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SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO CHEAT SHEET

We’ve talked a lot about the four big social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. But you may be wondering which sites are best for different purposes and how to optimize your videos for different platforms. We’ve put together a handy cheat sheet to help!

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YOUTUBE

On YouTube, it’s all about search. Posting videos to the world’s sec-ond largest search engine will increase your chances of getting dis-covered. But you’ll want to optimize your videos to get the most out of your efforts.

PLAN FOR INTENT: What are your potential customers interested in? What are they searching for? Create videos around these topics so you show up when they search.

OPTIMIZE METADATA: Make sure to use good titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords to make sure your videos show up in search.

EDUCATE: Showing up is the first step, but your videos also need to be useful. Create longer videos (2+ minutes) that share your knowledge.

Choose a thumbnail image that’ll draw viewers in and stand out from other videos.

TWITTER

Twitter is all about conversations, but Tweets only stay relevant while they’re still at the top of the feed. To make the most of your Twitter video efforts, repurpose content you already have and think quick, punchy, and relevant.

BE QUICK: Twitter videos can be up to 2:20. But since Twitter users are used to short updates, it’s best to keep your Twitter videos short too. Try 30 to 45 seconds.

BE PUNCHY: Catch people as they’re scrolling by starting your video with an eye-catching image or video clip or intriguing line of text.

BE RELEVANT: Join existing conversations and prep for events, trends, and holidays you know people will be talking about.

Use hashtags to get your videos in front of a wider audience.

FACEBOOK

With over 1 billion daily active users, no matter what product or ser-vice you’re selling, your customers are spending time on Facebook and you should be too. And video can help you drive engagement and sales.

AVOID THE HARD SELL: On Facebook, you’ll draw more engagement with content that educates, inspires, and entertains over content that is just about your product or service.

TARGET: Use Facebook Ads Manager to get your videos in front of just the right audience. Target according to location, interests, and more.

GO SQUARE: Square videos take up 78% more space in the News Feed. Create square videos to stand out and stop more thumbs as they scroll.

85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound, so plan for sound-off viewing.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram’s user base is growing rapidly and, as such, it’s becoming a must for businesses looking to get noticed. Post videos organically to your own audience, or target potential customers through Facebook Ads Manager.

THINK VISUAL: Instagram was originally just a photo-sharing app and, as such, Instagram users are used to seeing beautiful, striking images in their feeds.

KEEP IT SHORT: Instagram videos can be 1 minute, but since they loop, and viewers can’t see how long they are, it’s best to keep it under 30 seconds.

SHOWCASE A PRODUCT: Selling a visual product, like clothing or jewelry? A video ad featuring nice product shots can work well on Instagram.

Remember to set a cover image for your videos. Once published, you can’t update.