How & Why to Use Video in Your Social Selling Strategy

Social media has without end modified the way in which we market by giving us a strategy to construct actual relationships with the folks we’re advertising to. With video now so shareable, it must be a necessary a part of everybody’s social promoting technique.

In any case, video is likely one of the best methods to fast-track these relationships as a result of it mimics a two-sided dialog and helps folks really feel like they actually and really know you.

There are a number of methods to include video into social promoting methods, and everybody does it just a little bit otherwise. Since video performs a giant function in my social promoting, you’ll get a peek into my course of.

To present you much more concepts on how one can implement video in your social promoting technique, I linked with consultants who use video repeatedly. With that in thoughts, let’s dive in.

What’s social promoting?

First, let’s speak about what it’s not. Social promoting shouldn’t be social media advertising. It’s not about creating posts in hopes they go viral. And it’s definitely not about promoting on social channels.

Very like “conventional” advertising and gross sales efforts, the actions I simply talked about are what drive folks to you or your corporation. Social promoting is what you do after they’re conscious of you.

As an alternative, social promoting is de facto about constructing relationships and nurturing them on social media, typically constructing a way of neighborhood and connection. As to the place they happen, social promoting efforts would possibly occur in a extra public “venue,” like on public accounts on TikTok, Fb, Instagram, or LinkedIn, however simply as typically, social promoting occurs in a DM.

And, proof of social promoting working isn’t merely anecdotal. Of firms utilizing social promoting, 61% expertise income progress, and gross sales professionals shut 40-50% extra new enterprise with social promoting.

How can video play into your promoting technique?

Now, let’s speak video — particularly, why video is so efficient.

I touched on this above, however video considerably enhances the know-like-trust issue. It permits folks to really feel like they know you, which is completely vital in right this moment’s world, the place it looks like everybody has an agenda on-line.

Listed below are just a few stats that illustrate the ability of video in social promoting:

• Video generates 66% extra certified leads. (G2)
• 78% of viewers eat video content material on a weekly foundation. (G2)
• 89% of individuals have purchased services or products after watching a video. (Wyzowl)

In terms of utilizing video in social promoting, authenticity issues.

The place most advertising movies are typically extremely produced, social promoting movies are about serving to folks get to know you. Specializing in being actual and genuine helps them resolve if, how, and when to have interaction with you. Most manufacturers don’t want extremely polished movies, particularly in social promoting, however they do want to return throughout as succesful and genuine.

Skilled tip: Haley Grey grew her Fb group, Ladies’s Entrepreneur Community, to greater than 76,000 members and used it to construct her digital advertising enterprise pipeline with social promoting methods that embody video.

“Social promoting movies want to indicate that you simply’re an actual individual. Nevertheless, it is advisable to watch out in curating that ‘actual individual’ you current. There’s a humorous dichotomy of being genuine, however not too genuine,” Grey shared.

Dwell vs. Pre-Recorded Social Promoting Movies

There are actually three classes of social promoting movies that you simply would possibly publish on-line: dwell, pre-recorded, and produced.

I’ve touched on the concept that produced movies might not be as efficient for social promoting as a result of they take away from the “actual” issue. As a result of social promoting is normally about constructing relationships, folks wish to get to know the actual individual behind the enterprise, so when you go the produced route, it’s a good suggestion to nonetheless prioritize genuine storytelling.

However do you have to go dwell, or do you have to pre-record social promoting movies?

There are a number of things that go into this choice:

• Your schedule. Can you go dwell at a constant time, and is {that a} time when your viewers is almost definitely to observe your dwell video?
• Your viewers. What sort of content material are they almost definitely to eat and recognize?
• Your consolation stage. Are you comfy going dwell and placing your self on the market, unedited and unfiltered? Would you favor to get an opportunity to do a number of takes and edit issues?

Skilled tip: Grey shares, “Typically I’m going dwell, however extra typically today, I’m doing pre-recorded video, so I’m not having to indicate up on digital camera each single day.”

She goes on to share that along with pre-recording and scheduling content material, this method permits her to take essentially the most attention-grabbing snippets and audio clips and publish them on different platforms.

As for me, I discussed on the high of the publish that movies play a giant function in my social promoting technique.

Dwell movies work finest for me as a result of I don’t obsess over getting the take good. If I mess up, it’s a part of the attraction of being dwell on LinkedIn and Fb, and it provides to the “actual” issue.

Discovering Your Groove With Frequency

Some folks publish social promoting movies each day, others as soon as per week, or at totally different frequencies. How typically do you have to create these movies? Nicely, once more, that depends upon a wide range of components:

• Your bandwidth. Can you publish movies each day? Or is as soon as per week extra sensible?
• Content material size. Do you all the time wish to publish long-form movies which can be quarter-hour or longer? Or are you open to publishing totally different lengths?
• Your targets. Are you on the lookout for speedy progress? Are you trying to construct your pipeline?

