Many brands and content creators are struggling to stand out and effectively engage audiences on social media platforms.
With the rise of video content and the increasing importance of social search, those who fail to adapt risk becoming invisible in the crowded social media space.
Traditional content strategies are no longer enough to capture attention and drive engagement.
This comprehensive guide equips you with the knowledge and tools to create compelling social media videos that capture attention, drive engagement and achieve your marketing goals.
The way users discover and interact with video content on social media platforms, with social search at the core, has already evolved the way users interact with social content.
Unlike traditional search engines, social search algorithms are designed to surface content based on user behavior, preferences and engagement patterns within social networks.
This means social search doesn’t rely on assuming the user’s intent. The algorithm is aware of what the search is looking for.
Understanding this concept is now crucial for brands looking to maximize the visibility and reach of their videos, especially for organic content.
Dig deeper: Why video is key to building brand identity and engagement
The rise of social search brings important changes content creators must consider:
To use social search effectively, focus on producing high-quality, engaging content that encourages user interaction and aligns with trends.
Content must also be optimized, ensuring keywords and vital hashtags are included as appropriate.
TikTok is getting a lot of attention for social search due to its For You page, targeted algorithm and built-in search features, but this shift is happening on many other social platforms:
This is what is leading to the emergence of a search universe.
As audiences use different platforms at various stages, understanding the nuances of social search on each is key to tailoring your video strategy and maximizing reach.
A search universe analysis can help refine your content strategy to meet these needs.
Dig deeper: Is TikTok a search engine? Why meeting searchers’ needs matters more than semantics
Creating successful social media videos goes beyond just producing engaging content.
It requires a comprehensive approach that aligns with your overall business goals and target audience.
Let’s explore how to develop a holistic video strategy that sets you up for success.
Before you start creating videos, define what you want to achieve.
This will depend on how your audience is engaging with the platform and their expectations alongside what you are trying to achieve within your strategy.
It’s likely you are trying to achieve one of the following:
Clearly defined goals will guide your content creation and help measure success.
Understanding your audience is crucial for creating content that resonates.
By analyzing demographics and psychographics, you can create specific personas to identify which platforms will help you reach different audience groups.
Once you know your audience, choose the platforms that match their preferences and content goals.
Each platform has unique features and audience expectations, so pick the ones that best align with your strategic objectives. For instance:
To find out where your video content should appear, use GLIMPSE to see which platforms are popular for your topic.
Here is a look at the “Channel Breakdown” from within Google Trends (Supercharged with Glimpse).
I’ve searched for “Hyrox Workout” and as you can see, Glimpse has identified that this topic is indexing favourably on Instagram and TikTok.
This could inform the platforms I choose to create content on in various ways.
I could decide to join the Red Ocean on these popular platforms (after all, that is where the conversation is already popular) or grow the conversation on a separate channel (I think YouTube and YouTube Shorts would be a great choice).
Your video content should be a cohesive part of your broader brand strategy.
Crafting a cohesive brand presence across your content strategy is essential for building recognition and developing trustworthiness.
For social content, make sure your videos consistently reflect your brand’s voice and values.
Use a unified visual style with consistent colors, fonts and design elements, but don’t stress over minor deviations. The key is to keep it clear that it’s your brand communicating.
A good tactic is to develop recurring series or themes that align with your brand identity. This will create a sense of familiarity and anticipation among your audience, a reason to click the notification icon to “On.”
JD Sports does this well on its YouTube channel by collaborating with content creator Chunkz and other influencers.
They create a series of videos that connect with their audience, building brand loyalty and encouraging users to subscribe to their channel.
As you create content for different platforms, aim for a consistent experience across your messaging and styles.
Consider collaborating with influencers and content creators. Encourage your community to contribute. Just make sure the content aligns with your brand.
A well-rounded video strategy will help you produce engaging content that achieves meaningful results for your brand.
Creating compelling social videos involves three key stages:
Each phase plays a crucial role in crafting content that resonates with your audience and aligns with your strategy.
The key to successful video creation is balancing quality with efficiency.
With experience, you’ll create a workflow that helps you consistently produce engaging content, meeting audience expectations and including what’s needed in each piece.
For social media content, you can reuse and repurpose material from YouTube, podcasts, webinars and public speaking events.
Extract key insights from your long-form content to create engaging snippets and teasers for social media.
This strategy was adopted by Steven Bartlett in his Diary of a CEO podcast and popularized as the “Gary Vee” method after marketer Gary Vaynerchuk brought it to the mainstream.
Tools like Canva and Wistia, along with new AI tools, can automatically find highlights in your content. This lets you quickly create multiple social media pieces by repurposing your existing content.
In Wistia, go to the Video Editor, click Highlights and it will do the work for you. Canva provides a similar feature.
Maximizing your video’s visibility in social search is essential for reaching a larger audience and boosting engagement.
We can borrow a lot from traditional SEO tactics here and repurpose them for social search.
To optimize your video content:
While optimization is key, prioritize creating high-quality, engaging content. Balancing optimization with authentic value for viewers will lead to the best results.
Just like with traditional SEO, focus on building relationships with your audience, not just algorithms. Prioritize the user experience!
Not seeing the results you expected?
Editing content used to be difficult, especially on TikTok, often requiring a fresh start.
Now, platforms are adopting a “fail fast, test and learn” approach, making updating and improving content easier.
TikTok, for example, now allows you to “Delete and Re-Edit” instead of just deleting your content, a feature YouTube has offered for a while.
This allows you to head back into your drafts, find the content and edit away, ensuring you can optimize your content and republish.
This is a game changer for that test and learn approach and should better enable creators to optimize for social search on the platform.
You must understand how your content performs to refine your content strategy and maximize impact.
Track the right metrics and interpret data effectively to improve and achieve better results.
KPIs can vary by brand and strategy, but here are some important ones for social search content:
Use metrics to guide your strategy, but balance quantitative data with qualitative feedback from your audience. This approach helps create content that resonates and achieves your goals.
Let’s see these principles in action with a real-world example from the beauty industry.
@jaderainbeauty Stop struggling with red lips! These tricks help me get a perfect pout every time. Did you know you have 2 lip lines? Lip color Red from Graftobian Best lip brush ever Lip Dagger from Bdellium #lipsticktutorial #lipstickhack #lipstickhacks #redlipstick #redlips ♬ original sound – jaderainbeauty
All of this helped the video earn a search highlight feature for “how to apply lipstick” on TikTok.
Video content is a powerful tool for connecting with audiences and achieving marketing goals in today’s social media landscape.
By embracing the strategies outlined in this guide, you can create impactful content that resonates with viewers and drives results:
Remember, successful video content prioritizes audience needs while aligning with your brand’s objectives.
As you implement these strategies, stay adaptable and open to emerging trends. The social search landscape is ever-changing and your ability to evolve with it will be key to long-term success.
Dig deeper: How advertisers can capitalize on vertical video
