Want to make social media videos? Just Start!

Authored by: Stephné du Toit, Content Manager, At That Point

Do your marketing meetings usually include a discussion around how you should be doing more video on your social media platforms? Then a month goes by and you still haven’t managed to get a single video done? Like they say, procrastination is the thief of all things.

This is usually because the process of making a video seems like a daunting task to the average person. However, it does not have to be a difficult or expensive exercise, you can therefor stop hesitating and get started.  The easiest way to do this is to start at the beginning and methodically work your way through the production process.

Here are some simple steps to get you going, and before you know it, it will become second nature.

Planning
Get your team around the table, and if you do not have a team, get some of your creative employees to form part of your brainstorming session.

Ask yourselves, what do we want to achieve? What are the actions we want to stem from this video? Who do we want to reach with our message? Here you must set a definitive aim, if you shoot too broadly, you are going to miss your target.

Now you can start writing, plan your setting and create a storyboard to plot the scenes or message points of you video.

Type of video
Depending on your message, you have to decide if you will be using an articulate person to convey the message, or if you would just like to use text to elevate your main points of your message. Either way, there are a lot of free stock image and video sites on the internet where you can source great visuals to support your message

Also make sure your speaker is prepped, relaxed and as natural as possible. Remember, the whole video does not have to be done in one shot. Keep your segments short, this will make it easy to cut and edit.

​1…2…3 Action!
Plan your video set well in advance. Make sure to focus on the small things – those that can make or break your video, such as:

• Background: Be cautious of a busy background, as this will easily take the focus away from your message.
• Lighting: Avoid those double chins and dark-circled eyes by testing various spots to film your subject.
• Audio: Try to get a quiet room to film, if an airplane or car passes rather stop and re-do the scene.
• Composition: Position your camera so that you follow the rule of thirds by leaving some “breathing” space around your subject’s body.

Round off with some editing
No, you do not have to be a professional to edit your video. There are a lot of free and easy movie editing software online. Make sure to cut the unwanted content, use transitions to switch between scenes and add a bit of background music to create your desired mood.

Do not forget to add your company logo and have a call to action at the end, even if you are just inviting your audience to visit your website for more information.

Go live!
The most important thing to remember when you create and post social media video, is to keep it sweet and short. Your aim is not to make a blockbuster movie, but rather to give a targeted message to a specific audience regarding your services, product or business. You therefor best keep to a one- to two-minute video, at the most.

Then upload your video to your website or YouTube channel that you created for your business. From there, you can link back to your video by posting a short description and link onto your various social media platforms.

​Remember practice makes perfect! If you just start and keep going you will soon wonder how you ever communicated to your audience without video.

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