Going direct to video is a bad sign for movies, but it can spark marketing campaigns for businesses. Videos do more for brand storytelling than the printed word to engage potential customers.
Twitter is a great untapped platform for video, something Lindo Myeni intends to change. The award-winning influencer, content creator, social media strategist, and speaker explained during Africa Tweet Chat how video marketing and Twitter unite for success.
“It’s very important to consider that on Twitter, consumers are on the go and scrolling to discover what’s happening around the world now,” he said. “Short interesting video will do.”
If as the adage says, a picture is worth a thousand words, a video can explode a brand.
“As a digital marketer, video marketing means everything, if not a billion,” Myeni said. “If video consumers find it interesting, they’ll share with their followers via retweet.
“According to HubSpot, 64 percent of all video consumers are more likely to purchase a product online after seeing a video about it,” he said.
With the right tactics, entrepreneurs can maximize the use of videos on Twitter for their businesses.
“Video is Twitter’s fastest-growing advertising option,” Myeni said. “According to stats on Twitter, 79 percent of consumers would rather watch a video to learn about a product than read a written text. Brands should keep that in mind, especially when they launch new a product.”
Another option allows copying a whole tweet to video.
“It’s a great feature,” Myeni said. “It drives all the views to the owner of a video and serves as a reference to where you got it.”
With a high demand for content compressed in short videos, business owners need to get familiar with ways to beef up their Twitter marketing.
“Keep your tweet copy short. How short? Really short,” Myeni said. “Also keep your short video score high for engagement and completion rate. According to Twitter data, minimal tweet copy has a 13 percent higher brand and message recall.
“Always have a clear call-to-action,” he said. “As digital marketers, we’re technically trained to write copy that drives subsequent action. In terms of Twitter ads, video website cards generate better engagement. You’ll see double the click-through rates compared to mobile video ad benchmarks.”
Myeni advised businesses to show their branding or logo in the beginning of the video. This is a big help in a world where video completion rate is slow.
Going deeper, he described Twitter marketing strategies brands can incorporate through a marketing campaign.
“Always shoot vertical,” Myeni said. “Ninety-three percent of video views on Twitter happen on mobile devices. For that reason, it’s very important to create videos with mobile viewing in mind. Used closed subtitles in case your viewers watch it with the sound off.”
For return on investment, Twitter live streaming can boost content monetization.
“Twitter live video gives your audience real-time access to important moments and behind-the-scenes looks at preparation your product or before new product launch,” Myeni said. “Brands can go live to tease building up for a launch of your new range or product.
“At the South by Southwest conference, Twitter unveiled a new camera feature,” he said. “We can call it ‘Twitter Stories,’ simply swiping left on your timeline as you would on Instagram, but the opposite direction.”
If video marketing sounds intimidating, Myeni said it is relatively easy to start, resulting in great benefits.
“It’s no secret that video is among the most engaging content on Twitter,” he said. “The good news is you don’t have to own a DSLR camera or expensive equipment to create an engaging, professional-looking video for your Twitter content. All you need is your phone.
“Engagement on videos on Twitter is amazing,” Myeni said. “Also consider that you will reach a larger audience and gain brand awareness.”
He noted that while almost all social media platforms support video marketing, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram do well for videos.
“It’s very important to experiment,” Myeni said. “Learn what works with your brand or your followers.”
