Video micro-content might have seemed like content
marketing’s embarrassing little brother at some point — cute yet
inconsequential. But times have changed. As smartphone use has ballooned and
attention spans have narrowed, creating entertaining clips around a brand’s
products or services is becoming increasingly common.
At the same time, success isn’t guaranteed. In a recent 2015
outlook, marketing firm MillwardBrown noted that only the most savvy brands
will excel at video micro-content.
“Ads on these platforms must be immediately captivating and
entertaining, as consumers on these sites expect creativity,” the firm wrote.
Related: 4 Tips for Hiring a Great Video Production Company
With that in mind, here are five elements any winning
clip-based video campaign should prioritize this year.
- Determine the platform
In this post, we’ll focus on three popular video
micro-content platforms: Vine, Instagram and Tout.
Admittedly, the word “popular” is something of an
overstatement. The Content Marketing Institute recently reported only half of
B2C marketers, and one out of every four B2B marketers use Instagram.
Meanwhile, just one-fifth of B2C marketers and one-tenth of B2B marketers use
Vine.
Thus, opportunity awaits marketers who are willing to carve
out a niche in this space.
Vine is Twitter’s answer to video micro-content and features
looping six-second clips brands can use to tell a concise story. In one recent
animated Vine from Samsung Mobile US, the company’s Gear S wearable smartwatch
takes on the big city:
Instagram is likewise affiliated with social networking
behemoth Facebook and permits videos up to 15 seconds. In 2014, Adidas and
Champs Sports paired up to make a successful multi-part video series for
Instagram called #adicolorTV, which featured professional athletes, rappers and
more.
Finally, Tout continues to enjoy a fan following among
individuals, celebrities and news media. The Wall Street Journal, for one,
actively creates and shares short video clips (up to one minute) from Central
Park to Shanghai.
Related: How to Effectively Use Advertising in Online Videos
To choose which of these three platforms makes sense for
your audience, spend time on each platform. Review innovative campaigns such as
those above to assess factors such as clip content, length and positioning. In
many cases, it makes sense to try each platform simultaneously to determine
which will resonate best with your target viewership.
- Craft winning content
Once you identify which platform(s) to use for your next
micro-content video campaign, decide what type of content you should create.
For short video bursts, humor works extremely well, noted
panelists at a recent Reel Summit video marketing conference.
Also consider the audience you’re targeting. Younger
consumers who haven’t yet made up their mind about your brand are probably much
more willing to share a gag clip or visually compelling montage than older
consumers who simply got an Instagram profile to see photos of the grandkids.
Meanwhile, if you take the news angle popular among some
Tout users, offer to take viewers behind the scenes of your brand. Do you build
widgets? Show off the widget factory or do a mini interview with someone who is
integral to the process of creating your products.
- Capture artfully
Take advantage of the editing suite at your disposal. All
three platforms enable users to record video in chunks as opposed to a single
block of video. That permits brands with the appropriate time and resources to
create innovative stop-motion animation in addition to plain old video. Clips
can be rearranged and tightened as needed.
Be sensitive to the background in your video as well as
sound. Vine recommends users try headphones with a built-in microphone to
capture audio that isn’t full of clutter. It also advises tripods for
high-caliber clips, though the beauty of shooting video with any of these three
platforms is the ability to quickly capture and turn around content for a
mobile audience.
If your brand has a video studio and the right connections,
getting celebrity users of your products or services to participate in a
campaign might be a real possibility. Do a little leg work and you might be
rewarded with viral content at a lower cost relative to other channels.
To quote Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg: “If you look in
the future a lot of the content that people share will be video. It’s just very
compelling.”
- Disseminate effectively
Another benefit of producing video micro-content is the ease
with which brands and consumers can share the content. Instagram offers some
basic-but-great guidelines for effective distribution: including:
Always use hashtags when posting content to the web
Use a compelling cover photo to anchor any packaged micro
video content on your respective platform
Bblend video with other media you already produce, including
photos, to create a seamless brand message?
Use in-house events or trending topics to frame content
creation and improve the odds it will be shared?
Tout adds that text overlays and narration can add context
to clips. After all, we’re more likely to share content that we can easily understand
and appreciate.
Related: Determining the Right Kind of Video for Your
Message
- Plan ahead to win
As with any brand marketing strategy, planning is the key to
finding success. Do the research to know your audience and then be proactive
about working video into your content calendar, advises contributor John
Rampton.
Also remember organic video isn’t the only option available.
For 2015, Twitter has announced paid solutions for marketers who want to
distribute clips on a cost-per-view basis.
Remember: Short video sells, and with 1 billion smartphones
expected to be sold by this year, it makes sense to get all your creativity in
front of that captive audience.
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243465
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243465
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