Building your social media video presence part 1: How to choose the right social platform for your brand

In the first of a three-part article special, we explore the benefits of cross-platform marketing, the differences between each, and why Instagram races to be hot on the toes of YouTube.

While “​YouTube will continue to be the dominant video platform”​ for beauty brands as top beauty and personal care brands generate 2.7 times more views on YouTube than on Facebook, “Instagram is definitely gaining traction”​, Alexandra English, Director of Marketing at Pixability, revealed following the release of its latest study.​ 

Social video selection​

Consumer behaviour varies on each video platform. The content type also plays a fundamental role as it affects a brand’s ability to shape its identity.

For example, these factors include whether it is:

• A tutorial video vs. a vlog with an animated filter

• The level of talent in the video. For example, is it product-focused vs. influencer-driven?

• The quality of the video. For instance, whether it is a 30-second campaign film or a 5-second stop motion video.

“Videos produced on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook tend to have lower production value, which​ helps foster authenticity, while brands often upload high production value videos on YouTube, which help establish credibility and drive brand loyalty,”​ English emphasised.

Adding value is a primary purpose of video platforms as these assist with developing brand objectives through the marketing funnel.

A cross-platform strategy​

Commenting on the success of utilising more than platform, English said: “Cross-platform video campaigns generate the greatest performance because a marketer is able to take advantage of each platform’s unique strengths.”​

Sharing her views on each of the individual and leading platform’s benefits, English noted:

YouTube:​ The Destination for Video Consumption. Consumers turn to YouTube for video tutorials, tips, product reviews, and product teasers, as well as to connect with their favourite influencers. The platform is essential to invite consumers to lean in, driven by long video viewing sessions, and offers robust contextual targeting capabilities to shape brand and product awareness.

Facebook:​ A Place to Cultivate Passionate Communities. Facebook offers the ability to build and grow a brand’s community, driven by organic sharing of brand-owned content amongst a Facebook user’s network.

Instagram:​ Rich Creative, Thumb-stopping Moments. Beloved by GenZ and millennials, Instagram is key to engaging the young, mobile audience. Instagram’s visual-first design makes it well-adapted to share appealing creative content such as product visuals, behind-the-scenes footage, and live video during launches and events, and highlight influencer partnerships.

Snapchat:​ Authentic Engagement and Innovative Ads. Snapchat’s rich creative tools, from Sponsored Lenses, to Stories, and location-based geo-filters allow brands to engage viewers in a playful and entertaining way, with the potential for a significant ripple effect of social sharing among the platform’s young audience.

Twitter:​ Promoting Tent-pole Events and Building Customer Relationships. Twitter’s specialised ad products allow advertisers to target against events, communities, followers, and even emojis, making it a compelling platform to build awareness, particularly around major industry events like Beautycon or fashion week.

Instagram rapidly proves its influence​

The popularity of social video stems from the behaviour of brands and the increasing need for beauty brands and influencers to build cross-platform strategies, particularly those that include Instagram.

The photo-sharing platform is proving popular for several reasons. English elaborated on the features making it a growing frontrunner in the competitive social video market:

• Simple and Digestible -  It is a great platform to establish a brand identify and cultivate a community. Followers can easily browse and swipe through a profile full of rich media.

• Mobile-viewing - According to Cisco​, video made up 60 percent of total mobile data traffic in 2016​. Instagram is a mobile-optimised platform and is well-suited for video consumption and creation on-the-go.

• Authenticity - While long-form, high production value videos will always have a place, the increase of video consumption, along with the increase in number of channels to consume video, means that brands simply can't satiate viewers with enough content if they adhere to strictly super-polished video production. Instagram offers brands and influencers an opportunity to build an authentic relationship, through short videos that invite followers behind the scenes.

• Community Building - Instagram allows a brand to maximise posts’ exposure through profile tags, location tags, and hashtags. For example. COVERGIRL’s  #ProjectPDA​ campaign invites users to post videos of themselves applying makeup in public.

The second part of this interview with Alexandra English, Director of Marketing at Pixability on social video, which will look at marketing strategy specifics, will be published on Monday 16th October 2017.