Over 3 billion people worldwide use social media, this you probably already knew. And you probably also know that it’s arguably the best way to market your business.
If that’s the case, though, why doesn’t every business get the same value from it? Well, simply put, not all social media posts are created equal. You can’t go throwing just any picture or video up there.
Here’s something you ought to know but might not: Video outperforms almost all other types of media on the internet, and with 85% of US-based internet users consuming online video content monthly – ahem, the rise of Tik Tok and Reels – it just makes sense to be marketing your business with video content.
Before we get into the weeds about how to create compelling social media videos, it’s important to have a general grasp on the psychology behind how social media works. After all, if you understand the principles behind something, you can apply them to tactics now and in the future. As tactics will change, but principles rarely do.
The Psychology of Social Media
The most basic things you need to understand about the psychology of social media are as follows:
- We have short attention spans — You need to grab your customer’s attention quickly. Think 5-30 seconds quick.
- We share with meaning — People share content on social media because they want to relate to other people. It’s a way of empathizing, building community, defining ourselves and gaining social clout. Aka we share things we like and think are ‘cool’.
- We love reciprocity — For instance, if a customer tags your business in a photo on their social media account, it couldn’t hurt to give them a shoutout on your stories.
- We find personal experiences to be more trustworthy — Customers trust other customers. And furthermore, personal experiences or testimonials go a long way in terms of building trust and verifying your claims about your business.
Now that you’re essentially a learned doctor of the human mind, let’s talk video. Video content is watched and shared more than any other medium across social media platforms. Fact. Enough said.
But, beyond that, video gets more information across to the viewer in a quick and digestible way. And, it drives emotion. And here’s the kicker – emotion drives action, which means video is the best tool you have to get people doing an action you want them to do. Like coming into your store. It’s easy for customers to digest and envision themselves doing and experiencing what you show them.
A Word of Warning
All too often, video content that businesses create comes across as disingenuous. While some content makes sense from a business perspective, ultimately the video may not sit well or resonate with the customer. Essentially, we have great BS detectors and don’t want to be sold to.
The good news is that authentic content generated by real users (UGC) can be cheaper, quicker, and more effective. Remember: customers will always trust other customers first and foremost. Your vested interest in patronizing the business is apparent – they don’t have any skin in that game. They just want to share what they’re doing! Ultimately, another person’s experience is much more likely to be an accurate representation of what they can expect from your restaurant, cafe or bar.
Additionally, a concept known as the Endowment Effect comes into play here. The Endowment Effect is all about how people are more likely to assign value to something if they have had direct experience of it. While it’s true that video won’t provide a direct visceral experience of a dish or drink you provide, it does provide the next best thing: a real world, first-hand look into a someone’s experience.
Movie, Magic, Love.
So, how do you create compelling social media videos?
Now, there are all types of videos you can create. Reviews, how-to’s, promos, skits, interviews. The list goes on. But, despite the type of video you are trying to make, there are a few universal things you need to remember.
- You need to keep things short and sweet. Nearly all users (93% to be exact) access video on their mobile devices, meaning two things: one, you’ll need to produce shorter videos as the viewer is probably doing 72 other things, just like you are now. And two, your video content might benefit from adding captions, as many people and platforms such as Youtube and Facebook often autoplay videos without sound.
- Bring Value. And remember, value comes in many forms. It can be informative, humorous or just interesting. Whatever it may be, make sure that the video has value. The best way to ensure this is to pick one type of value you want to bring, and aim for that. Don’t over-stuff the backpack. If you’re trying to be funny, do it unapologetically. If you’re trying to be serious, be serious.
- Stories sell, facts tell. People are much more likely to respond positively to a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. We want to see that character arc! Whatever narrative you create, make sure it has a clear message or takeaway, along with a catchy start and a call to action at the end. Which leads me to the most important point.
- People buy with their heart. Do not underestimate the power of emotion when it comes to creating videos for social media. Create videos that radiate positivity or genuine compassion, and look to generate strong positive emotions in your audience for maximum success.
Social Media Tools
Of course, meticulously putting together such custom social media videos can be a time consuming and complicated process. One that you may not be able to put much time in, even with such obvious benefits. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a pro in order to create a catchy and compelling video for your social media. There are a few tools that can help you create your next marketing masterpiece.
1. Marketing Video Builder — For example, you can use services like ‘Promo’ which is a video builder that helps you create professional videos quickly, even if you aren’t an experienced editor.
2. Design Wizard — Design Wizard provides a library of over a million multimedia graphics licensed for commercial use at your disposal, which is ideal for businesses looking to put together effective and professional videos that will get their point across.
3. Canva or Lucidpress — Looking to create sharp stories or stills? Look no further than Canva or Lucidpress to help you get started with professionally-designed social media templates. All you have to do is customize them based on your business, and voila! You’re ready to go. Both are great, easy-to-use platforms that have basic (free) plans to help you get started.
4. franki – Then, there is us. franki. No shame in self-promotion, baby. We allow you to create user generated videos and drive new customers at the same time. Aka instead of paying for marketing content, then putting it out into the world to get customers, we flipped it. You get customers to make your content, which you can then put out into the world… getting you more customers. Yeah, we’re pretty awesome.
To wrap things up ...
We know 2020 was a tough year, and 2021 is off to a slow start. But your restaurant can thrive even amidst the COVID-19 crisis. We hope these tips and tricks can help. If you have any questions at all, ideas, or just want to brainstorm, myself and our franki team live for this — please reach out to anyone on the franki team via our website, or me directly at [email protected]. We are more than happy to help however we can! And if we can’t, I have no doubt we will know someone that can.
Social media is an essential tool for promoting your business, especially when it comes to video content. There are many things you can do to create catchy and compelling videos for your hospitality business. These include telling strong narratives and encouraging positive emotions in the viewer.
However, making engaging videos yourself can be time consuming and expensive. Instead, you can try franki and encourage your customers to make videos for you. Not only is it easy for you (and them), but the content will have an added authentic touch that is sure to appeal to your audience.
If you’d like to learn more about what franki does and how we help local businesses by incentivizing customers to make their marketing content, start by claiming your business on franki today.
We also know 2020 was a tough year, and 2021 is off to a slow start. But your restaurant can thrive even amidst the COVID-19 crisis. We hope these tips and tricks can help. If you have any questions at all, ideas, or just want to brainstorm, myself and our franki team live for this — please reach out to anyone on the franki team via our website. We are more than happy to help however we can! And if we can’t, I have no doubt we will know someone that can.
