Social sharing is big news for any business looking to see genuine ROI on their digital marketing strategy, as it provides an insight into the kind of content that is making an impression on audiences across social networks. It's also a way of identifying those brands that social network users identify with and marking general trends in content. It's probably no surprise that social sharing is on the up, that more and more of us are not only signing up for new social networks but are fully embracing everything that they have to offer when it comes to both business and personal use. However, what many have yet to note is that the runaway star of social sharing for 2015 and 2016 has been - and will be - video.
Have you noticed that you can now add video to virtually every social platform? Both Instagram and Twitter have added it where previously only stills were an option and although there are time limits on the videos that you can upload to these platforms, it's these snippets that are getting the most likes and shares. A case in point is the FW16 season of fashion shows that took place in London over the weekend - perhaps for the first time ever, the social media coverage was really dominated by video. From bloggers, to fashion editors, magazines to buyers, the content that everyone wanted to produce - because everyone wants to share it - was catwalk video footage.
However, it's not just in fashion that video has begun to dominate. Figures released last year by Fox News, for example, indicated that 53% of their social shares were now driven by video. Video driven media company Buzzfeed reported 24.3 million shares for the first half of 2015, 109% more than the Huffington Post, which tends more towards the written word. So - newsflash - video is big. But how do you go about using it if you're not a giant, tech-savvy company and you're not necessarily working in an industry that's producing lots of great image-driven content?
Here's our top tips:
You can make video from anything - you don't need to be a news business or fashion designer to create good video.
Make sure it's optimised for mobile - mobile makes up around 40% of YouTube's watch time so it's important.
It isn't just about YouTube - if you want to post full videos then Vimeo is another, good quality option. For six second shorts, take a look at Vine or for a slightly longer 15 second video, Instagram is the perfect platform.
But YouTube is a great place to start - more than 6 billion hours of video are watched per month on YouTube. That's an hour for just about everyone on the planet.
Live streaming works too - if you want to create a buzz around an event or occasion then use live streaming apps to give people a live and direct insight.
Quality is crucial - no one is going to share a bad quality video with scratchy sound so if you want video to be your marketing saviour this year, invest in producing it well.
Every business can create content that will be interesting to customers/clients, whether you're introducing the team, making 'how to' videos or guides, or documenting work you've done in the local community....so what are you waiting for?