Using Videos in Your Social Media Marketing - Part 2
This is Part 2 of a 3 Part Blog Series co-authored by Tara Garwood and Kristina Kury. In Part 1 of this series, we discussed general tips for using video in your social media marketing. Here, we’ll talk specifically about tips and technical requirements for Instagram and Facebook. Then, in Part 3, we’ll switch the focus to Twitter and LinkedIn.
In-feed videos on Instagram can be one of three aspect ratios: widescreen (16:9, at least 600x315); square (1:1, at least 600x600), or portrait (4:5, at least 600x750). The maximum length is 60 seconds and the maximum file size is 4GB. They recommend using .MP4 or .MOV files.
With a limit of just 60 seconds for an Instagram video post you need to grab their attention in the first 3-5 seconds and keep it! There are so many opportunities to generate quality content in under 60 seconds, like quick tutorials or a client testimonial. Featuring your newest products or talking about an upcoming webinar you are hosting is also a great use of videos.
Video makes your products or services more visible and creates a personal connection and that connection leads to more trust from your future clients. According to Hubspot, 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video of it first.
For Instagram Stories, your videos should be portrait (16:9) and at least 600x1067, although 1080x1920 is preferred. The maximum video length is 15 seconds and maximum file size is 4 GB.
Instagram stories are meant to...yup, tell stories. They are like mini-narratives that will only be up for 24 hours. Expand on your company's history or explore a new line of products you are launching. Stories is a space where consumers like to see a company less “polished”. It gained in popularity due to the rawness and authentic approach that it provides. Brands and companies should approach stories with that in mind.
IGTV now allows, not only portrait (9:16) videos, but also widescreen (16:9), which makes Tara very happy! The recommended resolution is 1080x1920 or 1920x1080 and the minimum is 720x1280 or 1280x720. These video can be from 1 minutes to 15 minutes long when uploading from a mobile device, or up to 1 hour when uploading from your computer. The maximum file size for videos up to 10 minutes long is 650MB and for videos up to 1 hour long, it is 3.6GB.
IGTV is a great feature on Instagram! It lets you upload longer videos as mentioned above and you can also categorize your videos to help with your user experience. For example, if you are a yoga instructor you can have a category for ‘leg strengthening poses’ and ‘back stretching poses’. These videos stay putin your profile and allow a potential customer or client to check out you and your company during their research phase. Be sure to provide good, juicy stuff here!
The dimensions for videos in the Facebook feed should be widescreen (16:9) or portrait(9:16). Be aware, though, that on mobile devices, Facebook will crop your video to 2:3, so you should keep any important information towards the center of the frame. You can use standard high definition 1920x1080 video, but Facebooks recommends 1280x720 and they must be a minimum of 120 pixels in width. The maximum length is 240 minutes and the maximum file size is 4GB.
Video posts on Facebook typically generate over 50% engagement then just a photo. It’s recommended to keep your video under 90 seconds as studies show there is a big drop in viewers at around the 90 second mark. Just like Instagram you want to capture your audience's attention within the first 3-5 seconds or you lose them.
Videos for Facebook Stories can be anywhere from 1:91 to 9:16. If they are less than 9:16, there will be bars above and below them. The maximum length for Stories is 15 seconds and the maximum file size is 4GB.
Just like Instagram these little mini-narratives only last 24 hours, then they disappear. The authenticity of Instagram Stories is the same as Facebook Stories and should be approached with the same realness. Consumers connect more with companies which results in higher purchasing rates.
Check out this other blog post for a more in-depth glance if you want to learn more!
This blog was written with Kristina Kury, Founder & CEO of Sprout Creative, working with small business owners and entrepreneurs who are busy running their business, overwhelmed with marketing and whose growth has plateaued to turn their marketing into a more manageable, automated marketing machine.
You can follow her at @SproutCreativeLA on Facebook and Instagram.
This blog was written with Tara Garwood, owner of Banner Day Films. Tara is an award-winning filmmaker who loves to create videos that help businesses and nonprofits change the world! You can follow her at @bannerdayfilms on Facebook and Instagram.