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Your Social Media Video Cheat Sheet

February 6, 20182409 views0

Here is everything you need to know about Social Media Videos!

Social media is image driven. Vine may have withered in 2017 but the appetite for social media video remains high. Our click-finger twitches and our eyeballs wander when we hit an impenetrable wall of words. Whether your media budget goes to Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, or a mix or some or all, you need to give people something cool to look at.

Minute videos are a Facebook feature, driven by the 500 million “friends” who love to look at cats. Ok, there is also a lot of DIY, unboxing, celebrity challenges and testimonials. The most liked and shared videos feature captions (even if there is audio), a widescreen aspect ratio (16:1), and position a high-impact visual in the first 3-5 seconds. Below is an example of how you can use a quick social media video as a cover header for SuperStock.com:

Twitter is not just for presidents. The only thing Twitter users love more than a snarky #hashtag is video. More than 80% of users view video links. Advertisers and promoters can hit fast and hard with teasers, announcements, educational/awareness campaigns and user-based content. About a minute is good – half that is even better. An aspect ratio of 2.39:1 delivers the best user experience.

Snapchat was created to engage and its special features reflect that. Using Snapchat, your digital marketing tools include filters, geofilters and personalized emojis (bitmojis). Originally, Snapchat featured 10-second videos, but you can extend yours to 60 seconds now. The snap-happiest aspect ratio is 18:9, in keeping with users preference to hold phones vertically.

YouTube may have brought us some dubious celebrities and too many makeup tutorials, but more than 5 billion YouTube videos find an audience every day. You can go a little longer (and maybe even viral) with a video – up to a recommended five minutes if you keep it compelling. This makes it a popular option for DIY content, testimonials and tutorials. The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9. New features improve the mobile app display, which is a big plus because well over half of users watch on mobile devices and these are the viewers who are most likely to share.