How to Create Engaging Short Videos for Social Media

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Social media platforms have recently seen a steep increase in the number of users and their activity. Thousands of pieces of content are being created and uploaded by users on these platforms. Creators must combine their skills and effort when creating their social media content if they want it to do well.

We understand this can be daunting. Especially with professional videos, where audiences have certain expectations. However, we assure you it can be very simple. With the right tools and tips, you can achieve this level of video content quality with ease. We have curated a short list of tips to ensure you have a smooth creator journey. These tips will help you create short, engaging videos for your social media:

Be Professional

Ensure that your video does not have loose ends, confusing portions, or low quality. But don’t worry, it is not that difficult to make professional videos. One can achieve this easily by following the tips given above combined with the right tools. Right tools consist of having a good quality video recorder or creator (this can be your smartphone too), a mic (for voiceovers), and a good editing application.

Having lower-quality video recorders can be detrimental to your brand. Viewers will not be able to understand the visuals, and even the audio quality gets affected. They have a hard time deciphering what you want to say as well. This will leave the audience confused and frustrated. They will avoid your videos and your products and services offered in the future.

Make videos online using video editing tools. Today, these tools have advanced so much that they even have features that can create your videos for you in seconds. This leaves you with finished video content by doing little to no work. They can be used to add voiceovers, subtitles, and animation if needed. The best part, it does not take up any device storage as no hefty application needs to be downloaded.

Decide on a Concept

Most people believe the first step of creating video content is filming or making the raw footage. Every experienced content creator knows this is false. The first step of creating a video is to plan a concept. One needs to devise the trajectory of the video before curating the raw footage. This will help the film crew to understand the purpose of the video and create content geared to the purpose.

Many people choose to create vlog content with the misconception that those are spontaneous videos and do not require prior planning. However, video blogs are arguably one of the most planned videos. Yes, there is some spontaneousness to them, but generally, creators plan the general direction the video will go in. For example, a travel video blogger may have planned, before the filming, which monuments and important locations to film in. They may even research these places to find fun and niche activities or facts to share with their viewers.

Short videos need thorough planning too. Since there is a strict time constraint, one will have to decide what content they want to include or exclude from the video. You may not have the luxury to include all the elements you wish to in these videos.

Pick your Target Audience

A mistake rookie creators make is not having a target audience in mind while making the video. Thinking about who your audience helps generalize their likes and dislikes, cultural experiences, and more. This will help you generate content that’s fabricated specially for this group. You will be able to successfully gain momentum in followers and have a steady growth in brand popularity.

When creators dive into video content creation without deciding on an audience group, they tend to take bits and parts of the video each specific audience group would enjoy. However, this disengages the other audience categories. This causes a net loss in viewers. Hence, be clear about your target audience.

Another mistake most creators make is not being consistent with their target audience. Applying the same principle from before, if one audience group watched videos geared towards other audience groups, they would be dissatisfied with the content. You must appear consistent and genuine to your followers. This means creating videos with the same values and style. Obviously, as a human, a creator is bound to grow. You must gradually introduce these changes as smoothly as possible.

Grab Their Attention

When you want to create videos to engage viewers, you must have an attention-grabbing aspect. One can do this using visual stimulus or other means. They will only give you the first few seconds to sell your entire video. You must master the skills of catching their attention. Here are some ways you can do so:

Create an attractive cover image

Have a hook as your introduction

Keep them emotionally invested

Hop onto a trend to keep them watching

Create a sense of urgency

All the above options are great ways to attract users when creating videos. However, one must be selective of the tactics one uses when creating short videos. This is because you are already in a significant time constraint, adding a time-consuming attention-grabbing strategy can be detrimental to your video.

When crafting the ‘attention-grabbing’ aspect of your video, be mindful of your brand image. The first few seconds of your video can severely impact it. Users unfamiliar with your brand will associate your brand image with the introduction. Hence, choose a strategy that is appropriate and consistent with your brand image.

Conclusion

Social media has a fast-paced culture. This makes short videos the best form of communicating to an audience. However, these short videos must be engaging, or they may fail to capture the desired attention. We hope that the tips mentioned in this article will help you create short, engaging videos.