they’ve been satisfied to purchase a services or products by watching a model’s video. Video is simply downright standard; 66% of customers say short-form video is probably the most participating sort of content material. That’s why including video content material concepts to your common brainstorming is a game-changer.

On social, video is a should. Earlier than you pursue big-budget video content material on your social technique, you want a stable plan to take advantage of that content material. Listed here are some recommendations on creating video content material for social media.

15 video content material concepts to gas your social content material calendar

Watching a clean web page earlier than you write is intimidating. The identical goes for observing a clean cellphone display screen earlier than you hit document.

You’ll be able to’t know what matters, video codecs and content material works till you begin experimenting. To get you began, listed here are 15 examples of standard video content material concepts that you need to use to encourage your personal.

1. Video listicles

Listicles are straightforward to digest and naturally pique curiosity—with or with no, “Quantity Three Will SHOCK You!” headline.

Making a video model of a listicle hooks folks in with the idea, and retains them watching—which is a stable algorithm-pleaser.

2. “Make [BLANK] with us!”

Present your viewers how your product is made, or the way to make one thing together with your product. It’s an academic second inside an immersive visible expertise.

For instance, once you see an Auntie Anne’s pretzel stand in individual, a part of the enjoyable is watching your large pretzel get made.

Their TikTok takes this a step additional, utilizing their product to create surprising gadgets, and taking viewers alongside for the experience.

3. Styling movies

From straightforward “Outfit of the Day #OOTD” posts to advanced “Making a Capsule Wardrobe” guides, styling your product in movies helps prospects envision how they might use the product themselves.

That is an particularly helpful video subject for clothes manufacturers. However it may be tailored 1,000,000 alternative ways.

4. Content material based mostly on vacation or related hashtags

Utilizing hashtag holidays is a win-win. They act as artistic prompts that information your content material. Plus, utilizing them places you on a development wave that may develop your attain.

You’ll be able to take this a step additional and let the day of the week encourage your content material. Use present ones, like #ThrowbackThursday, #MondayMotivation and #SelfCareSunday. Or, create your personal. Simply ensure the hashtag holidays you utilize are related to your model and viewers.

5. Highlight your workers

Our analysis discovered that 76% of engaged social media customers say it’s necessary for corporations to submit about their workers.

Spotlight the folks behind your organization with an worker highlight video sequence to construct belief with customers, to indicate workers you care and to draw future expertise.

This sort of video content material will be highly-produced…

A screenshot of a LinkedIn post featuring employees talking about what it's like to work at the company.

…however they may also be bite-sized and informal. At Sprout, we spotlight workers in Reels that showcase their personalities and, on this case, favourite Slack reacji.

A screenshot of a Sprout Reel highlighting an employee's favorite Slack emoji

6. New product updates

Making a video to share new updates or options of your product is a win-win-win.

It’s a win for present prospects—particularly when a brand new function was impressed by their suggestions.

It’s a win for potential prospects who can get a greater thought of how the product can match their wants.

And it’s a win for you as a result of it creates contemporary buzz round your product.

A easy product video can introduce the brand new function to create some hype…

…or it could possibly present a semi-interactive product how-to and preview.

7. Ask a query

Posing a query at the start of your video creates a pure hook. To not point out, this scores you further engagement by encouraging folks to remark with their solutions.

Degree up: Create a sequence by asking a query or questions repeatedly, like Auntie Anne’s “Would you eat this?” video content material. In the event that they do nicely, submit your sequence repeatedly to maintain folks coming again.

8. Occasion protection

Going to a convention or firm occasion? Carry your viewers together with you with video protection.

Occasion protection content material will be as deep as you need it to be. A easy visible spotlight displaying off the occasion will do. Or, spotlight learnings from a convention that your viewers want to know.

A screenshot of Sprout's Reel featuring videos taken at an event Sprout employees attended and had a table at.

Degree up: Alleviate the work in your plate—faucet coworkers who’re attending an occasion that can assist you seize content material.

9. Tour your house

Video excursions are easy-to-create low-hanging content material fruit. They show you how to join together with your viewers by giving them a peek behind the scenes.

Workplace excursions, “desk excursions” the place you exhibit your workspace, a tour of your facility (when you’re a vacation spot)—the alternatives are countless.

This video of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery is a wonderful instance of a easy but efficient location tour. One take a look at the engagements and you realize that it piqued curiosity.

A LinkedIn post by Starbucks featuring a timelapse tour of Chicago's Starbucks Roastery location.

10. “A day within the life” video content material

Day within the life content material humanizes your model by highlighting the folks behind it and exhibits your viewers totally different views and life they’re interested in.

Indiana College’s TikTok encompasses a sequence about college students finding out totally different topics on the college and what their day seems like. And it resonates—some movies on this sequence rack up tens of millions of views.

