6 Simple Videos Anyone Can Make for Social Media

You’ve seen the timeless Christmas comedy, Elf, right? In the scene below, Zooey Deschanel’s character tells Buddy, played by Will Ferrell, that she can’t sing. Dismayed, Buddy starts talking louder and elongating his words (his version of “singing,” however bad) all to prove to Jodi that anyone can sing.

Cut to now. