The planning stage

The first step is to have An IDEA

To keep your videos short: It’s important to focus on only one message at a time in your social video. The videos you make for social media simply support and promote already existing content on your site. Keeping this framework in mind will not only make the task itself less daunting, but it will actually help you make the best decisions when it comes time to edit your video.

Types of videos Brainstorm video topics and types, and identify the kind of video(s) you want to create (how-tos, company culture, explainers and more) Some examples: Tutorials: To create a high-performing social media tutorial video, make sure you break down each part of the tutorial into distinct steps. You can even use text clues to announce these section separations, and provide extra snippets of information.

Promotional (showcasing products, etc): These promotional videos should be kept short; at maximum they can be a 90 seconds, but they’re often most effective when kept to 30 seconds or less. You should still make this content fun, whether that’s adding in creative editing or a great song in the background. Interviews and Q&As: Because interviews are all about an individual, they provide that valuable human connection. Users will have a face to associate with the story you’re telling. You can record videos ahead of time and edit them with video editing software, or host them live with tools like Facebook Live or Instagram Live Stories.

Announcements: Announcement videos should be kept short and sweet, but they should include: An introduction to the announcement A brief explanation of what this means for your audience When the change/update will be happening Where your audience can go for more information

Customer-centric: The customers who are featured in your video will feel special, and are likely to share the content on their wall. Always create with permission. Events: Videos of your event give you the chance to thank users who showed up, and to create a little FOMO in users who didn’t. You can show the value of your event, and hopefully encourage increased attendance at the next one. Behind the scenes: Really popular Day in the life: Shows personality

Study the most shared content Use what you found in your audit Using a tool like Buzzsumo you can find your most shared content.

Check out popular videos from similar brands If you have access to Facebook insights, with Facebook’s Pages to Watch, you can easily check out the top posts from your favorite or similar Facebook Pages. To access Pages to Watch, go to your Facebook Page > Insights. You’ll find the section at the bottom of the Overview tab.

Plan ahead so you can tell a story Thoughtful, emotive storytelling is the heart of any successful social video. When you want to motivate, persuade, or be remembered, start with a human story. Why: Research published in the Harvard Business Review found that a neurochemical called oxytocin is released when we watch a “hero’s story” on video. When the brain synthesizes oxytocin, people are more trustworthy, generous, charitable, and compassionate. Determine the beginning, middle, and end to your story (sometimes you will use scripts. For our purposes, no).