Technical Tips for Making Social Videos: A #Bufferchat Recap

This week in #bufferchat, we dove into the technical side of how to make great videos for social media. In the 2nd chat time, we were joined by Jenny Mudarri from Wistia as our special guest. We all discussed tips for shooting video on mobile devices, video editing, ensuring high-quality video while filming live, and much more!

Read on to discover all of the awesome knowledge and insights that were shared during the chat!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and to meet hundreds of other smart marketers and social media enthusiasts. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join in to whichever chat time works best for you!

For our community in Asia and Australia (or anyone else!): 4 pm AEDT (Sydney time)

For our community in North/South America, Europe and Africa (or others!): 9 am PT (San Francisco time)

This week’s stats:
1st Bufferchat: 33 participants; 309 tweets; reach of 1,232,904
2nd Bufferchat: 145 participants; 1,417 tweets; reach of 1,546,660

Q1: What are some ways that social videos can fit into a brand’s marketing plan?

From Jenny:

• There are tons of use cases! Building brand awareness and showing the human side of your business is always.
• Video is also great for lead gen. Content teasers are perfect for driving people to landing pages.
• Using video + email is also super powerful. We cover this topic in depth over in our Library! http://wi.st/videmail

From the community:

• “Humanize w. storytelling; HR/company culture; product dimensions, testimonials, etc. Tons of creative potential.” @Chris_Santiago_
• “Tell the stories of your customers; their problems and how your solution can fit into their life.” @SDGreenall
• “Video for a brand can fit in to boost a brands audience, become a useful tool in showing their voice and be shareable.” @Rubio_tv
• “Videos allow brands to tell a story in an engaging manner. Social videos make storytelling easier and more effective.” @sanmallya
• “If a picture is worth 1,000 words then a 1 minute video is worth roughly 3.6M words, how can you not fit it in!” @KodyAtk

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

Q2: What are tips for shooting video on a mobile device? Any particular apps to use?

From Jenny:

• Always avoid the temptation to use the iPhone’s built-in camera zoom – things will get pixelated fast!
• If you’re indoors and don’t have access to supplemental lighting, face a window and take advantage of natural light.
• Pro-tip: use the exposure focus lock if you’re shooting video with a phone. This will keep the focus and exposure constant!
• One last super important tip – put your phone on airplane mode. You don’t want a phone call to interrupt your shot!

From the community:

• “Cannot overstress being mindful of your background, there’s no sense competing with whatever’s going on behind you.” @ideabloke
• “Shoot in Landscape if you are going to compile into a video. (or at least, be consistent, Landscape/Portrait).” @d_scott
• “If you have a beaten up iPhone like me, consider a clip-on lens to improve picture quality.” @paige_sandhu
• “If outside, the sun is a great freebie! Make sure it’s coming from behind the camera/at an angle.” @RecordOfRachel
• “Tripod is a must — so your phone doesn’t shake and makes it look more professional.” @thatlondonmum

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Q3: Editing can make or break a video! What are editing techniques that make videos more engaging?

From Jenny:

• Always keep the social platform top of mind – cater to the silent autoplay when editing Facebook video, for example.
• Grab your viewer’s attention with enticing visuals right at the beginning of your video so viewers stick around longer.
• Resource alert! We break down the editing process for social videos, step-by step, right here: http://wi.st/socialedit

From the community:

• “Be a ruthless editor. Keep it quick. Leave in only what makes your message better.” @luckylou
• “Don’t overdo the effects! We don’t need filters or rambling! Keep it short and punchy with good light and a clear intro.” @ATSocialTweets
• “Using the right background track is SUPER important when editing. This can eliminate awkward pauses or silence in audio.” @mldunseath
• “Jump cuts are all the rage. Transitions waste valuable seconds in an age where attention is short and divided.” @jwilkers
• “I always go by the rule that you only have 10 secs to spark the viewer’s attention and just 30 secs of their attention.” @Typ0queen

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Q4: If you’re new to making social video, what are apps or tools that can help you edit videos? (adding captions, music, etc)

From Jenny:

• If you’re just getting started, consider using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker – they’re super lightweight and easy to use!
• When we like to add fancy captions to our videos, we use Adobe Premiere. This program is awesome for animations!
• The iMovie app for iPhones is great to use when you’re on the go — learn more here. [Post: Editing Basics for Business Video]

From the community:

• “Recently discovered Rocketium. They have everything. images, music, options to add text, transition. (and its free).” @A_Djalo
• “iMovie is great for beginners, like myself. Splice is great for adding music.” @AdrianSado
• “YouTube has a FREE video editor which is basic but a good place to start.” @catxdavies
• “I use a handful of tools deciding the budget and platform content is being shared on. Fav is Final Cut Pro.” @GoGoogleMe
• “I use Windows Movie Editor or Camtasia Studio and I find both very very easy to use.” @WPBarista

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

Q5: When going live on Facebook, Periscope or other platforms, what can you do to ensure high-quality video?

From Jenny:

• Troubleshoot from your own account before going live from your brand’s handle – catch those technical issues early!
• Ensure a steady shot by mounting your phone on a tripod. This works really well for interviews or stationary shots.
• Nothing is more scary than when the wi-fi cuts out!

From the community:

• “Consider your content – if showing something then handheld is okay. If something static such as q and a, be stable.” @JessChild15
• “Minimize background & ambient noise. Hold phone on mount to keep steady. Put phone on DNS for zero interruptions.” @TheAshleyDale
• “Internet connection is so key. Avoid public wifi networks. If LTE, you need a strong signal. Work/home wifi is usually best.” @DerekReimherr
• “I suggest good lighting & a tripod. Get some soft white bulbs for a lamp and it will help make the video look good.” @JoeShowOnAir
• “I’ve done rehearsals. To see and hear it. Then I re-adjust light, microphone setting, and stuff in the background.” @RaulARovira

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Q6: What are great CTAs (call-to-actions) that you can include at the end of your videos?

From Jenny:

• Including “sign up” or “learn more” tends to work well. Positive, actionable language works FTW!
• Use psychology to your advantage and add persuasive words such as “free” & “you” – encourage that valuable click!

From the community:

• “Give them a social challenge as a way to respond along with a good hashtag. Pics. Results. Video. etc…” @TonyBoomPow
• “Be as CLEAR as possible. Now’s not the time for cutesy language. Tell them what to do next or what you want.” @JessOB1kenobi
• “Answer depends on what your goal is. Is it leads? Engagement? Awareness? At the very least, encourage interaction.” @Anne_E_Mercer
• “CTA to redirect to website, offer a free download, get them on that email distribution to nurture paid opportunities.” @imEbony
• “Asking a question or asking to subscribe/check out a link are often our go-tos!” @VentureIcon

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Q7: What’s an example of an awesome social video you’ve seen (or made!), and why do you like it?

From Jenny:

• This recent Instagram video from @Zendesk is really cool – we love the use of video here, it’s super unique! http://wi.st/zengram
• We wrote a guide all about shooting overhead video, if you all are interested! [Post: Three ways to shoot an overhead video]
• We just made this fun, company culture-focused video for Facebook, check it out!

From the community:

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to Jenny and to everyone who participated and helped each other in this chat!

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash