Why Your Brand’s Going MIA

Are you still hesitant when it comes to creating video content? What if I tell you social platforms favor video, would that push you to start filming? “The reason why short videos are so popular is the instant gratification they provide – a quick-fix of content wherever you are – in the dentist’s waiting room, on your lunch break at work, standing in line at the store, or relaxing on your sofa in the evening.” (outbrain.com)

WHY CREATE

• Video content tends to generate higher engagement than photo or text posts.

• Many social media algorithms prioritize videos, making it more likely to appear in feeds.

• According to a HubSpot report, short form video provides the highest ROI compared to other digital marketing.

• Short form is quick, easy, and inexpensive to make.

HOW TO CREATE

• Objective

  • Don’t just create a video to create a video. What do you want to achieve?

  • brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, generate leads, boost social engagement

• Audience

  • Who is your primary audience? If they’re in the younger demographic try some fun trends (see the next section). If they’re in the older demographic maybe keep it to the facts with less frills.

• Orientation

  • Vertical is your best bet. While you can upload horizontal videos on almost any social media platform, there are some drawbacks. If you plan to upload to Instagram, this will shrink your video down to fit their dimensions and it doesn’t allow rotation if you turn your phone horizontally.

• Lighting

  • Make sure you’re filming either near a window for bright, natural light or turn your overhead lights on. Try to avoid any harsh shadows by using two light sources from opposite directions.

• Audio

  • While using your phone’s microphone is fine, you may still want to invest in a lavalier microphone to help avoid any background noises being picked up. They’re an inexpensive alternative to a podcast microphone and are much more portable if you like to film while “in the wild”.

• Text

  • To contrast the audio point, make sure you add text overlays and include a good description because not everyone remembers headphones when in public. This way they can be courteous by muting their phone and still know what’s going on in your video.

• Stability

  • Avoid shaky footage, you don’t want to make your viewers sea sick. Grab a ring light with a phone clip or a simple phone stand (there are many in our industry).

• Length

  • Technically short form videos range from 5 - 90 seconds long, think bite-sized, with the sweet spot being around 30 - 90 seconds. (wyzol.com)

WHAT TO CREATE

• Product Features

  • What problems can your product(s) solve?

  • What are your cool new products?

  • Have something that has many or unique features? Show your audience how it works.

• Unboxings

  • People are nosey and unboxings are a way to capitalize on that. (I love unboxings.) If you received samples or are creating a kit or sample box, share it! Take each product out, state what it is, why it was picked, and some vertical market ideas.

  • A spin on unboxings are “what’s in my bag?” videos. Grab your purse, gym bag, carry-on, whatever you have some promo in and go through it just like an unboxing.

• Usage

  • PromoCorner has done a ton of these videos over the years and they’re always popular. Help your clients think outside the box by sharing different markets a product can be used for and show them being used in different lifestyle settings.

• Trends

  • There are a few ways you can do trends, either use trending audio, trending video styles, or trending products. Just scroll TikTok or Instagram to find some amazing promo peeps leading the way.

WHERE TO CREATE

• Facebook

  • This is still the #1 platform for the promotional products industry so be where your audience is.

• Instagram Reels

  • Instagram has always been an aesthetic app so make your Reels look just as pleasing to the eye.

• TikTok

  • The first few seconds are key so make your hook a good one - surprise, humor, intrigue.

• LinkedIn

  • Video is fastly growing on LinkedIn with it being a priority in their algorithm.

• YouTube Shorts

  • YouTube is an OG video hub so if you want one place to house all your videos that you can easily divide into playlists, this is your spot. Then just grab the link and email, text, or post it on other social platforms.

• X (Twitter)

  • This is actually one of the least used platforms for video marketing. But if you want to try to make momentum, go for it!