Adding Video To Your Social Media Strategy

utilizing facebook video

Adding Video To Your Social Media Strategy

Video is the highest performing form of content on Facebook, but nonprofits have yet to really tap into that market. This could be detrimental to organizations, especially ones with shareable content like updates and campaigns.

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has even stated that he sees video “as a mega trend on the same order as mobile.” In fact, in a study by Buffer, videos on Facebook outperformed every other form of content on the site in terms of engagement, as well as all forms of content on Twitter. According to Buffer, video is underutilized, stating that “on Facebook, video gets three times as much engagement as any other kind of content.” However, on Facebook, links are the most shared type of posts from brands, followed by photos, with videos only being 0.58% of brands’ posts.With that said, videos on Facebook will continue to become more and more visible.

For-profit companies have typically been ahead of nonprofits when it comes to changing trends in marketing and advertising, but the most shareable video content involves meaningful stories – and this is where nonprofit organizations shine. It’s typically not hard to find an emotionally engaging story to share when working in the nonprofit industry, and these heart-string-tugging tales are shared quite a bit. Sharing can bring attention and awareness of your organization to people you have not previously reached.

There are, however, certain tricks to having high-performing videos on Facebook. For example, 92% of Facebook users prefer to access the site through the mobile app, and 56.5% of all Facebook users exclusively access the site through the app. This means that your videos need to be mobile-friendly. There are two things that should be taken into account when creating video for mobile users;

  1. Muted auto-play means that users do not have to click on the video for it to play. This leads many mobile users to watch the video without sound. Your videos should be able to make sense and convey your message with or without sound. You can use an online video builder to create videos with subtitles explaining what users are watching, like a closed caption narrative.
  2. Most people using mobile phones to view their Facebook feed are scrolling with their phone held vertically, so users don’t want to turn their phone horizontally to watch a short video. Your nonprofit’s videos should be either vertical or square, making it easier and more accessible.

Keep in mind that not all of your videos have to composed of moving videos, or even one single video. With an online video editor and the addition of text, your videos can be a composition of videos and photos. Incorporating video into your social media strategy is an easy way to update or inform followers, as well as reach new people who are passionate about your cause.

If you have any questions about creating videos for social media, contact us! We’re happy to help!

By: Katie Kelderman, Digital Strategist