Megan Doherty June 25, 2020 Personal video conferencing and social media streaming app usage has risen following COVID-19.
In the last week of March alone, downloads for the video conferencing app Houseparty grew 735x over previous numbers. Zoom’s user base grew to 200 million, a consumer-level status unprecedented for the primarily business-to-business service. Facebook and Instagram launched new personal video conferencing capabilities and, in general, video consumption on social media has skyrocketed as daily active user numbers rise.
What does this surge in video app usage mean for companies?
We already knew video content was a powerful way to reach audiences. Take these pre-COVID statistics into consideration: 59% of executives prefer to watch video than read text, 82% of Twitter users watch video content on the platform and videos produce an astounding 12x more shares than text and image combined.
The current surge in video app usage means video is even more important to reaching your key audience. Whether live video or canned content, this is one medium that cannot be ignored if companies want to stand out from the noise, make their value tangible and provide key information about their products, services and industry.
Net-net: Companies need to integrate video into their marketing and social media strategies to reach their target audience.
What do companies need to know?
Companies need to understand that video = value. No matter the platform, video content is paramount for reaching and growing their existing audience.
Videos that are short, precise and tailored to fit the parameters of the channel in question will be the most successful. For example, most Facebook videos (85%) are watched without sound, making subtitles key to holding a viewer’s attention through the video.
Net-net: Video content must be tailored for each social media platform and audience segment.
What do companies need to get started?
Look at your resources. Consider recording vlog-type videos of yourself or designating a group of interested employees to do so. If you want more professional-looking videos, but can’t create them in-house, work with a partner who can.
Take stock of your channels. Are you focusing your efforts on the right channels, or are you spending too much time in the wrong place? Consider conducting an audit of your social channels to get all your ducks in a row before venturing into video.
Measure your performance. Get data that informs real-time strategy shifts necessary for success. These hard numbers will also help you show your management team the impact your efforts have on the brand.
Net-net: Rely on the resources and assets you have available and build from there.
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