So, your company has a Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube account, but is there a common message that runs through all of your social media pages? How do you go about telling this story with video in social media?
In the video world, story is what sets film apart from a video. In video, there is a story in what is said and a story in what is shown on screen. There is a huge difference between filmmaking and capturing video. Video is what you see when you see people at their child's dance recital using their iPads to capture the moment. A filmmaker can take that same child's dance recital and shoot it in a way that tells a story, creating a video that you would want to watch whether your child was in the recital or not. To say it another way, videography is about capturing reality and filmmaking is about adding the element of fantasy. If you want to tell a story, you need to find someone who knows the difference between video and filmmaking. The next step is to figure out what videos you are going to start with.
A company introduction video is a type of video that works well on the company's website to introduce new visitors to the company. After adding the video to your company's website, it should then be rolled out to all of the social media sites, starting with YouTube and adding it to other sites from there. This video helps build the morale of employees and investors by giving them a message that they can all stand beside. It focuses on what the company is doing. It can also help you attract new talent. Remember, you have 15 seconds to get their attention, no matter the audience.
Even brands that don't usually advertise have started to find value in social media Boeing is a good example of this. The average person can't purchase anything from Boeing, but this doesn't stop Boeing from making sure that they have a strong presence on Twitter and YouTube. They know that the people in their target audience work at companies that Boeing would like to partner with. They also realize that having company brand through social media is important because the companies that they work with and the type of products they create places them in the news. They know that it is better for them to control the message now while everything is good then to try to do damage control later when there is a problem in the news. If you build a relationship with consumers in the good times, they will be more likely to stick with you in the tough times. Social media provides a great opportunity to do this. It is all about relationships - people do business with those they know, like, and trust. Video is a great way to build rapport and increase trust.
Now that you have a video, the next step is a social media plan. The video should be on YouTube. Embed that video to your company's website or consider using a service like Bright Cove to host your videos. Once you've done those steps, share your videos via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Pinterest continues to grow in popularity and now allows you to create a business account to promote content. In August of 2012, Pinterest passed Yahoo in monthly traffic.
Google is indexing content on Pinterest, which means that adding video to the site would have significant SEO benefits. You can share video on Pinterest just like you can pictures. Inside of Pinterest, create a board, titles, and pin description that includes the word "video." Make sure that you follow SEO standards and be a part of the conversation. How will your company tell a story that starts a conversation?
by Jayson Duncan
Pinterest (Photo credit: stevegarfield)