Did you watch the latest viral video circulating on Facebook? Did you see the latest video post of your favourite celebrity on their Instagram profile?
There’s no denying that social media is being dominated by videos. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time soon.
According to bluffer, Facebook video receives, on average, 135 percent more organic reach than a Facebook photo. This was supported by tech crunch, saying Facebook now sees 100 million hours of daily video watch time.
With data like these, it’s obvious that marketers should start putting more effort in creating video content for their marketing strategy. But what is it about videos on social media that makes it so appealing?
Videos are Entertaining
One of the biggest factors on why videos are taking over social media is because of its entertainment value.
Many videos on social media, especially the highly successful and viral ones, have high entertainment value that people want to watch it over again and even share it with their friends. These videos are often funny or comical and evoke positive emotions that make it entertaining to watch for people on social media.
They are Short and easy to consume
Another clear reason for the dominance of videos on social media is that they are short and easy to consume.
It has been found out that people on social media have a very short attention span (an average of 8 seconds only, to be exact) this means that users would prefer to watch a short video than read a block of text about some promo.
Videos on social media often range around 30 seconds to a minute, with research showing that videos longer than 2 minutes tend to get fewer views over time.
They are Sensory
Other than being entertaining and easy to consume, videos also tickle the senses.
Unlike still images of gifs, videos are both visually appealing (because of the moving graphics) and auditory (because of the background music or sound) — this makes videos more appealing to viewers because it’s in a way interactive and not “boring.”
Emotional and Highly Shareable
Many social media videos that go viral or get a lot of views are also very emotional and tackle emotional stories, both the negative and positive spectrum.
Social media videos often use emotional triggers like happiness and anger to get people to share and engage with one another.
What Marketers Should Remember
Marketers who plan on entering social media should remember that not all videos get the same treatment. Videos with strong promotion but lack the “entertainment” aspect won’t get traction even though it’s a video. It always to have a fine balance of entertainment and promotion when creating videos for your products or services.
In a time where attention span is short and emotions run high, it’s obsolete to use traditional marketing to capture the hearts and loyalty of people who engage in social media. It takes time, knowledge, and skill to understand how to appeal to people in such a fast-paced platform.
If you’re up to the challenge of entering social media for your brand or business, it would be best to hire a team of professionals to help your social media engagements gain better reach and better results.
