Social media algorithms are always changing. When forming your marketing strategy, understanding these changes is essential to building a strong foundation for your marketing efforts.
As a social media user, whether it be for business or personal enjoyment, you may notice that your feed is filled with video content.
Social media algorithms are placing an emphasis on video content. This is because shorter videos, such as Reels and TikToks, are proven to capture user attention for longer periods of time.
This change didn’t happen overnight, but rather over the course of nearly a decade. Gen Z is a prominent demographic of social media users and consumers, as well as one of the first generations to grow up fully-engulfed in social media.
Starting with the rise of YouTube in the early 2000s, it’s no surprise that Gen Z developed a love for video content. This love has influenced other platforms to adopt video content.
Luckily, there are a number of video content benefits that businesses can capitalize on.
1. Increased engagement
Social media algorithms recognize when your followers or viewers are engaged with your content for longer periods of time.
With graphics, users may view your post for just a couple of seconds and then scroll to the next post. With video content, users are engaged for the duration of the video, as well as any time that is spent reading captions, liking, and commenting.
Watching videos is more “mindless” than reading or scrolling through graphics. This keeps the user engaged, entertained, and more inclined to explore other content that you have created.
2. Content that “lives” longer
Do you ever find videos on your TikTok “For You” page or explore pages that were uploaded days, weeks, or even months ago? This is because, video content has a longer shelf-life.
For your brand, this means that your video content will circulate and receive engagement over a period of time — whereas images tend to only receive engagement on the days that they are first posted.
This also benefits your position in the algorithm. Social media algorithms are designed to place your content in front of users, as long as the content receives engagement. Algorithms favor high-performing content.
3. Develop more personal relationships with your followers
The same way that phone calls and video calls are more personal than text-messages, video content is more personal than a photo, graphic, or written post.
Video content allows you to truly share your personality beyond text. For viewers and followers, they are able to feel more personally connected to the person or visuals shown in a video.
4. More conversions!
Whether your goal is to increase your follower count, or drive sales — your brand is more likely to experience higher conversion rates when posting video content.
Specifically for product and service-oriented businesses, users are able to “experience” your product/service in real-time . This minimizes their level of doubt, which increases the number of users that take action by investing in your product or service.
If you aren’t offering a product or service, you are still able to experience other conversions, such as growth in your follower counts.
For example; influencers are able to share their personality and deliver entertainment value to viewers. This helps to increase the number of people who wish to stay connected to their content by following, subscribing, or even turning on post-notifications.
Key Takeaways…
Your content can be great, but not favorable in the eyes of the algorithm. If your content isn’t performing well, or you’ve noticed a decline in engagement, we recommend shifting into new types of content!
Being knowledgeable about social media and industry changes helps you to stay ahead of the algorithm on social media and improve your performance.
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