How to Use Video on Each Social Platform

We all know that each social platform requires a little different strategy when it comes to video...(if you didn't know, then consider that step 1. :)) On top of that, the style of videos you produce will vary depending on who you are wanting to reach and purpose for the content. Without getting too deep into the weeds, today I am going to break things down to the very basics for the best style of video that fits best on each of the top 5 social platforms (and when I say best, these are the practices we employ in our strategies that are based off of study and testing.)

YouTube

YouTube is the perfect place for long form content. YouTube has trained their users to sit and watch for longer periods of time. It is not uncommon to see 20-30 minute shows on the platform. Because other major platforms have made it difficult to share youtube content, YouTube is not really the platform for short shareable content any more. If you are interested in YouTube prepare to produce more "show style" of videos and settle in for the long haul. The platform can be very lucrative for businesses if done right. I will be showing you some examples of businesses that use YouTube right in the near future...so hit that notification button. :)

Facebook

Facebook is a great platform for short shareable content. Facebook has trained their users to swipe up when they get bored, so you need to engage your audience quickly into your content to avoid the swipe of death. The platform is trying to move toward longer form video, but they have a long way to go. Facebook is the best place for viral and shareable content aimed at an adult audience.

Instagram

On Instagram you are capped with the length of any given video you make to 60 seconds. With that said, you can make a killer 60 second video and pick up a lot of traction if the Instalgorithm gives you a coveted placement on the main page...but the algorithmic rules on Instagram can be a little difficult to read, so it is hard to establish some best practices. Most platforms offer some type of "the longer you stick it out and the better you get, the more likely we are to promote you" type of deal, but unless I have great niche+shareable content, I consider Instagram a place to tease longer videos you are posting on YouTube and to deepen your relationships with your audience through pictures and stories.

Twitter

Do people still use twitter? Lol. To me Twitter is one of the only platforms that requires a good mix of both engagement with other users on your part and quality witty posts to build success. It takes a lot of work or an already established following on another platform to build a decent following. NO FOLLOW FOR FOLLOW STRATEGIES...PLEASE! With that said, native video can do quite well on Twitter if you keep the content under 2:20 seconds and get the right person to retweet it. The beauty of the platform is in the retweet. Twitter has trained it's users to share everything and that is very useful for the right type of shareable content. Again, I would use this to promote clips for an upcoming YouTube video or for advertising a product or service.

Linkedin

We cannot forget about LinkedIn. It is developing into a major player in the business video category. There have been some reports of LinkedIn video doing massively well, and because of the audience type (business folks doing businessy things,) you can get users to watch video for longer periods of time (capped at 10min) with the right type of content. Obviously, LinkedIn is not the place for kitten videos, but I have seen some pretty awesome shareable content and longer form training videos that have done quite well.

There you have it folks, I hope this helps you get started on organizing your video strategy. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and I will update this post as time goes by and platforms develop. Reach out if you have any questions and make sure to have an awesome day!