Capture Vertical Videos to Enhance Your Video Marketing Strategy

video marketing

A vertical video is essentially just a video that was meant to be viewed in the portrait mode as opposed to the landscape mode. The images in a vertical video are typically taller than they are wide. This is a break from the tradition of horizontal video formats, which have been normalized over the years by movie theaters and television screens. Initially, vertical videos were largely avoided by content creators as they did not fit the traditional aspect ratio of established motion picture formats, as a result of which blank spaces appeared on either side of the main image.

However, the growing popularity of mobile video apps such as Periscope and Snapchat have forced video creators and marketers to reconsider their stance on vertical videos. As these video apps make use of the more mobile-friendly portrait mode, vertical format videos have become more and more popular with viewers and consumers over time. Today, vertical videos are largely supported by all social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Thus, capturing and shooting vertical videos can be a good way of enhancing your video marketing strategy.

5 Reasons to Opt for Vertical Videos

1. The Ubiquity of Smartphones

Most people access social media during the spare moments of their busy day-to-day lives. People are likely to browse through their Facebook and Twitter feeds during their lunch break at work, or during their daily commute. Usually, people don’t have access to a desktop at these times. Therefore, a majority of viewers watch social media videos on their smartphones.

Mobile phones were originally designed for the purpose of making calls. As such, their default aspect ratio is vertical. Most users, therefore, watch online videos vertically, and only a few of them go for a horizontal view, even when watching a video that was meant to be watched horizontally. With this rising vertical video trend driven by smartphones, companies must start adjusting their content creation strategies in order to stay relevant.

2. Mobile Friendly Social Networks

Social media platforms spend all their time and money trying to figure out ways to engage users online for longer periods of time. As mobile phones become more and more popular, all the major social networks have designed and released apps that are mobile-friendly and come with simple yet intuitive user interfaces. If you consider for a moment, you will notice that most people hold their phones upright, in a vertical manner.

Holding the phone vertically makes it easier to type and access different features in a more natural and intuitive way. Therefore, popular mobile-optimized social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat favor vertical videos as they do not inconvenience the users in any way and do not require them to turn their phones around in order to get a full-screen view.

3. The Promise of Better Results

The best vertical videos not only offer a superior user experience but also leads to better results in terms of lead generation and conversion. Vertical videos ensure better engagement and higher viewership numbers. Digital marketing specialists claim that vertical videos are both more convenient and more attention-grabbing from the perspective of viewers, particularly those using mobile phones. This combination is precisely what a business requires for making an advertisement successful.

4. Focuses on the Important Things

Vertical videos do not leave any blank space on the screen, even when the phone is being held upright. This ensures that there are no distractions and the viewer can concentrate fully on your videos. Therefore, it’s easier to highlight your product, service, or brand while using vertical format videos. When watching this type of video, the viewer will not be exposed to any other content or comment on the screen, which might pique their interest and draw their attention away from your brand.

5. Maximum Utility for Minimum Effort

People don’t really want to put in an effort when browsing Facebook or clicking through Instagram. It is their leisure time, and they tend to prefer passive consumption over active participation when scrolling through social media. Therefore, viewers are quite likely to avoid a video completely that requires them to turn their phone around and hold it sideways for the entire duration of the video. This is why vertical videos are preferred by viewers, as they do not require any maneuvering and are simple and straightforward to watch.

In Conclusion

These are some of the reasons why you should definitely consider opting for vertical videos when it comes to creating your content marketing strategy in the future. This minor shift in your video marketing strategy will help you enhance user engagement, lead generation, and conversion rates, thus improving the profitability of your business, significantly.

Videos That Work Wonders on Social Media Platforms

social-media

Since the early 2000s, varied kinds of social media platforms have transformed the way we interact with our friends, family, and acquaintances. Various social media sites have come and gone over the years, with some like Facebook and Twitter gaining great prominence, around the world. Over time, the commercial potential of these social media websites has been recognized and harnessed by marketers and advertisers. The rise of social video marketing and other types of social media content marketing has given savvy marketers numerous opportunities to reach out to and engage with potential customers in new and interesting ways.

