Video is King: How to Elevate Your Social Advertising Strategy

It’s no secret that videos on social media are essential for a strong advertising strategy. With TikTok being the third-largest worldwide social network and 80% of consumers reporting that they want to see more video from businesses, it’s obvious that users are seeking more video content. With a new year upon us, marketers are asking, “How can I take on social video campaigns like a pro?” 

Well — look no further: here are five tips and tricks for developing a successful video advertising strategy for 2023 across all your social media channels.

Video advertising is more than a brand awareness play

Historically, video efforts on social media have only been an initial touchpoint in the buyer journey. However, video ads are now more than just a brand awareness effort. As of December 2021, 80% of marketers have seen video support lead to long-term customer engagement rather than just a stepping stone for brand awareness. 

Today, there is value in seeing video as not only an isolated social media campaign but as an integral part of your brand's creative, making the most of the entire user journey.

What do your consumers need in their user journey?

Education is vital, especially in longer buyer-journey experiences. Video allows you to include an excess of information in an ad space, compared to image or text ads. Because of this, video is an incredibly valuable tool for giving potential customers the knowledge required to move through a buyer journey for your brand.

When planning what messaging to include in videos, consider where your target user is in their buyer journey. Focusing your video content on what they need to know to feel comfortable moving through the buyer journey is the key to a successful campaign. For instance, a user who has already interacted with your brand may gain little value in a video that introduces your company.

Even in lower-funnel efforts, video content can help resolve any obstacles preventing a user from purchasing or engaging with your brand. Using video to address any tension points to help users feel more informed in their buyer journey can successfully nurture users along their path to brand conversion.

Create your video content with a mobile-first approach

With apps like TikTok and Instagram, users expect an ad experience fit for mobile devices. This often means that users are looking for a vertical format when watching a video in social media feeds, as this will help ensure your video content takes up a full screen when viewed. With the exception of YouTube, many platforms favor vertical and square video formats to be mobile-friendly.

Additionally, many mobile videos are viewed with the sound off, as many users browse social media while out and about. Ensure your video content makes sense when viewed without sound to reduce any confusion for audio-off viewers. Imported subtitle files are also a great tool to help users who are not using sound or have varying abilities.

Get creative with your broader video strategy

The versatility of video allows advertising strategies to be created with a few different points of view. Creating a social-first strategy can allow you to think with a mobile-first approach, using other channel campaigns to support your social media efforts. 

Additionally, social video can support broader TV or programmatic efforts to elevate cross-channel performance. Knowing that social media video placements tend to be less expensive than traditional TV buys, this option is a cost-effective way to take your videos to the next level for audience reach. With either approach, social media can play a part in a broader video strategy.

Even within a social media video strategy, getting creative with which platforms you use helps expand reach. For instance, YouTube recently surpassed Facebook as the most influential channel on consumer behavior. Depending on your specific account goals, your media mix within social media can help elevate your video efforts.

Use video data to support other efforts

Across many social media channels, creating audiences based on users who viewed previous videos can help you re-engage these same users. This repeated engagement is significant for a full-funnel video approach, allowing you to retarget users based on the messages they've already seen. Audiences can even be based on how much of the video a user has seen, better gauging which follow-up video is most appropriate for each audience. 

Even across multiple channels, paid search campaigns allow you to tap into YouTube Ad learnings when both campaign types are active within the same account. This data can support future audience creation and bidding decisions based on past viewer behavior, allowing you more incremental opportunities from running video campaigns.

With these tips in mind, you can take your social media video strategy to the next level. Feel empowered to explore new ways to implement video in your marketing efforts!