In the world of video content and social media marketing, it’s not enough to just post a video and call it a day. According to Facebook, you have to catch your audience’s attention in the first 3 seconds, or they will scroll past. It’s crucial that you capture the viewer’s attention and establish a connection quickly, or all the hard work you put into that video will go to waste.
Here are 5 tips to catch your audience’s attention and keep them engaged with your video marketing content:
Use a hook
The best way to catch your audience’s attention is by using a hook at the beginning of the video. Some effective hooks you can use are:
- This is the easiest way for you to…
- Give me 1 minute and I’ll show you how to…
- Here are 4 ways that you can [achieve X]…
- Let’s dive into the science of [niche]…
- This might just be the best advice on [niche ] that I’ve ever heard…
Another form of a hook is a “cold open.” This is when you immediately open with a clip from later on in the video. This clip is usually shocking or used to invoke a certain emotion. Cold opens usually have little to no context, which will entice your audience to want to watch the entire video to learn the context behind the clip.
Solve a problem for your audience
In one way or another, your business or brand is there to solve a problem for your customer. One way to make your video content valuable is to solve small problems for your audience. That problem could be as small as answering a viewer’s question, showing how your product solves that issue, or providing other information that you know will benefit your audience. The content is not meant to replace the service or product you offer, but it will show your audience and potential customers that you are able to address their needs if they were to purchase from or hire you.
Add visual elements
Visual elements and supporting content is a great way to keep your audience engaged and intrigued by your content. Visual elements could come in the form of graphics, text or other clips that support the main video.
Graphics are a great way to display data in a visual way. Creating graphics, infographics, or other designs that relate to your video will increase the value of the video and give the viewers something else to watch besides the main content, such as you speaking to the camera.
Text can be similar to graphics, but it can also mean closed captions. Using larger, more visually appealing captions than the ones displayed by the social media app will give your viewer another visual element to focus on. Text can also be used to emphasize a point. Highlight or display words or phrases that are key to getting your point across.
Video clips that are used to support your video are referred to as “b-roll.” If a-roll is your talking-head video, b-roll may give context or show the viewer what you are talking about. If you can’t or don’t want to film your own b-roll, stock footage is a great way to find high-quality b-roll to support your video. Websites such as Pixabay and Pexels are great for free, high-quality stock footage.
By starting your video with a hook or cold open, solving a problem for your audience, and supporting your content with visual elements, you will be much more likely to keep your audience engaged. Video should support your brand and entice your audience, so remember to focus on adding value with the content you produce.
