According to a Wyzowl survey, 72% of people prefer to use video to learn about a product or service. This tells me that video is a great option for fitness and wellness businesses to connect with, convince, and convert leads into customers.
Creating short videos doesn’t have to involve elaborate props, actors, or venues. It’s cost-effective video content. All you need is a powerful script along with the right graphics, animation, or visuals to amplify the story.
To learn more, here are my top 10 tips in creating videos that will help you get more leads and clients.
1. Get to the point fast!
The human attention span is getting shorter, which is why it’s important for any piece of content to begin with a bang. Start with a fact or prediction that grabs the viewer’s attention, leaving them intrigued and wanting to learn more.
Then go on to state another startling fact or prediction to further build on the story. After highlighting a concern, give viewers context to understand it better.
2. Put together a storyboard
A storyboard is to a video what an outline is to a blog post. It helps you detail what every frame should consist of while ensuring the story follows a logical flow. Creating a storyboard lets you approach your video in an organised and professional manner.
Developing a storyboard begins with narrowing down to the purpose of the video. Ask yourself what you want to achieve from the video. Do you want to spread awareness about what you offer? Increase engagement? Generate leads?
Once you have a clear goal in mind, you’ll be able to curate the message, script, flow of scenes, and CTA
3. Put together the script
Before you start creating your content, you need to have every scene planned out with the appropriate script. Perhaps you have an existing article you want to extract the text from. Make sure that all of the key points you’re addressing are laid out in the desired sequence in a document.
Short videos are meant to be brief and will be most effective if you focus on one message instead of cluttering it with too much information and overwhelming the viewers.
4. Media and Text Elements
The best videos are visually striking so select video clips, images, or graphics that are in line with your goal, take the story forward, and are clutter-free. Choose relevant visuals that go well with the text and strengthen the message. Be mindful of how background visuals will combine with your text overlays.
With videos, it is recommended to add subtitles to complement the visuals. Decide which words you want to highlight and how much time to spend on each frame. Don’t add more than 120–150 characters per frame to allow viewers enough time to read and digest the information.
The text needs to be legible across devices. You can achieve that by selecting a font style and text size that are easy to read (without being jarring), using contrasting colors, and placing the text appropriately against the visuals.
5. Subtle Branding
Though branding is important, it needs to be subtle and proportionate. The last thing you want is an overpowering brand logo that takes up more space than it should and interrupts the viewing experience. Use a watermark of your logo rather than an overpowering version that will pull the viewer’s attention away from your content.
6. Musical Elements
Though most people watch social media videos with the sound off, consider adding background music to your video. The right kind of audio accentuates your storytelling so choose wisely.
The best way to select a suitable background score is to think of the emotion you want to evoke and the mood you wish to set. Do you want people to feel angry, sad, uplifted, surprised, or some other emotion?
7. Have a hook right at the Beginning
Pay special attention to the first few seconds of the video. You need to open with a hook that instantly captures viewers’ attention. You can start with a question, state a startling fact, or share a message that piques curiosity.
Make sure the hook is in line with the video’s title so people are assured they’re viewing what they were promised.
After reeling the viewer in, you can go on to introduce the concept/problem and follow it up with a solution or leave the viewer with a question to ponder.
8. Finish with a call to action (CTA)
Just as the first few seconds are critical, so is ending with a strong CTA. That’s what drives results and defines the success of your video. Make sure to include a clear CTA that tells viewers exactly what they need to do next. Always dedicate one whole frame to the CTA so it gets the visibility it deserves and prompts action.
9. Publish the Video on your Social Platforms
Creating your content is just half of the work. Now you need to be sure your video is seen.
To make your efforts count, promote the video so people will find and watch it. You have to optimise the videos you create to maximise views and engagement on social media
Upload videos natively to social media platforms. Native videos are those directly uploaded to the platform. They perform better than non-native videos because they don’t interrupt the experience by directing users to a new window.
Use custom video thumbnails. Make sure the thumbnails convey key information and compel the viewer to hit Play. A click-worthy thumbnail is one that’s simple, powerful, and designed for various screen sizes.
Tailor social media captions for the platform you’re posting on. For instance, hashtags work well on Instagram and Twitter, while longer captions are better suited for Facebook. Use relevant keywords in the title, caption, and hashtags to optimise the video for search and boost discoverability.
If you have profiles on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat, or Pinterest, remember that each platform has unique specs. You might be tempted to post a one-size-fits-all video across all channels but that would be a mistake. Optimising your videos for the various social media channels makes for a better and more engaging viewing experience.
Identify the key platforms frequented by your target audience and run an ad campaign using our videos to generate more views. Be sure to retarget warm audiences that know of your product.
For example, you can post the teaser as an Instagram story ad that when swiped up directs users to the main video on your Facebook page.
10. Track Results
Be sure to track metrics such as video views, number of shares, completion rate, and average view duration to understand how your content is performing and inform future video posts.
Businesses that want to add video to their social media marketing strategy are often intimidated by the creation process. The good news is that quick fact videos are as easy to create as they are to consume. They’re also tailor-made for social media because they deliver your message in a concise, engaging way.
