The Power of Video in Campaigns

Content, context and continuity are vital ingredients for an engaging video campaign - but how do you make it all gel into something viewers will want to replay and Retweet? Twitter shares the special sauce that successful campaigns have in common.  

By Benjamin Ampen, Head of Revenue for MENA at Twitter

Campaigns that go viral often have a video component. Video, when strategically used, can be a very powerful medium in fueling discovery and engagement. 

For businesses and brands with a little less star power, there are ways to amp up the power of videos as an effective content marketing tool. Twitter has been investing in videos for a long time, from six-second video platform Vine, Promoted Videos, content partnerships with broadcasters on Amplify, and live streaming video app Periscope - our latest acquisition. What we’ve noticed is that when it comes to videos, it’s all about the 3Cs: Content, Context, and Continuity.   

Content

Content is the core of a video Tweet - think of it as your screenplay. Just like any screenplay, the producer, director and cast play an important role in bringing your narrative to life, so it’s important to think of how you want to position your video clip, who you want in the lead role, and how you’re going to promote it.  

In a research we commissioned across 14 countries around the world, Twitter users say they want to see more videos from three top sources: celebrities (45%), other users (40%) and brands (37%). 

1. Let’s look at the top choice: The celebrity. With a good script, celebrities can really propel a campaign kickoff. And when you put instantly recognizable celebrities in a video, or create exclusive content such as behind-the-scenes clips that take advantage of Twitter’s autoplay feature, chances are your target audience will stop scrolling when the video starts playing. 

2. The next people’s choice is other users - particularly those who command a large following on Twitter, Vine or Periscope. There are plenty of inspirational video clips, such as on Vine for example, that show there is no lack of creativity online. 

The six-second looping video format of Vine is the social media video equivalent of writing a skit, so the key is to keep the narrative simple. Editing plays a very important role in keeping the story concise and effective in one quick punch. The amazing Zach King is a great inspiration for brands - he’s famous for taking everyday expressions such as “couch potato” and “rolling out of bed” and turning them into the most creative six-second video loops.  

One way for businesses to harness this creative power is by asking for user participation. Encourage users to create content that ties to your messaging or use your products or brands to create content they like. Or better yet, Retweet user-generated videos that tie into your story. This user-generated Vine, for example, makes a great addition to @FordMiddleEast’s online narrative. 

3. Third on the list are brands. When creating video campaigns for social media, short and sweet hits the spot. Think in terms of a 15 or 30-second TV commercial, like this Huawei Arabia video for #HuaweiWatch:

https://twitter.com/HuaweiArabia/status/682524352735129600

In our own studies we’ve found branding appearing in first 3 seconds of the video drives better recall, so keep this in mind. 

Context

Once you’ve nailed down solid content, it’s time to focus on context. Think of this as the promotional blurb for your video - the element that fuels discovery beyond your followers. Correlating your campaign to an event, a season, a message or a movement can fuel discovery of your video content and create a connection with your audience through their familiarity of that anticipated moment or trend. 

Anticipated events are the easiest to plan, and you can go for quick but effective hits such as this simple but very much on-message Vine video created by American fast-food chain Arby’s for #WorldEmojiDay on July 17. 

Continuity

Whether it’s a show’s social media presence off season or a continuation of an offline activation, video clips and recaps keep the conversation alive. Periscope’s live video feed is a great new way to easily share your presence using existing assets. If you’re already planning a live event, stream it and let the event speak for your brand. On Periscope, brands can get real-time feedback during the broadcast, so you can easily respond to what viewers want. @Emirates recently gave followers an exclusive guided tour of its @Airbus #A380 aircraft during the 2015 @DubaiAirshow, while @adidasMENA used Periscope when David Beckham met fans during the opening of its newest store in @MallofEmirates. 

Be the broadcaster

Viewers have come to expect real-time raw action rather than a polished performance. When something exciting happens around us today, people will share their experience live via mobile, with others in the moment. As we move towards live streaming broadcasts from anyone, anywhere in the world, brands should leverage real-time, authentic content to show and tell. A live stream event takes precedence and can win over eyeballs where viewers might have previously taken the “will check it out later” approach.

The  Encore

The 3Cs are an important guide to campaigns, but there is one secret ingredient that can make or break a video campaign - planning. If you look at successful video campaigns, they’re carefully planned and flawlessly executed. Make sure your team follows the script and that everyone is on the same page. 

The most important thing for brands to remember is whatever you do on social media, do something. Nothing is worse than an inactive account. You don’t need constant intensity, but you do need momentum. Just don’t forget to check the engagement - it’s the most powerful part of a platform like Twitter. Feedback tells you what’s working, what’s not, and what you need to keep doing.