So, you have just spent a lot of time producing an amazing explainer film. A good move, viewers retain 95% of messages from video compared with 10% when reading (Insivia). Your explainer film captures your story perfectly, but how do to get your film out to your audience? Here are ten tips to give your video the best possible chance of being seen far and wide.
Who are you talking to?
Every launch needs preparation, and no preparation is more essential than knowing your audience. It's vital to understand your audience and where they spend their time digitally. There are some great social media breakdowns by age here and by time here.
Plan for mobile
80% of social media time is spent on a mobile device (comScore), so when you are planning your explainer video it is essential to consider mobile. This means it has engage people quickly. Given this quick engagement time it helps to put some branding at the front of the film. You must prepare for the fact your video may not be played with sound, so a clear visual or subtitles are essential.
Create a buzz!
Build up and countdown to your explainer film launch! Once you have established who your audience is, and where they are going to be online, trail your video across your media channels. Make people aware that it is coming and make them excited for it.
Get social
It isn’t called social media for nothing! In the build-up to your explainer film launch, engage with the people that you hope will share your film. Like, share and comment on their posts too, and more often than not they will reciprocate when you post your film.
Get that film out there!
It’s time to launch! Get the video you have made on your website in a prominent place above the fold (so it can be seen without scrolling). Then let it loose on YouTube, Vimeo and the social channels you have targeted for your audience. Make sure that you post at the right time for maximum engagement.
Create the right copy
When you are posting about your video on your website or social media, make the text engaging. The best way to engage people is to make this copy warm, authentic, humorous and genuine.
News-jacking, famous friends and influencers
Give your explainer video a helping hand by news-jacking. Look at piggybacking a relevant news item, or target trending hashtags that relate to your film.
Like News-jacking, try to find a famous friend or influencer with a big social network. If you have shared and supported them recently, when you @mention them they are more likely to talk about it and share it with their network. If you get the right associations, you will bring your film to a much wider audience!
Post your explainer video natively
When sharing the video post a direct link so it autoplays in the social media platform. The less obstacles the better - so minimise clicks. Twitter have found 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter (Twitter), and it’s a similar story across other social media platforms.
Post, repost, repeat
Don’t be afraid to repeat or create new tweets and posts later in the day or week. It’s important to create a sustained buzz and interest in your film, ensuring it remains visible, viewed and talked about. Link clicks account for 92% of all user interaction in tweets (HubSpot), so it pays to make sure your video or link is shared several times and reaching its audience.
Keep being social
Video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined (Wordstream). When anyone comments or engages with your post, make sure you reply! A great way to raise views is to create an ongoing conversation.
Though video is an incredibly effective way to create audience engagement, don’t assume it will do all the work for you. Putting in a bit of effort and following these simple tips will give you a much better chance of your film reaching people.
An example of a company who launched their explainer video very successfully is the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. So far on Facebook, the video has had 129,000 views and has been shared 2,300 thousand times.
We expect you put a lot of work into your explainer film. It’s a fantastic resource – so make sure you get the most from it! For more advice or help creating great explainer films please get in touch.
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