11 Nov Social Media Video Updates 2020

It’s no secret that video has been increasing in popularity on social media. For business owners looking to engage their audience in new and effective ways, video is the next medium you’ll need to incorporate into your social media marketing strategy for long-term success and developing stronger connections with your followers.

How consumers and social networks use video is constantly changing, and 2020 saw some incredible updates for the possibilities of video on social media. Today, we’re focusing on two of the most recent updates coming to us in the latter half of the year — Instagram Reels and LinkedIn Stories. Before jumping into these, let’s first take a look at just how popular video is on social media!

How Popular Is Video on Social Media?

The popularity of video on social media is hard to deny, especially with the exponential growth of video-first platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

Recent research by MotionCue provides detailed insight on the latest and greatest trends in video marketing on social media. According to the report, more brands are frequently and regularly sharing video content on their social platforms, businesses are likely to keep investing in video marketing in the times to come, and video marketing offers a better ROI than many other digital marketing methods.

Some other noteworthy insights from the report that show the growing importance of social media video marketing include:

• 80% of respondents reported spending more than a quarter of their time on social media watching videos.
• 65% of those surveyed preferred YouTube over TikTok, Instagram or Facebook for watching videos online.
• 70% of surveyees believe video is the best way for brands to stay relevant in the minds of their target audience.
• 60% of respondents said they felt more connected to brands that post video content on social media.
• 80% of those surveyed claimed they won’t skip a YouTube ad if it’s relevant to them.
• Most marketers currently post brand videos on Facebook (71%), while 78% of marketers also found that videos on LinkedIn were effective in growing their business despite only 54% of marketers reporting that they post video content on the platform.
• 55% of marketers have connected with their audience through live video. From these marketers, 77% claimed live video benefitted their business.

 

Expand Your Reach with Instagram Reels

It’s likely your brand isn’t going to benefit from posting on TikTok unless your target audience is very young and trendy. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of options for posting engaging short-form video content! If your business is already on Instagram, you might want to try incorporating Instagram Reels into your current strategy.

Instagram Reels launched in August 2020 and is a feature currently available in the U.S. and 50 other countries, including the UK. Instagram users can use Reels by recording and editing 15- to 30-second long videos combined with music, audio and other effects. These videos can then be shared to an account’s Stories, the Explore Feed and the new Reels tab on an account’s profile. Instagram Reels can also be found on the new Reels Explore Feed that is part of Instagram’s Explore Page. While there is no dedicated button to access Reels on the main Instagram navigation menu right now, one is expected to be added by Instagram in the near future.

Users who scroll through Reels will see videos based on which accounts they are following, the type of content a user typically interacts with on Instagram, and a user’s location. Featured videos in the Explore section are public reels selected by Instagram to help users discover new original content.

More than just short videos, Reels takes inspiration from TikTok by relying on the integration of music and audio, which you can either import from within Instagram (if your account has the feature) or use your own audio. There are also many video editing tools and everyone’s favorite stickers often used in Instagram Stories.

So, how can you effectively use Instagram Reels to promote your business?

Instagram is already a great platform for growing your community and expanding your reach, and Reels adds another highly engaging option for reaching both current and new followers through short, easy-to-make video content.

If your business is already on Instagram, you might want to give Reels a go by trying these three methods in your strategy:

1. Embracing Authenticity — Just like Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels is also likely to create waves. Reels give businesses and marketers more options to build customer relationships by sharing more realistic and authentic content about who you or your team are and what your business values. This authenticity will shine through both for current followers and new audiences who can discover your video content through the Explore pages.
2. Being Educational — Educating your audience about topics relevant to your brand, industry or their own lives is a great way of providing valuable content online, especially when it comes to video. Instagram Reels lets you share quick, memorable information in a very concise yet engaging manner. Educational content keeps followers always coming back for more, especially with the easily shareable nature of Reels!
3. Featuring Products — Feature your products beyond just still images by showing them in action through short Reels clips! From the research we mentioned earlier, it’s clear that consumers want to see brands sharing more about what they offer through video content. Marketers aren’t yet certain how much hashtags affect the visibility of Reels, but including a few with your product reels might help Instagram know your specialty in the long run to help connect your brand with more relevant users in your target audience.

 

LinkedIn Stories: How They Work and Why You Should Use Them

LinkedIn is the business-oriented social media network for professionals and businesses who want to connect with each other. While it has been known for its job listings feature, LinkedIn is now a rapidly expanding social-focused network. Earlier this year, LinkedIn finally released its own version of “stories” (similar to those found on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat) known as LinkedIn Stories, available only on the mobile LinkedIn app. Like other “stories” features, LinkedIn stories allows users to post vertical images or short videos that go away after 24 hours.

Businesses can use LinkedIn Stories to build their brand voice and authentically connect with target audiences in both the B2B and B2C marketing spheres — especially with fun and engaging video content.

Creating LinkedIn Stories videos offers three key features, similar to other “stories” on other social media platforms:

• Maximum video length of 20 seconds (must be vertical video).
• The option to add more information with text or stickers.
• The ability to tag other users in your story using the @ symbol.

Remember that while the features of LinkedIn Stories share similarities with other social media stories, the context will be different. Keep your professional audience in mind as you create your LinkedIn Stories videos, but don’t be afraid to be personable and have fun, too.

Here are some ways to use LinkedIn Stories to your advantage:

• Repurpose Content — LinkedIn Stories give you another option to repurpose your highest quality and most engaging content with the ability to convert videos into short segments or turn images into a short video. This will cut down on redundancy and content burn-out, all while delivering your previous content to new audiences!
• Establish Industry Leadership — As a business owner, employee or industry veteran, you can use the personalized nature of LinkedIn Stories to share short videos in your own voice that establish you or your business as a leader in your industry. Hearing insight from the voice of a real person can have more impact on audiences than reading content alone.
• Behind-the-Scenes Looks — Because LinkedIn Stories are short-natured, they are a perfect opportunity to give quick behind-the-scenes looks at your daily work life to help build a stronger personal connection with your audience. You can also take a quick moment here and there to answer questions or show off new products.
• Ask Questions — Audiences don’t only want to hear your thoughts. They also want to share their thoughts with you! With a LinkedIn Stories video, you can ask relevant work-related questions to your audience of industry professionals who can share their insight with you and generate authentic discussion and high engagement.
• Be Educational (again) — Similar to Instagram Reels, LinkedIn Stories gives you and your business a chance to provide highly valuable content to your audience in the form of education. LinkedIn is a place for professionals who are eager to always be learning more about their own industry and new industries, as well. Take advantage of this to provide quick and original educational content with your video stories!

 

Start Your 2021 Social Media Strategy Now

Video marketing will continue to be an important part of social media marketing in 2021. If your business doesn’t have a video marketing strategy let alone an overall social media strategy in place, then it might be time to consider getting started! The growth of your business in the years to come will depend on it. For UK business owners looking to improve their presence online, Virtual Stacks Systems UK offers our social media marketing services, which include helping you develop a video marketing strategy! As a UK digital marketing agency, we also offer many other digital marketing services including SEO, web design and more. Contact us today to discuss your needs and how we can help!