How is your audience watching videos across different platforms?

We did valid research on where to post your ready-to-go animated videos, as well as what are the main metrics to measure their effectiveness. In case you haven’t read those – that’s your gentle reminder to follow the links and get a common ground in a successful video marketing campaign. The next step would be understanding the specifics of each social network that you choose as a platform for your video (or multiple platforms). Each one without doubt has its specific content preferences and users` behavior.

In this article, we will shed some light on:

• What are your customers looking for while searching each specific social network?
• What type of video content would be most welcomed on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter? Where is it more effective to promote your video due to its content type?
• Which characteristics your video should have due to the platforms` content conditions, as well as users` behavior?
• Examples of Darvideo Animation Studio`s video works that work best for following social networks.
• Finally, what type of video could be measured as one-size-fits-all and would be optimal for Facebook, as well as Youtube and LinkedIn.

First things first

Sometimes, we are witnessing the situation when people have planned to get an animated explainer video or an infographics animated video for their business without a clear view on how this video would be used further on the net. In other words, they didn’t have a plan on how and where this video should perform in their “social-network field”. That highly influences the effectiveness of their video marketing campaign, as the type of content should depend on the video marketing campaign goals and the placement of the video. The information below would help you choose the most suitable platform to post and promote your video.

Don’t treat all the platforms the same

Which social media platforms are you currently using to promote your business with the help of animated videos? Facebook? Instagram? Or do you engage with a professional audience on LinkedIn? All these channels, without a doubt, could drive traffic to your videos.

However, people (read as your potential viewers and customers) use each platform quite differently and engage with different types of video content on each exact platform. Let’s find out more about that below.

Facebook

Users usual behavior on Facebook looks mainly like that:

• Watching FB on the go and, mainly, on their phone.

In case you trust numbers more, here are some fresh stats – 88% of Facebook users access the social network on a mobile device.

• Watching content without audio.

Around 85% of Facebook videos are viewed without sound, as American Press Institute claims.

• They mainly have no time for long-reads or 10-minute vids.

Short content is a win-win for you and your viewer here. As Wistia research shows, for most videos engagement tends to fall off after the 2-minute mark.

• Users usually open up a Facebook app to discover something while scrolling.

Thus, let’s make a quick conclusion on what content would perform perfectly on Facebook.

Content key-word: updates

Content preferences: share what’s new

Here are some video types that work great on Facebook and have the highest view rates as well as conversion rates.

• Create and post short animated videos about your latest products/services that were launched and quick explainers on how to use or get them.
• Share up to 2-minute videos on your season`s special offers and short-time deals.
• Post short videos that are fun or informative and could be easily understood without sound.

• Share teasers to your long videos posted on Youtube or LinkedIn.
• Inform your customers of the new locations that you have or promote events that your business starts or takes part in.

Instagram

When it comes to Instagram, there are of course some similar points with Facebook users` behavior. It’s an obvious fact that they as well watch video content mostly on the go and scroll the feed when they have a spare moment. Instagram users mostly watch their feed without sound, but a cool fact is that they are more likely to see Insta-stories with the sound on. A huge difference is the type of content that resonates with an Instagram viewer. Inspirational content – that`s what an Ig user usually yearns for.

So, let’s put together some user-behavior characteristics on Instagram that highly influence the content type that is liked and shared on there:

• Watching Instagram feed and stories nowadays has become a way of entertaining yourself and “hanging out” using a smartphone.
• Instagram users are much more engaged with the audio in videos, than Facebook users.

That happens because of the stories-format (even though Facebook has it too, Instagram stories have a much higher view rate) as well as IGTV video.

Due to the MediaKix research, only 10% of Facebook`s 1.45 billion users adopted Facebook stories. But don`t feel too optimistic about Instagram Stories, they have a 10% lower engagement rate than Instagram posts do.

• Instagram is a way of killing time for teenagers, thus they search for catchy content as fashion, food, or design.

Content key-word: inspiration

Content preferences: show something interesting

Since we know Ig content bull points, let’s find the coolest video types to choose for your Instagram`s video campaign.

*The length of your Instagram video can not be more than 60 seconds.

• Inspiring short videos about your company’s brand story.
• Character animated videos with the thought-through script that will catch your viewer’s attention and encourage him to switch the sound on ??

• Post teasers of your long videos on Youtube that are supported by a link to a whole video, for sure.
• Series of short content that is fun and showcases your product from different angles.

YouTube

In case you have a video and it’s not on YouTube yet – well, let’s think about what’s wrong with your marketer or how many years you were asleep.

All kidding aside, a YouTube user? is a 100% different user than an Ig or Facebook user. The main point that confirms this could be the fact that in YouTube, users never scroll for random videos but search for content they are interested in.

The audience on YouTube is more engaged, it’s a “warm audience” there.

Let’s get through the audience’s behavior there:

• The audience is engaged and always watches videos with the sound on.
• People are ready to watch much longer videos on Youtube, even 1-hour interviews have millions of views as usual.
• Users search for specific information by themselves. Still, YouTube recommendations work like a clock and even if your video was not searched, it will most likely get recommended.

Let’s finally name the YouTube content features.

Content key-word: education

Content preferences: help viewers learn

So, what are the best video formats taking into account all the information explained above?

• Since you want to educate your audience, there is no better option than an animated explainer video. Explainers about your products, for example, would be perfect for Youtube. Also, you can easily spotlight the strong points of your product/service or explain how to use it!

• That could be a comprehensive, but informative infographic animated video that shows your company’s story with a well-written storyline and visually appealing pictures.

• FAQ sessions are also perfect content for your YouTube channel.
• Educational videos on different topics work as well!

To summarize

Different video-sharing platforms attract viewers with their special content features, and the modern viewer is getting used to visiting Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube for different goals.

The fun part here is that the same user purposefully goes to each platform to get different types of content and it’s highly important to “get him” with this exact type of content that he or she came for.

Here is a simple answer to a question: how to make a successful video campaign on every platform with the help of a professional animation studio: create 4 types of videos that differ in length and fit each platform`s request. For example, 1 explainer video on how to use your new product, 2 short and eye-catching teasers for Instagram about it, and a promotional video for Facebook with the detailed description of your new deal.

And that’s the part when sales come ??