Enhance Audience Engagement Through Video

The three-second rule. Do you know how to win over your audience with video content in three seconds?

Since the days of the first motion pictures, humans have been obsessed with videos. Now, our hunger for the latest Netflix series is insatiable, and we spend hours upon hours flicking through videos on social media channels like TikTok and Instagram.

The recent video content boom is imperative for brands and businesses. However, doing so can prove tricky, especially in today’s oversaturated market. Some tips and tricks can help you create more engaging video content that stands out from the crowd and grabs audiences’ attention. Read on to learn more.

Why is Video Content so Important?

You might wonder why you should care so much about video content as a brand. In the pre-social media days, businesses didn’t have to think much about videos other than the TV adverts they ran. Things couldn’t be more different today; videos are now one of the most valuable tools available to brands. Video content can take your business to the next level.

TikTok

Let’s take TikTok as an example. The video-sharing platform has been a modern social media phenomenon; it seemingly came from nowhere and is now an integral part of youth culture. Experts predict that TikTok could amass over 950 million users by 2025.

As a business owner, I find these numbers impossible to ignore. It’s not just TikTok; video content is famous across social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. With billions of social media users, the market potential is enormous.

The Three-Second Rule

Social media and video-sharing platforms are designed with the user in mind. Scrolling through vast content streams is straightforward until you find something you like. We’ve all done it, mindlessly flicking from one video to the next until one catches our eye.

How can you ensure people don’t scroll past your video instantly?

The key is to grab their attention as quickly as possible. Research reveals that if viewers aren’t engaged within the first three seconds, they will move on to the next video.

Ensure your video has a hook, and this is at the very start of your video to immediately draw in viewers and convince them to keep watching. This is the most effective way of guaranteeing your brand message is being delivered.

Entertain and Inform

When it comes to making engaging video content, balance is essential. Your videos must be entertaining, which can be achieved using creative editing tools like After Effects, but they must be informative, too. This is a difficult balance to get right, but doing so is vital if you want viewers to watch and engage with your videos and to ensure your brand message is remembered and received positively.

Your video content needs to be entertaining and enjoyable, but it should also offer something of value as well.

How exactly you do this depends on the business you run and the type of products you sell. However, there are a few tried and tested approaches you can adopt.

Tutorial and instructional videos are popular, particularly for makeup and tech products. You could also try preview videos, in which you tease a new product and slowly reveal its features and functions.

Think About Sound and Music

While the images are essential, don’t forget about the audio in your videos. For tutorials with narration or a voiceover, your audio must be clear and easy to understand. If your viewers can’t hear what’s being said, they won’t engage with your video and will quickly scroll to find something new.

You should always include music, too. Humans respond positively to music, which can help them connect with your content on a deeper, more emotional level. Modern social platforms like TikTok and Instagram allow for the use of trending and popular music and audio. This can help your videos get noticed by the algorithm and ensure they are seen by a large audience.

However, any sound and music you include mustn’t drown out any narration or voiceovers in your videos. Balance your audio carefully and test it using headphones and speakers before publishing. Furthermore, only use appropriate music that matches your video’s style and tone. Get this right, and your videos will look stylish and professional.

Conclusion

Video content is more important than ever. Brands must use the medium to succeed in today’s social media and content-driven world. However, you must ensure your videos are engaging to prevent them from being lost or ignored by your target audience. Use the advice outlined above to craft effective video content to market your products and raise brand awareness.