How to Optimize Video Content for Social Media

Video content has always been popular on social media, but in recent years it has really grown to dominate our feeds. If you’re looking to grow your business or bring more awareness to your brand, video has to be an integral part of your social media strategy. But while everyone is doing video, not everyone is doing it well. Don’t let your video content get lost in a crowded feed. AJI Media can help you create optimized video content for your social channels to boost engagement and drive conversions.

Get to Know Video on Each Platform

Video content for social media is not one-size-fits-all. Each platform will have guidelines and best practices, and certain content performs better on some platforms than others. Get to know these and keep them in mind as you plan video content. As part of building a social media strategy, track video analytics on your social media pages to see what kind of content is performing best for you on each platform. When you work with a video production company, they’ll be able to take your raw footage and adapt it to different concepts and formats.

Choose the Right Aspect Ratio

Different devices and different platforms display videos differently. If your video content is not sized correctly, your audience won’t be able to see it clearly and your message will get lost. Luckily, there are a couple of standard aspect ratios that most platforms use. Horizontal videos, like you would see on YouTube or Facebook, are formatted in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Anything shot vertically (typically on a smartphone) is set at 9:16 – think Instagram Stories or TikToks . If you anticipate your content will primarily be seen by mobile users, try using a 1:1 (square) aspect ratio. Square video formats will almost never be cropped in previews on mobile devices. Your video production team can help you shoot and format your videos for each platform so they look polished, and your audience can see what you want them to see.

Make Videos That Work Without Sound

Most social media platforms start automatically playing videos without sound as a user scrolls past them in their feed. Don’t rely on users stopping to turn on their volume to convey your message—an image without any context is unlikely to grab their attention. Add captions, titles, and other visual elements like infographic so your video is just as informative without sound as it is with sound. Video editors can help add attractive, informative text and graphics to your videos to keep users engaged even with their volume off.

Be Concise

You have a very short window of time to make users stop and watch your video instead of continuing to scroll. You need to get their attention quickly and keep it, whether with captions that get users invested without ever having to turn on their sound or with an eye-catching thumbnail. The longer your video plays, the more viewer drop-off you are likely to see. The appeal of social media is a constant carousel of new things to see and engage with. Don’t take up any more of a users’ time than you absolutely must—get your message across to them before they can become bored and checkout. An experienced video production team will understand how to take your ideas and translate them into video content that is tight, visually appealing, and gets to the point.

AJI Media is a full-service video production company serving the Greater Philadelphia area. We understand the ins and outs of creating video content for all social media platforms. Let us help you create stunning videos that will get results. Get a Quote today.