The Use of Video Marketing on Social Media Platforms

Almost all modern businesses use one or more social media platforms to connect and interact with their customers and other stakeholders. Social media video clips advertising new products and promoting old ones are quite common and ubiquitous. Of the various types of content available on social media, videos are some of the most popular.

Different types of content have their own audiences. However, according to social media video statistics, videos tend to generate greater curiosity, interest, and engagement amongst users when compared to simple text or audio. Videos, unlike all other forms of media, can engage both the auditory and visual senses of human beings, thus grabbing their attention completely than any other type of content.

Videos that Work Best on Social Media Platforms

There are many different types and formats of videos that businesses share on social media sites in order to generate traffic and create a buzz about their product or service. The different types of videos for social media platforms have been listed below.

Engaging and Entertaining Videos

In order to gain traction and popularity on social media, a video needs to be fun and entertaining over everything else. Now, entertainment can come in many forms and a video need not be confined to humorous or upbeat topics in order to be entertaining. A sentimental video that incites a certain emotion in the viewer positive or negative – can be quite entertaining and can help in bringing people back for more. After all, there is a reason why genres such as horror and tragedy are so popular across all mediums.

Watch Lido Live TV video production on National Night Out at The District

A social media marketing video can work based on a multitude of ideas and factors. In order to make a video memorable and attractive, businesses must ensure that the social media videos they produce have a coherent and relatable story to tell their viewers. Good production values are also a must when it comes to attracting and retaining viewers.

Behind the Scenes Videos

Behind-the-scenes videos have always been popular with viewers for one very simple reason – people love secrets and untold stories. It is a natural impulse for human beings to try and gain information that they don’t have. The more relevant that information is to their own lives, the greater the curiosity. This is why people are always interested to know how a product that they always use is actually manufactured.

Socially conscious consumers also want to know more about the policies and guiding principles of the companies or businesses that they patronize. Behind-the-scenes videos can also include interviews with long-time staff members and customers of the business. These types of social media video clips are a good way to build trust with current and potential customers.

Live Videos

Live videos are currently very popular on a variety of social media platforms. One of the major reasons for the popularity of this type of video is the immediacy and sense of urgency that they bring to the table. It is a well known fact that live videos are good at generating interest and engagement from the audience.

According to Facebook’s head of News Feed, Adam Mosseri, live videos help enhance interaction by generating six times more traffic than pre-recorded videos. This higher interaction and viewer engagement also affect conversion rates and has a positive impact on the profitability and popularity of a business. Therefore, it can be said that real-time videos are a highly effective means of audience engagement and traffic generation.

Unusual and Unique Videos

One of the indisputable facts about human nature is that we love novelty. Humans are obsessed with new ideas, styles, and execution. Not only do we like new things, we even adore new versions and presentations of old and familiar ideas and concepts. This can explain the popularity of Claus Pilgaard, who uses his passion for music to sell chili sauces on YouTube and on his website.

His unique way of advertising chili peppers through chili-tasting music videos got him fans and followers from around the world and helped his business to grow and flourish. Businesses can adopt the same approach to marketing and selling any service or product. The power of music, art, theater, recitation and all other forms of artistic endeavor can be harnessed to market and popularize a brand or product.

Instructional Videos

When it comes to choosing a type of social media video to streamline their marketing efforts, companies cannot go wrong with instructional videos and tutorials. This is because instructional videos provide real value to viewers. They teach them something that they didn’t know before, thus adding to their skills and consequently giving a boost to their self-confidence.

Everybody likes learning something new every now and then, and there is no better way to build credibility with your customer-base than to provide knowledge and information that will make life easier for the viewer. Instructional videos and tutorials are especially useful for companies selling gadgets, software, or equipment that new customers and potential buyers might not be familiar with. With a single tutorial video, you can create awareness about the product while generating social media buzz about your brand.

Conclusion

Apart from the types of social media videos mentioned above, you can also use other creative and innovative formats and styles of social media video clips to build your audience and attract a following on the platform of your choice. Consistency and innovation are two of the main ingredients that marketers need in order to build an effective social video marketing plan and successfully promote a brand, product, or service on these platforms.