Shooting Videos For Social Platforms: What Works, What Doesn’t

When shooting videos for social platforms, steps that work include:

1. Planning your video

2. Keeping your video content short but sweet

3. Hiring a video production company

4. Engaging with your audience

5. Focusing on authenticity

Planning your video might feel like stripping it back to basics, but it’s key to creating something memorable for your audience.

Be sure to outline the message you want your content to convey and think about the overall tone and style.

Remember that in order for the video you’re making to stand out amongst the social noise and strike a chord, it needs to align with your audience!

From here, you can begin to storyboard your video so everyone is on the same page about how your story will unfold shot by shot.

Thanks to the popularity of short-form content and apps like TikTok, the competition to grab your audience’s attention is fiercer than ever before.

This is emphasised by the fact that a whopping ‘66% of consumers say that short-form videos are more engaging than long-form videos when posted on social media’.

The likelihood of users mindlessly scrolling by your content is pretty high unless you pique their interest and do it fast. That said, this is why it’s key to keep your video content short and to the point.

This will depend on the social platform you’re targeting. However, aiming for 1-2 minutes of video content will give you plenty of time to work with and adjust accordingly to each platform.

To maximise engagement, you’ll want to capture your audience’s attention quickly and deliver the key points of your brand’s message as efficiently as possible.

By doing this, you can get your brand or product out there before the user continues scrolling.

When shooting videos for social platforms, it’s a good idea to hire the best in the biz: a video production company.

Video production teams often specialise in social content and will likely have years of experience creating eye-catching content under their belt.

That said, the video production team you choose should not only be well-versed in shooting social content that hits the mark but can also recognise the importance of highlighting your authenticity as a brand in the video.

If you’ve got an idea for an ace social media video, our team at STORM+SHELTER would love to help!

Email us at content@stormandshelter.com or, if you’re old school, call +44 (0) 2920251255 today to find out how we can help.

Social media is interactive by nature, so don’t forget to engage with your audience throughout your video content.

Creating compelling content that speaks to your audience is the key to driving engagement, but you’ll also need to ensure you’re encouraging engagement through other means.

For instance, you might do this by writing a killer script and/or caption that sparks a conversation in the comments, and ensuring you reply to any comments under the post.

Engaging with your audience not only humanises your brand but also helps to encourage authenticity, which leads us to our next point.

Being authentic is key to creating social video content that strikes a chord with your audience.

Authenticity goes beyond the messaging and tone of your video. For instance, while the latest trends can help to give your social videos a boost, it’s important to make sure they align with your brand.

Lean into creating content that speaks to your audience’s needs, values, and interests, as this will help to strengthen your connection with them.

Try to avoid overly scripted dialogue and aim for a relaxed communication style.

Now you’ve got a better idea of what works when shooting videos for social platforms, let’s look at what to avoid:

Your audience isn’t a cash cow, so don’t treat them like one!

Using the hard sell in your social videos, instead of focusing on building connections with your audience and providing them with real value, is a one way track to lose your audience’s attention.

Nothing disengages audiences quite like bad video and audio quality, so don’t make this mistake!

Poor audio can destroy an otherwise great video’s chances of doing well on social platforms.

That said, invest in a quality microphone and avoid filming your social content in a noisy environment. You’ll thank yourself later!

Lastly, neglecting the performance of your video is a costly mistake that will impact your video content in the long run.

Be sure to pay attention to important metrics such as engagement, views, and audience retention.

Armed with this data, you can better refine your videos and optimise them accordingly in the future.

At STORM+SHELTER, we’re passionate about creating attention grabbing content that stops the scroll.

Are you in need of a team to help you shoot videos for socials that drive results? Contact us now, or for more content, check out our social profiles, including our Instagram.

Written by Jemima for STORM+SHELTER.