So far, we’ve spent enough time explaining how important it is to include native Facebook™ video in your content marketing mix. We’ve also shown how effective a video is, compared to other forms of content, in engaging followers and keeping your page active with lots of comments and shares. Today we want to show you what types of videos you should post.
How to Make a Video for Facebook™
One thing is certain: it has to be 100% original content, created and developed by you specifically for Facebook™. “Hey, but I don’t know how to make movies!” Sure you do. You have a smartphone with a good camera which can record in high quality. There are dozens of apps for video editing available on Google Play and Apple’s App Store. All you need to do is find a topic, be inspired and create a video following these simple rules:
- Have motion in it during the first 2 seconds
- Keep it short (under 3 minutes)
- Include a catchy call to action at the end
- Save it in one of the formats supported by Facebook™.
So today we will focus on this key aspect: what type of videos are most engaging and have the potential to go viral and create more awareness for your brand? If you scroll down through your Facebook™ timeline, you will see various sorts of videos: newsflashes, funny videos, how-to videos, inspirational videos and even live videos. All of these are popular but, for the purposes of building your brand and attracting customers, these are the most engaging types of videos:
1. Time-Lapse Videos
Time lapse is a video technique of combining different static images showing the making of a certain product, such as a drawing starting with the first lines through to the finished image. Time lapse is a great way of creating a short and engaging tutorial video, for example demonstrating the way your products should be used, or the classic before/after image with clients using your product.
It is very easy to create a time lapse video using a dedicated mobile app, such as Lapse It, available for free both on the App Store and on Google Play.
2. Stop Motion Videos
Do you remember the flip-books you had as a child where the images became animated when you flipped through the pages really quickly? This is the same kind of effect achieved by stop motion videos. They are entertaining, fun to make and to watch, and are very effective on Facebook™ if you want to make a quick presentation of a product, share an inspirational story in a few frames and send out your call to action in a creative way.
You can create your own stop motion videos on Vine for free.
3. Photo Montage Videos
These kinds of videos are very popular when your Facebook™ page or your business has reached specific milestones and you want to share with your followers how you got there. An application such as Flipagram uses photos shared on your page along the time and combines them into a visually appealing and engaging video, with great transition effects and sounds.
4. Live Videos
Sit down comfortably, face the camera and address your followers directly through a Live session. This is one of the best ways to engage with your audience on Facebook™: creating a live Q&A session – a mini-webinar, so to say. As your followers type in questions, you answer them, include them in your original message and create an amazing experience for everyone attending your Live video session. For maximum impact, announce it a few days ahead of time and remind your followers to get ready with their questions 24 hours before you host the show.
In these simple ways, you can create exciting and engaging videos which will be watched and shared by many people and will create a lot of traffic on your Facebook™ page.