Whereas, at occasions, I’ve gone dwell extra ceaselessly, I discover that after per week tends to work finest with my schedule.

Public vs. Direct Message

Most social promoting movies are public or public-adjacent (for instance, in a Fb or LinkedIn group), the place a number of folks can see them. Nevertheless, you may additionally wish to use video in social promoting to create customized movies utilizing instruments like BombBomb, Dubb, or Loom.

Skilled tip: Kali Bennett, proprietor of The Waterworks: Spa. Sauna. Swim., says, “We go dwell periodically to assist folks get to know us, however we’ve had much more success utilizing customized movies in our gross sales course of to stroll folks by means of the precise merchandise and choices as a substitute of simply sending out quote after quote.”

Bennett goes on to say that these customized movies are the subsequent smartest thing to face-to-face gross sales and are particularly efficient for distant leads and purchasers.

Constructing Your Technique

Nevertheless you resolve to make use of social promoting video, it’s necessary to grasp what’s going to construct essentially the most belief along with your viewers and present up persistently.

Skilled tip: Lori Highby, founder and CEO of Keystone Click on, says that social promoting movies for B2B audiences have to give attention to including worth on your viewers with instructional and entertaining content material.

“In my expertise, the continuing social proof of your experience by means of constant beneficial content material will change the gross sales dialog and in the end expedite the gross sales course of. It’s typically a long-game technique, however undoubtedly well worth the funding,” says Highby.

It’s necessary to acknowledge, too, that though you could be specializing in a selected channel or group, your social promoting movies might help you get a heck of quite a lot of mileage along with your different social promoting efforts — and sure, your advertising efforts, too.

How? By repurposing your movies into infographics, shorter movies, emails, blogs, and even these social media posts you hope will go viral, you should utilize your social promoting movies to gasoline extra of your on-line presence.

Skilled tip: Elaine Turso of You Can Automate shares, “We educate our purchasers that by investing simply 20 minutes in recording. We will create content material that retains their viewers engaged for a complete month. It’s not nearly producing content material. It’s about maximizing its potential, and we’re seeing unbelievable returns each step of the way in which.”

How one can Make a Video for Social

Whether or not you’re publishing social promoting movies every day, weekly, or at another frequency, the method for going dwell and pre-recording your content material is far the identical. To that finish, it seems related when you’re creating customized movies like Bennett and her group do — you merely focus extra closely on personalization.

Under, I’ll stroll you thru my course of for a dwell video about utilizing video for social promoting (how applicable!).

Select a social platform.

The place does your viewers hang around most? The place do you will have the most important presence? For my social promoting movies, I focus totally on LinkedIn and Fb, though I typically republish movies to YouTube and Instagram. Some streaming platforms can stream dwell to Instagram, however there are just a few hoops to leap by means of.

In search of assist selecting a platform? Right here’s a information from one among HubSpot’s social promoting posts:

Picture Supply

Select a video sort and the way you’ll publish it.

I discussed above that I want going dwell as a result of it takes away the strain to get it excellent. And, though most platforms have some sort of built-in video streaming function, I like going dwell in a number of locations on the identical time, so I primarily use Streamyard or Restream.

Collect your notes.

I all the time jot down notes within the Apple Notes app or in a separate Google doc. I don’t script issues out, as a result of movies the place somebody is studying typically lack character. As an alternative, I create bullet factors so I can speak by means of them and keep comparatively targeted. I additionally create them in order that they really feel like pure speech patterns.

These notes additionally typically make an awesome basis for “present notes” that I add to YouTube uploads or blogs I create with the video.

Write your description.

Whether or not you’re streaming dwell or publishing a pre-recorded video, many streaming apps ask you to title your video and supply a quick description. Having that prematurely makes it simpler to plug and play whenever you’re able to dive in.

Right here’s mine:

Arrange your stream.

To do that in Streamyard, log in and click on on Create.

Choose your stream sort.

Since I normally go dwell or sometimes stream a pre-recorded video, I typically choose Dwell stream. For those who’re recording forward of time, you’ll be able to select Recording.

If you wish to pre-record and probably chop your video up into a number of shorter movies, you don’t have to make use of a streaming service. You may report these movies with any of your favourite apps, like Zoom, Periods, and even Loom, and edit them nonetheless you want. CapCut is a well-liked modifying instrument.

For those who’re utilizing Streamyard on your recording, most of the steps beneath might be related. Simply skip forward to “Do a fast tech examine.”

Choose the kind of video, select your channels, and enter your description.