We share a peek into our workers’ days right here at Sprout, too.

A Sprout Instagram Reel featuring the day in the life of one of our employees.

Degree up: Leverage workers, college students, followers and extra who’re social savvy and have a big following. This can assist rapidly develop your attain.

11. Person-generated content material

Not your whole video content material wants to come back from you. Lean on the content material your viewers is already creating.

Person-generated content material alleviates your workload by leveraging already-made content material. And, it celebrates your viewers in a approach that builds belief—39% of customers prefer to see buyer testimonials or actual buyer demos from manufacturers they comply with.

That is particularly useful when you’re experimenting with new content material codecs, like vertical and short-form video, however don’t fairly have the technique down but.

Simply be sure you get permission to make use of their content material!

Degree up: Sew movies on platforms the place this function is out there—like on TikTok or Instagram Reels. That is one other option to piggyback on already present content material and to insert your commentary, response or response.

12. Academic or how-to content material

You’ll be able to discover ways to do absolutely anything on social media. Explainers and how-to movies are the most well-liked sort of selling video amongst manufacturers and customers. It’s so standard, TikTok shaped #LearnOnTikTok, a program to create instructional content material.

From product tutorials and course-like breakdowns or factoids, to step-by-step “how-to” movies, there are countless methods to create contemporary instructional content material. Let your creativity shine.

Use this kind of video to introduce a services or products to new audiences and assist present prospects troubleshoot or improve their expertise with the product.

13. Predictions

Prediction content material can serve totally different functions relying in your trade.

For a model like Sprout, predictions function helpful thought management that social media managers can use to assume forward.

For a sports-centric model, predictions can be utilized as a option to have interaction together with your viewers and challenge winners.

For a media model, you would possibly predict who will or is not going to get a rose on a sure TV present.

Degree up: Faucet numerous material consultants in your personal group to get their takes on a subject, like your trade or your prospects’ industries.

14. Relatable content material

What makes content material “relatable” will differ relying in your model, trade and viewers. Finally, this entails taking your viewers pursuits, habits or ache factors into consideration and creating content material based mostly on them.

For instance, Grammarly creates on-brand #relatable content material that’s related to their skilled viewers, and to their product.

This may also be impressed by the platform you’re posting on. For instance, on TikTok, social media manager-forward content material is a recurring theme no matter model—from writing software program, to language apps, to aquariums.

15. Adapt your bigger content material items

Not everybody may have time to drop the whole lot and browse a weblog submit (though I’ll take this personally.)

However everybody has time to look at a 15-second video that breaks down that weblog submit.

Break down your longer written content material items into informative bite-sized movies. These can assist you hook curiosity earlier than linking viewers to a full weblog submit. For instance, this short-form video is an intro to the full, stellar article it’s based mostly on.

A Sprout Instagram Reel featuring an employee against a colorful background wall as she describes the premise of an article she wrote about what marketers can learn from Megan Thee Stallion.

Or adapt your written items into long-form movies that give viewers two methods to devour one piece of content material.

Tricks to get probably the most out of your social media video content material

1. Create video content material that’s significant on your viewers

Within the ideation section, form your content material across the followers you have already got. Inform a narrative that can be useful, intriguing or entertaining to present followers and the audience you hope to hook.

A method to do that is to make use of beforehand profitable posts to encourage new video content material concepts.

Utilizing an analytics software, like Sprout Social, to have a look at your most profitable previous social media video content material. Sprout’s Submit Efficiency report takes the guesswork and legwork out of figuring out your top-performing posts and collects these excessive performers for you.

A screenshot of Sprout's post performance report where you can see how posts across different platforms are performing next to each other

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And take a look at the pages and weblog content material that obtain probably the most site visitors in your web site, too. Use Google Analytics to determine content material that resonates together with your viewers and drives site visitors to your web site to encourage future movies.

2. Seize behind the scenes (BTS) content material when you movie

Earlier than you movie, assume by the artistic belongings past the social media video content material itself that you may seize on set.

Think about creating quick video teasers of the place you’re going, who you’re filming, the way you arrange and extra. Then, use these belongings to intrigue your viewers and provides them a peek backstage of the artistic course of. Your BTS footage may even find yourself in future movies, just like the one under.

Life-style photographs are one other easy option to tease upcoming video content material and supply a glance behind the scenes. In Sprout’s All the time On sequence, we used chicken’s eye view photographs of our topic’s desk to present a preview of who and what was to come back.

The fantastic thing about BTS belongings is that you simply don’t want a videographer or photographer to make them look good. Use your cell phone to snap away when you’re on set.

As you put together to launch, add your whole artistic belongings to the Sprout Asset library, to maintain them organized and available for you once you’re able to schedule your BTS content material.

