Lights! Camera! Action!

Lights! Camera! Action!
How to leverage video for social selling

Video is quickly becoming one of the most important ways to communicate with your audience via social media. Studies show that in 2019 a whopping 80% of all internet search traffic will be driven by video.

Below we’ve outlined some tips to help you incorporate video into your social selling strategy.


Today, you don’t need a production company or a film degree to create effective high-quality video content for social selling.

1. General Guidelines for Video Social Selling

Stay on brand
Social Selling is all about building your personal brand. With video, you have a unique opportunity to connect with your audience on a deeper level and really drive engagement. This medium allows you to both establish yourself as a thought leader and leverage your social capital to build and strengthen relationships. The key is to maintain your authenticity in front of the camera and differentiate by being yourself and delivering value.

Help, don’t sell
Social selling is more than just trying to make a sale over social media. Your main focus should be trying to add value for your clients through the content you create or share. It’s important to learn what your audience wants and to address those needs through your video content.

Quick easy content to add value for your audience includes explainer videos, tips and tricks videos, or even short demo videos. By adding value to your clients’ social media channels you not only keep your content in front of your audience, but also help to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Keep it short and sweet
You wouldn’t expect your audience to read several pages about your brand so why should video be any different? Keeping your videos concise is the key to driving engagement. In fact, 56% of video content published in the last two years has been less than 2 minutes long.

Social media audiences want content that is quick and easy to digest. By keeping your videos short, you are likely to get more views and make a better impression.

Engage your audience
The majority of social media users decide whether or not they are going to watch a video or keep scrolling within the first ten seconds. You want to make sure you engage your audience quickly and keep them entertained throughout the duration of your video. Hacks for creating an engaging video on social media are:

  • Use an attention-grabbing thumbnail
  • Deliver value
  • Deliver your pitch
  • End your video with a call to action


2. Getting Started – Some Technical Considerations

Have a script (or at least a plan)
It’s a good idea to have some kind of outline or script before you hit “record.” Even if you don’t want to write down every word you plan to say, try to at least draft an outline and rehearse or read over your plan to make sure you hit on all your key messages. This small investment of time at the planning stage can ultimately save you a lot of time and trouble at the editing stage, as fewer takes and less editing will be required.

Scout a good location
Another thing to consider before you get started is your “set” (i.e., the environment you’ll be filming in). Lighting and sound are important to consider even as an amateur and make a huge difference in terms of quality. Plan to shoot your video in a quiet place with minimal background noise and good lighting (bright but diffuse natural light to minimize shadows is a good place to start).

Think about your A/V setup
Today, you don’t need a production company or a film degree to create and post video content to social. All you need is a smartphone or a webcam and an Internet connection and you’re good to go. If you want to start improving the quality of your videos, however, it’s worth putting some thought into the tools you use.

The most important tool for creating video content is, of course, the camera. Many content creators use DSLRs; however, if you’re just getting started with video, you’re probably not going to want to make that investment right away. Eventually, if video becomes a regular part of your social selling strategy, a proper camera and a microphone might be worth investing in and you can often find great deals on websites such as Craigslist and e-Bay. In the meantime, a simple tripod can greatly improve the video quality from any camera (even a smartphone) at a very low price point.

Do some basic editing
Once you’ve recorded your video content, it’s likely you’ll need to do some editing. Fortunately, good video editing software is accessible to almost anyone and doesn’t have to break the bank. Expensive software products such as Adobe Premiere Pro are great, but cheap or free alternatives such as Shotcut, macOS’s Photos, iMovie or VideoPad. are accessible and relatively easy to learn.

Test and learn
It may feel daunting or uncomfortable at first to put yourself in front of a camera and start using video for social selling, but don’t let that stop you from giving it a try. Video is such a powerful way to differentiate yourself and build your personal brand, it’s worth putting yourself out there. The only way to get comfortable in front of the camera is to start practicing. And the only way to really know what’s going to work best for your audience is to do some experimenting. As you create more content, you’ll start to learn what works for you and what your audience is engaging with the most.

So get out there and let the cameras roll!

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