Then, choose whether or not you’re streaming dwell (studio) or streaming a pre-recorded video, and choose the locations you wish to stream to.

Right here, you’ll see I’ve chosen my Fb web page, LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel. I’ve entered my description from above.

Schedule your video “occasion.” (elective)

Now, if you would like folks to observe you reside, scheduling an occasion forward of time and welcoming them is a good suggestion. Since I’m going dwell repeatedly, I normally reserve this for interviews or dwell launches once I’m launching a proposal or a cohort of my course.

This normally entails pre-scheduling an occasion and welcoming folks in. To begin right here, click on the “Schedule for later” checkbox.

Customise on your channels (elective) and create your dwell stream.

Right here, you’ll be able to customise on your totally different channels or simply go forward and create your dwell stream.

Do a fast tech examine.

Make certain your mic and video are working. Then, double-check your lighting and background. Make certain your face is centered on the display screen.

Add any audio system to the stage.

For those who’re the one one talking, click on your video so as to add your self to the stage. For those who’re internet hosting a panel or interview, then be certain your visitor(s) are entered, too.

Want to ask a visitor? For those who schedule prematurely, you’ll be capable to snag a hyperlink. In any other case, you’ll be able to present them the hyperlink whenever you dive in by clicking the Invite button on the backside of your display screen.

Begin recording or streaming.

Now, going dwell is only a matter of clicking Go dwell. You might want to attend just a few moments for the stream to move to all movies.

Bear in mind to hit “Finish Stream.”

For those who neglect to hit Finish stream, your dwell video will proceed with out anybody on digital camera or speaking, so keep in mind to finish the stream earlier than closing your browser tab. For those who’re recording, as a substitute of Finish stream, the button might be Finish recording.

Right here’s the dwell video I simply streamed on utilizing dwell movies in your social promoting technique.

Begin repurposing.

I’m not a fan of video modifying, so I both outsource it or simply don’t do it. As an alternative, I give attention to republishing my social promoting movies to any channels I didn’t stream dwell to and repurposing them into weblog posts, social media posts, carousels, and emails.

Like Turso mentioned, a 20-minute video can typically result in a month’s value of content material, however I don’t normally get that a lot mileage out of my very own stuff.

Greatest Practices for Social Promoting Movies

Now you’re nearly able to go. Earlier than you dive in, listed below are just a few finest practices:

1. Let go of the end result.

Don’t stress about speedy gross sales and even likes or feedback. Give attention to constructing relationships and serving to folks get to know you. Serious about the end result as your creating the video typically results in distractions, making your last product worse.

2. Invite folks forward of time.

That is particularly necessary when you’re internet hosting an occasion the place you need a lot of attendees. You may put out a name in your social media channels, ship an e-mail, or add the data in your e-newsletter.

3. Don’t stress about dwell engagement.

Perceive that engagement (or lack thereof) doesn’t have a direct correlation with gross sales. Recordings are a strong instrument, and never everybody in your viewers can be part of you reside. I all the time get extra views after the actual fact.

4. Have enjoyable and experiment.

Dwell days (normally Tuesdays for me) are all the time days I look ahead to. It’s all the time enjoyable to indicate up and chat. Mess around with size, timing, and frequency. You’ll determine what works finest for you and your viewers.

Don’t stress about errors, pauses, or doggy/little one interruptions. That’s a part of what makes you relatable.

5. Arrange your digital camera and lighting.

Be sure to have digital camera and digital camera angle. It doesn’t should be excellent, however you don’t wish to be sitting 20 ft away. Your digital camera ought to present a relative closeup and your face must be well-lit.

6. Take note of the background.

Assemble background. It doesn’t should be fancy, and it doesn’t should be a greenscreen (in actual fact, these typically are odd). However attempt to create one thing easy that means that you can stand out.

Skilled Tip: Zach Murray of Foreplay.co shares, “Success in social promoting by means of video is generally about assembly your clients the place they’re. The important thing lies in being platform-focused first, understanding the distinctive tendencies and person behaviors of every social media platform, after which reverse engineering your video content material to slot in your services or products.”

Murray goes on to remind us all to depart our egos on the door, saying, “Massive swings result in house runs, however you’ll strike out each from time to time. That’s simply a part of the method.”

Construct Belief and Enhance Your Social Promoting With Video

Including video to your social promoting technique isn’t an absolute should, but it surely’s extra than simply a good suggestion.

In right this moment’s world, individuals are chasing human connection, they usually’re extra doubtless to purchase from folks they know, like, and belief. With all of the AI on the market, it’s getting arduous to know what’s actual and what’s simply advertising fluff. Genuine and actual social promoting movies offer you a leg up on constructing relationships with the folks you serve.