3. Targets, objectives, objectives

It’s not sufficient to only wish to entertain your viewers. That you must set measurable objectives upfront on your video advertising and marketing technique to grasp whether or not or not your content material is efficient.

When setting objectives, decide the place your content material falls within the advertising and marketing funnel. What do you hope to perform together with your video?

A graphic listing the stages of the marketing funnel with example goals.

When you’ve decided your high-level objectives, resolve which metrics can be your key efficiency indicators (KPIs), and set benchmarks for efficiency. There’s nobody magic metric to trace—it’s essential take a look at a number of to measure your success.

For consciousness stage content material, your KPIs is likely to be impressions, clicks or video views.

If you wish to generate demand, take into account video engagement metrics, shares or click-through price.

Unsure the place to start out? Obtain our social media metrics map for a complete information to objectives, metrics and KPIs for every stage of the client’s journey.

4. Be intentional with calls-to-action (CTAs)

You already know what you need the viewer to do after watching your video—present a pleasant further nudge with a transparent, robust CTA.

CTAs that drive conversion have a measurable consequence that ladder as much as your objectives. The important thing to an efficient CTA is that it’s straightforward to identify and intuitive on your viewers, in order that they know what the results of their motion can be.

And there’s no disgrace in placing your CTA in a couple of place—assume: your video, your social copy, and so forth.

When figuring out what CTAs to pick out, take into account the tone of your video. Is it inspirational, critical, instructional or informal? Make your CTA match that tone.

5. Make your movies accessible

Accessibility issues. There are roughly 466 million folks on this planet who’re deaf or listening to impaired. Your video, and all of your social media efforts, needs to be accessible.

This additionally advantages individuals who merely favor watching movies with the pontificate, which most customers do.

Add closed captions and different textual content to all of your video content material, GIFs and animations for everybody to take pleasure in. Most social media platforms, together with YouTube, Instagram Reels and TikTok, provide methods so as to add editable captioning and/or subtitles to movies you add.

6. Don’t neglect web optimization

When publishing social media video content material, take web optimization into consideration simply as you’d for webpages or weblog posts.

Using YouTube web optimization, for instance, can assist you get found on the platform, and on Google. And including the fitting key phrases to your captions on TikTok and Instagram can assist folks discover your content material.

Analysis and incorporate related key phrases in your title, video description, tags, captions, hyperlinks and CTAs. The key phrases ought to align together with your subject and the way folks would possibly seek for it.

Key phrase analysis instruments like Google Developments, Moz and Ahrefs will let you know what it’s essential find out about your key phrase’s search rating, how aggressive it’s and extra.

When you’ve received your key phrases and also you’re able to go dwell, use Sprout to publish video posts and enter all the mandatory data. For YouTube, particularly, publishing from Sprout ensures that later, once you’re able to report on the success of your video, the info can be mechanically pulled into your YouTube report.

A Gif demonstrating how to schedule a YouTube video using Sprout Social.

7. Analyze video efficiency

Put your knowledge analyst hat on: It’s time to speak reporting. Creating video content material can take quite a lot of time and sources—measure the return on that funding. As you analyze your metrics, use the next questions as a information:

  • What occurred? Have a look at the metrics you recognized once you set your objectives. Did you meet or exceed your objectives? Or did your video fall quick?
  • Why did one thing occur? Have a look at metrics past your KPIs to determine anomalies in your knowledge. Had been impressions or video views excessive on a selected day? Did your video efficiency begin robust and taper off?
  • What are your subsequent steps? Use your findings to form your technique. And don’t be afraid to regulate. In case your aim was to achieve 100,000 views in a single month, however after three weeks you’ve solely hit 20,000, you would possibly wish to improve your posting cadence. Faucet your model or worker advocates and request that they share your content material. And naturally, when you have a finances, take into account boosting your video content material throughout social platforms.

When your evaluation is full, create a social media report to current your findings and subsequent steps.

8. Repurpose your video into extra social belongings

The attractive factor about video is that it may be break up, shortened and reworked into one thing fully new.

Whether or not that’s a graphic quote, photographs, teaser clips, GIFs and even several types of movies (assume: YouTube movies vs. TikToks), stretch one video into extra belongings to get extra worth from one piece of content material. These sorts of belongings can oftentimes dwell past your video story, stand on their very own and be integrated into your long-term content material technique.

If, for instance, your authentic video encompasses a buyer raving about your model and product, flip these quotes right into a graphic or quick clip that may be shared independently.

Brainstorm video content material concepts that can develop your model

You understand your viewers, what they worth and what they need or want out of your model. Whether or not you will have a large finances with a full video staff, or a scrappy social staff with telephones in-hand, there’s a lot you are able to do with the movies, instruments and experience you have already got.

So put your director hat on and kickstart a stellar video technique.

Able to dive deeper into your video technique? Try our article about the way to make a social media viral video to develop the attain of your whole movies.