Tips and Tricks to Boost Engagement with Your Video Content
Video content is now essential for marketing strategy.
According to a report by Wyzowl, 91% of businesses used video as a marketing tool in 2023, and 87% of those marketers say video has directly increased sales. Nevertheless, making videos is not just about the quality, it is about making the content interesting enough that the audience will want to watch it and not simply click away. In this article, we are going to explore some key characteristics of a successful and engaging social media video!
1. What the hell is a Hook?
Here’s Ally providing a fast and loose insight into hooks!
This one will come to no surprise to most of you! The first seconds of your video are crucial. Most of the value of a video is realised in the first three seconds. As a result, a good hook can take a video from flying under the radar, to going viral
The three primary forms of hook you’ll typically see:
Curiosity driven statements like “You won’t believe this.”
Questions that your audience will want to know the answer to.
Posting a visually striking or emotionally charged image right at the start.
2. KEEP EM’ READING.
A large proportion of Facebook and Instagram users watch videos without sound. Think, scrolling in a meeting, or on the train. Consequently, a substantial number of people rely on screen titles and captions to follow videos. So get them on there to increase viewer retention!
Some tips for your titles!
Use bold and short text that is easy to read.
Ensure the captions are related to your theme.
You can also highlight certain words to make people pay more attention to them.
We usually use an app called captions!
Furthermore, moving into 2025, accessibility is imperative. Your posts should be easy for everyone to enjoy, so take the extra time to make your videos inclusive!
3. Leverage Trending Audio
Using trending audio is another tool to boost visibility on apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels. These platforms prefer content that is in line with popular trends, therefore using music that in vogue increases your chances of being seen in the user’s feed.
How do I find trending audios?
This is fairly straightforward, just open the reels or TikTok for you page and observe the most common sounds being attached to posts at that time. There will then be an option to use for your post!
4. Write Good Call to Actions (CTAs)
A video without a call to action is a lost fish. Whether you are asking your viewers to subscribe, comment, share, or visit your website, good CTAs will increase engagement.
The three crucial aspects of your CTA:
Place your primary CTA in both the middle and end of the video.
Use action oriented words like ‘Discover’, ‘Join’ or ‘Learn more’.
Use visual cues such as arrows or buttons with your CTAs.
5. Optimise for Mobile Viewing
According to the report, more than 80% of video consumption occurs on mobile apps, which means your content has to be mobile optimised. The best video sizes for different social media platforms include; vertical and square videos for platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
The Mobile optimisation tips:
For the vertical videos the aspect ratio of 9:16 should be used.
Ensure that the text and graphics used are clear when using a small screen.
Replay the content on different devices before releasing it.
6. Keep Videos Concise
It’s estimated that the human attention span is down to 8 seconds, and this is particularly true for social media hubs. We also know that different platforms have different video length guidelines, but for the most part, shorter is better:
TikTok: 15-60 seconds
Instagram Reels: 15-30 seconds
YouTube: 7-15 minutes for videos that are longer than that
There is no need for superfluous information, and it is better to provide useful information as quickly as possible.
7. Use Analytics to Refine Your Strategy
It is essential to analyse performance metrics as this will help you know what is working and what isn’t.
The Key performance metrics to watch for initial social media marketing are likes, shares and comments. These are paramount in tracking engagement across your posts. But as we mentioned in last week’s blog, performance metrics change depending on the stage of your marketing campaign, so its always good to stay conscious of your current KPIs as you go!
8. Tell a Story
This is another classic way to engage the audience and make them connect with the video on an emotional level. A good story helps to make your content more engaging and shareable. But perhaps even more importantly, keep it authentic. No one wants to watch heartless, hyper-corporate videos. Don’t be afraid to be authentic, vulnerable and human! In fact, unpolished content is acctually favoured on some platforms like TikTok.
9. Try New Ways of Engagement
Elements like quizzes, polls, and live Q&As bring the audience into the conversation and make them part of the process. Crucially, this is slightly different to CTAs, as rather than pushing a hard sell by diverting to your website for example, these options allow a potential client to fell welcome and part of your community without feeling they are being funnelled into a sale directly
Examples of how you can incorporate these across platforms:
You Tube cards for clickable links.
Stories on Instagram with polls, quizzes, or emoji sliders.
TikTok’s Stitch feature.
10. Stick to a Posting Schedule
Consistency is key in keeping the audience’s trust and bringing them back time and time again. Pick a frequency that suits you and make it a habit to post at that frequency. Larger businesses tend to aim for 3-5 videos a week. If you can keep up with this frequency, then by all means match it, but if you need to create fewer videos to retain quality, always opt for that option!
11. Optimise Your Content
Optimising your content is a process that allows you to compare two different elements of your videos and see which one your audience has a better reaction to. It’s easy to implement into your routine and being able to fine-tune a formula for what works in your niche is an amazing skill to develop!
What elements of my video content can I optimise using this method?
Video thumbnails, Titles and Captions, CTAs. Pretty much any aspect of your video format and style! You can do A/B testing with tools like TubeBuddy for YouTube or the native analytics of social media platforms.
Conclusion
To enhance the engagement with your video content, it is crucial to have a strategy that combines creativity and analytics. From getting the viewer’s attention with great hooks, to using trending sounds in your videos, and making your content suitable for mobile consumption, every detail counts. If you employ these tips and keep on fine tuning your strategy, you will be able to produce videos that will interest your audience and directly boost your brand and engagement.
Video marketing is as much an art as it is a science. Try out new techniques, check the results, and do not be afraid to change approaches according to the latest trends and technologies.
