Creating custom social media videos is our bread and butter. To stay trendy, we’re always paying attention to the varying success of social media videos across the web.
One of the largest mistakes we see organizations make when entering social media is assuming good content will automatically find its audience.
We constantly boast the benefits of creative marketing, such as branded animation, but there’s more to the story…
The reality is that social media video requires more than creativity. Social media optimization requires strategy. It’s totally crucial to take time and make a plan for things like search engine optimization, formatting, and analytics.
Without the right social media optimization techniques, your content can get lost in the algorithm shuffle. In this post, we’ll explore the most common video optimization mistakes brands make on social media.
And fear not – we’ll explain how you can avoid them to ensure your videos reach their full potential! We’ve been supporting clients across industries get their most important messages heard by audiences for 15 years now.
From TikTok to LinkedIn, businesses are using video to boost engagement, increase visibility, and drive conversions – and you’re ready to jump on the trend. Use this blog as your guide to understand the most important things about social media video optimization.
Why Is Video Effective for Social Media?
We’re about to break down the biggest mistakes to avoid when posting videos to social media.
If there are so many challenges, why is video so popular on social media in the first place?
Social Media Video = Engagement
Studies prove time and time again that short form video content produces desirable outcomes on a variety of goals.
The impact comes from video’s high retention quality: short-form video strategies combine visuals with engaging voiceovers and on-screen text.
Video involves more of your senses, drawing you in faster. This, along with the replay value of short videos, makes it a strong medium for improved retention. This article from Hubspot takes a deeper dive into the psychology behind this phenomenon.
Better retention leads directly to increased awareness and engagement, two of the most valuable social media metrics for most organizations. Video has even been proven to be impactful on the bottom line.
We’ve seen our clients use animated video to successfully raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in fundraising goals, or reach crucial sales targets using engaging animated marketing.
Now, let’s review the tips that helped them get there:
Mistake #1: Ignoring SEO for Video
Our first tip to maximize social media optimization is quite simple: A polished video won’t perform well if no one can find it.
Don’t overlook SEO video optimization in your planning. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and refers to the ease with which search engines can find and categorize your content.
Content that is well optimized for a specific topic shows up higher on the list of search results, which you’re probably familiar with from your own adventures in Googling.
Video Optimization Solution
Not everyone is familiar with SEO optimization, or realizes how much it can impact how potential audiences find your content. In fact, our studio offers a Launch Consultation especially designed to help you strategize around SEO and effective roll-out for your campaign.
Just like a blog post needs keywords, your video needs searchable text that tells your target audience about your content.
The Organic Trade Association used keywords related to their mission, vision and values to global audiences find their creative 40th Anniversary video.
Take the time to learn how to incorporate keywords naturally in your video titles, descriptions, and tags. This blog from Ahrefs is a great place to kick off if you are an SEO beginner.
Or, use this short list of questions to get started:
- What words would someone use to find what you’re offering? Your target keyword should be a relevant, high search volume, non-branded keyword.
- Your primary keyword should be in your title and throughout your description. Youtube and other search engines prioritize keywords that appear early.
- Users are only able to see about 80 characters of your title when reviewing search results, so make those 80 characters count!
- Descriptions, on the other hand, can be quite long with no negative effects! Use the description area as a catch-all for your other central keywords, other relevant phrasing, and any call-to-action you might have! Be sure to put the most important keywords at the front of your description.
A strong SEO video strategy not only boosts discoverability but also extends the life of your content beyond social feeds, so never make the mistake of ignoring SEO for social media video!
Mistake #2: Forgetting to Optimize for Platform and Audience
Most marketers have experienced that sinking feeling…you’re uploading a beautiful piece of content to the feed, just to see those dreaded chunks of white added on either side to make it “fit” on the page.
Our next no-no for social content optimization is repurposing the same video without considering platform norms, video length, and audience behavior. Always carefully design your social media videos to include multiple versions, suited for platform and audience.
Video Optimization Solution
Always tailor your social media video content for each platform.
Every social media landscape boasts unique formatting. The 16:9 aspect ratio that best serves professional platforms like LinkedIn, won’t even fit on the mobile-friendly shorts feeds on Instagram, TikTok and Youtube.
That’s why our studio offers custom video reformatting for organizations who have a presence on more than one social media platform. Check out the example below from our partnership with the North Country Rural Development Coalition.
Check out this custom reformatting we developed for the NCRDC: having their ‘about us’ video in a variety of formats means more touch points with audiences across social media.
In addition to considering the dimensions of your video content, consider the length as well.
Short-form content under 60 seconds often performs best on fast-scroll platforms like Instagram, while educational or detailed content can stretch longer on YouTube. Ask yourself: What length of video performs best on social media? The answer will always depend on where you’re posting and who you’re speaking to.
Mistake #3: Overlooking Engagement Triggers
Another common mistake to avoid in social media marketing is posting video content without encouraging interaction.
If your video doesn’t drive likes, comments, shares, or clicks, it won’t gain traction in the algorithm. Too often, brands post “broadcast-only” videos that fail to spark two-way conversations.
Video Optimization Solution
We recommend optimizing your social media videos by adding engagement hooks.
Pose a question in your captions, include a clear call to action, or experiment with polls and stickers where available. This excellent article from Highland Marketing also includes a variety of suggestions that leverage audience psychology, such as using intrigue or mysterious hooks to draw audiences in.
When you strategize your social media content to include engagement triggers, the positive impact is exponential. When more viewers engage, platforms recognize the content as valuable and boost its reach.
Activate this positive cycle of engagement triggers and algorithm boost to really improve content reach.
Our explainer with the Brooklyn Library pairs familiar stories with an important message to build a piece of content that is both memorable and informative.
Mistake #4: Skipping Analytics and Iterative Optimization
Many businesses treat social media videos as one-off experiments, rather than data-driven campaigns.
This leads to our final tip around social media video optimization: forgetting to track performance means you’re failing to adjust and improve on your strategy.
Video Optimization Solution
Without analyzing results, brands can’t identify what resonates. It may also be harder to notice what falls flat.
The solution is simple: Use platform analytics to monitor performance metrics such as watch time, drop-off points, and click-throughs.
Connect with your team to decide what metrics mean the most to your goals, and then regularly review your data and refine your approach. Strong SEO for social media and ongoing optimization allow you to fine-tune campaigns for maximum impact.
Ready to Make Social Media Video Work for You?
Video is powerful, but without thoughtful optimization, it can easily underperform.
We covered four common pitfalls – skipping metadata, ignoring platform differences, neglecting engagement, and overlooking analytics – that can prevent your videos from finding the success they deserve.
Taking the time to strategize around these tips is the secret ingredient to viral video impact. When you’re ready to get the most out of your video content, our team specializes in creating scroll-stopping social videos that are built to perform. Get more out of our expert advice by partnering with our expert animation studio:
