5 Helpful Tips for Optimized Social Media Marketing Videos

Bret Sears · May 18, 2023 · 6 min read

If you have been an active user of social media for years, then you have likely noticed a shift in recent years. Almost every social media platform is slowly but surely moving towards a focus on the format of shorthand video content. Facebook used to focus more on statuses, Instagram focused more on pictures, SnapChat focused more on picture and text messaging between individual users, and YouTube focused on videos of any length, even up to tens of hours.

All of these platforms, along with the introduction of TikTok in the United States, have led to a movement of shorthand video content. Social media platforms introduced “stories”, and perhaps heavily influenced by the success of TikTok, began to focus more on shorthand videos. Users can watch a wide range of content topics and explore different videos by simply swiping through an endless stream of videos. Snapchat began a feed format of video content along with a “spotlight” and pages that you can subscribe to, Facebook introduced a video feed section, Instagram introduced “reels”, and YouTube introduced “shorts” where videos are less than a minute long.

We are Movidmo, a platform providing social media video ad templates for users. In 2023, if you are not incorporating video marketing into your overall marketing strategy, then you are falling behind your competitors and likely aren’t seeing as much success from your marketing campaigns. In this article, we want to offer some tips for optimizing your social media marketing videos.

#1 Keep It Short and Sweet

Keep your marketing videos short and sweet. Get right to the point so your users know what the video is all about. It’s easy for them to “skip” your ad, exit out of it, or keep scrolling. You need to grip their attention in a matter of seconds, so make sure the content is compelling.

Here are a few questions that you can answer as you plan your short ad:

  • Is the product or service one-of-a-kind?
  • Is the offer too good to pass up?
  • Is the ad really funny or engaging in some way to get them to keep watching?
  • Is there a limited amount of time for this offer?
  • Is there a limited amount of space or available products?
  • Is the product or service something that they need?

#2 Include Subtitles or Captions

There have been multiple studies conducted that all lead to the same answer: most people watch videos without the sound on – especially ads. Not to mention, our culture is fortunately becoming more and more accessible to everyone, so you want to make sure that your video has captions for those users who are hearing impaired and don’t choose to have the sound off.

#3 Use Music with Permission

Whether you use royalty-free music or music that you have explicit and legal consent to use, you need to make sure that you are allowed to use it. Many platforms now include their own selection of free music that you can choose from, making it easier for you and allowing the platform to protect itself and its users from copyright infringement. Not only could you face legal backlash, but your video might be muted for users or even taken down as a result.

#4 Take Advantage of Custom Thumbnails

A thumbnail is the previous image that is displayed to viewers before they click on your video or right before it plays if it is playing automatically. Thumbnail images might seem like a mundane detail, but it can actually be the difference of someone watching your video or not. Create custom thumbnail images with a captivating or interesting screenshot and add a text overlay. This is a free way to add more text than the title itself, allowing you to use different words than the video title in an attempt to reel someone in.

Some example phrases are:

  • You have to see this to believe it!
  • Wait until the end of the video…
  • This product can do WHAT?
  • Don’t scroll past this offer…

Essentially, you want to peak the viewer’s curiosity just enough to get them to click, and if your video is short and sweet they won’t have to wait long to get to the point.

#5 Optimize the Video Format

Every social media platform has a different format for their videos with a different aspect ratio. For example, while YouTube videos are more squared and meant for both desktop and mobile viewing, TikTok is more rectangular and meant for mobile viewing while your phone is in your hand. You need to make sure that you do research on the proper video aspect ratios of each platform that you plan to post on, and then you need to make sure you create multiple versions of your content to optimize it for each one of those platforms.

Need Easy to Use Video Ad Templates?

Now that you know the best practices for social media video ads, all you need is a video template to get started. Check out our social media marketing video templates that are available in different sizes and formats to help you get started with your video marketing strategy. Shorthand video content is the way the world is heading. Keep your marketing efforts afloat and get on board so the ship doesn’t leave with you!

Message the Movidmo team if you have questions for us! If you click "Contact Us" at the top of our website you can access our contact form and send a message directly to our team. Someone from Movidmo will get back to you as soon as possible.

Find a video ad template, follow these tips, and open new doors with social media video ads!

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