For businesses that are publishing videos on social media, one of the most important metrics is definitely engagement. Because it tracks the response of viewers based on how long the watch and how much they interact with social media content, it is a good measure of how effective the video is and how well it is performing.
Generally speaking videos have a good track record of engaging viewers – better than any other type of content on social media. That being said there is always room for improvement, and these 5 tips will help you to improve the engagement of your social media videos:
1. Make sure the video duration isn’t too long
On the whole the attention span of the average social media user isn’t that high, so long videos are unlikely to retain viewers. That is why it is always best to create short videos that are between 1 to 2 minutes in duration and are far more likely to retain viewers till the end and then convert them with the call to action. Keep in mind that range isn’t set in stone, and for some topics and types of videos you may be able to get away with a slightly longer duration. On the other hand for some you may want to keep it under a minute.
2. Be succinct and direct
In part due to the short duration of social media videos it is best to be succinct and direct in putting your points across. It is worth keeping in mind that the majority of your viewers will decide whether to watch the rest of the video within the first 10 seconds, and by being direct you stand the best chance of convincing them to stay within that timeframe.
3. Add subtitles to your videos
Between browsers that automatically mute windows and mobile devices with the volume turned down – a large number of your viewers are likely to not be listening to your videos. That is why it is important that you add subtitles to them, to increase the likelihood of engaging viewers and getting your message across without having to rely on a voiceover. In some cases you may want to shirk convention, and use subtitles that are attractive and stand out in their own right.
4. Pose questions to your audience
If you want your viewers to respond to you – what better way than by asking them questions? Posing a question (or two) in your video can either take the place of or be used in conjunction with a call to action, and will illicit responses that will help increase engagement levels.
5. Create videos about topics that are trending
It is important to keep an eye on trends, and if possible use video capture to create videos about topics that relate to them and your business. People tend to want to join in the conversation about trends, so a video that gives them that opportunity is likely to garner a lot of responses.
Make no mistake there are a number of other factors that will influence engagement, including the video quality, topics, style, and even your overall social media strategy. As a rule of thumb you should ask yourself: Would I want to keep watching this video and is it something that I’d respond to, share, or like?
Conclusion
With the help of the tips listed above, you should put yourself on the right track – but to truly improve engagement you should also experiment, track, and learn from each and every video. At the end of the day improving engagement will ultimately lead to more conversions – so slowly but steadily moving in the right direction is a good thing for any business.