How to Leverage Social Media for Your Video Promotion

9 Ways to Leverage Social Media for Video Promotion

Check out these essential tips for promoting your video on social media. Of course, step 1 is to make sure that you’re on social media! 

1. Be an Attention Seeker

People won’t watch your video unless you grab their attention right off the bat.

Begin with the thumbnail image. Remember, regardless of the social media platform, people have to want to watch. Give the thumbnail some flare.

For example, it’s known that a close-up image of a smiling person making “eye contact” can encourage clicks.

From there, you need to focus on your first three seconds. In this meager timeframe, someone decides if your video warrants further watching. Make it compelling viewing to give yourself the best chance of views.

2. Broadcast Live

Live streaming is a different animal altogether.

Remember, your followers are notified as you go live. Broadcasting for a longer period of time gives you a better chance for people to see, share, and engage with your video.

20% of all Facebook videos are live and live videos are watched for 3 times longer than normal ones. Why not go live during filming for your video? Or during the production process? Or simply to talk about how awesome it is?

Leverage the popularity of live video to help market yours.

3. Think About Sound

All videos need sound, right?

Wrong. Seriously, a massive 85% of Facebook videos are watched without it.

That might appear strange at first. But consider how often you browse social feeds on your mobile in public spaces. Oftentimes the situation requires silence.

This fact can have several implications for your videos. For instance, no sound means one less job in the production process. It also means your visuals become far more important.

Consider subtitles too.

If your video relies on speech, for example, you can rest assured that people can and will still engage with it when browsing in silence. Not just that though — it becomes accessible to anyone with hearing impairments, which suggests and promotes the inclusive nature of your brand.

4. Help Users Find it

Social media isn’t just social.

These days the various platforms function as search engines too. For instance, even in 2012, Facebook claimed that it received over one billion search queries every day.

This means you should optimize your videos for search. Try to include keywords, phrases, and relevant hashtags wherever possible in your video’s headline and description.

That way it’s far more likely to show up in search results on social media.

5. Pin It to the Top

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to pin items to the top of pages and profiles.

Do it with your video!

Obviously, the more you post, the busier your pages get. Inevitably, items get lost in the process. But pinning your most important posts prevents this from happening and increases engagement as a result.

For example, one such Twitter experiment showed 3 times more engagement compared to other posts.

6. Make it Shareable

What makes a video go viral?

Usually, it isn’t anything to do with luck. Instead, a common thread is that they tell a story and spark emotion. Your video has every chance of success on social media if you can do the same.

Remember those first 3 seconds. Telling a story, sparking curiosity, and eliciting emotion might seem impossible in that timeframe. But take inspiration from the example of Vine.

Those guys have 6 seconds to make a shareable video. If they can do it, so can you!

7. Know Your Audience and the Platform

There’s a wide array of social media platforms on which to promote your video.

It’s your job to know which one(s) will have the greatest ROI for your promotional efforts. And that comes from knowing your audience. They go hand in hand.

Think about it.

Your B2B video about a complex niche topic may be perfect for promotion on LinkedIn but might fall short on Facebook. But the opposite’s probably true for your hilarious cat video.   

Knowing your audience helps you select your social media platform. Knowing your platform helps you understand your audience.

8. Ask For a Helping Hand

Don’t forget to ask for help.

Obviously, there’s nothing special with this advice! But make the most of the tools at your disposal.

Remember that social media’s a marketer’s best friend because it’s exactly that: social.

Post the video on your personal and business profiles and actively request shares from people. Tag friends and colleagues, incorporate the video into your email marketing; talk about it at networking events.

Wherever possible you should actively ask for views and shares.

9. Pay to Promote It

Changes to social media algorithms have made it difficult to get organic engagement nowadays.

Instead, it’s often necessary to put some ad-spend behind your posts. If you’re on a budget then you might balk at this idea. But the ROI on paid social media ad campaigns can be worth it.

Think about it: there are 2.23 billion people on Facebook every month.

That means there are a ton of daily posts for your video to stand out. But it also means masses of potential viewers if you target your ad effectively.

Time to Hit Pause

There you have it: how to leverage social media for your video promotion.

Social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your video. However, it requires a certain level of know-how to do well.   

Grabbing attention, going live, considering sound, optimizing for search, pinning the post, telling a story, knowing your audience, asking for help, and paying for promotion are all ways to leverage social media in your interest.

Hopefully, these tips have provided you with what you need to be successful!

Now we’d like to hear from you! Which social media platforms are you considering for your video promotion and why? Let us know in the comments!

And be sure to read about our video production services and get a free quote!