More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, and 8 billion videos are viewed daily on Facebook. Video is one of the fastest growing media trends and marketers are taking notice.
But making the best use of video content on social media isn't restricted to just posting a video to a social stream. There are other, often overlooked, ways to leverage and utilize video on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
Here are four options to consider.
1. Add a Featured Video to Facebook
With the popularity of video on Facebook on the rise, posting videos is a smart way to increase audience engagement with posts. But don't stop there - you can also utilize video to improve the appearance of your Page as a whole.
On your About Page, add a welcome video that introduces the who, what, and why of your organization. The video will appear near the top of your Page and include a brief description and link to learn more.
To add a featured video to your Facebook page:
1.) Go to your company Facebook page.
2.) Select "Videos."
3.) Select the options to "Add Featured Video."
With the platform seeing such rapid growth in video consumption, this is an excellent way to give your audience more of what they want as they look to learn more about your company.
2. Add a YouTube Channel Trailer
Facebook may be catching YouTube in terms of video views, but the original video channel is still an important platform for engaging visual audiences.
But don't just upload videos and move on, use your Channel Settings to improve the look and visibility of your content and messaging.
You can add a Channel Trailer that sits front and center on your page - this is the perfect place to share an introductory video that gives audiences a reason to follow your channel or watch more of your videos.
To add a YouTube channel trailer:
1.) Go to your channel page.
2.) On the right-hand side of the page, select the gear icon (below your channel art).
3.) On the pop-up, toggle the button next to "Customize the layout of your channel."
4.) Hit "Save."
5) On the next page, select the tab "For new visitors."
6) Select "Channel trailer" to add the trailer. The video must already be added to your library.
You don't want audiences to watch one of your videos and move on, you want them to be interested in and engage with your channel as a whole, so they stick around and watch more of your content.
A featured trailer is a good way to show audiences why they should keep watching.
3. Add Video Sections to Your YouTube Channel Page
Another way to enhance the look of your channel page is to add sections of videos below the trailer.
Once you enable the option to customize the layout of your channel, you can add sections to channel page.
To add video section to your Channel Page:
1.) Make sure you have enabled the customize option on your channel page. (Go to your channel page > On the right-hand side of the page, select the gear icon (below your channel art) > On the pop up, toggle the button next to "Customize the layout of your channel" > Hit "Save")
2.) Hit the "Add a section" button.
3.) Choose the content and layout you would like to add.
4.) Hit the "Done' button.
When you utilize the section feature, you can add streams of videos and playlists that you've created, or you can highlight content and channels created by other users. This gives you an opportunity to make your page more engaging and to hold the viewer's attention longer.
4. Add a Featured Content Promotion on YouTube
Another way to maximize the power of YouTube is to add a featured content promotion.
When you set a featured content promotion, a small pop-up will show on your videos which promotes another one of your uploads. This is a good way to encourage your audience to watch more your content and highlight what they may have missed.
To add a featured content promotion:
1.) Go to the Creator Studio. (In the top right-hand corner of the page, select your profile photo > Select the "Creator Studio" button)
2.) Select "Channel" from the menu on the left-hand side of the page.
3.) Select "Featured content" from the menu.
4.) Hit the blue "Featured content' button.
5.) Choose to show your most recent video or select the video you would like to show.
6.) Hit "Save."
7.) From there, you can choose the options for your video. Select the display time in the video when you would like your promotion to show. Select the custom message that you would like to accompany your promo.
If you have an engaged audience already watching one of your videos, you want to capitalize on that attention. Featured videos on YouTube enable you to do that as you can promote a video that you already know your audience is interested in and keep them on the page engaging with your brand longer.
Many marketers are seeing positive results from using videos in their marketing mix. In a recent B2B Video Content Marketing Survey, 73% of respondents said that video positively impacts marketing results and ROI. From boosting social media engagement and improving organic search rankings to growing an email list and increasing traffic, video marketing is a multi-use tool that improves communication and promotion efforts in a variety of ways.
So don't leave video out of your social media marketing plans, and try out these four, often overlooked ways to bring more video in your social media marketing.
This post was originally published on Spectrio.com and was republished with permission.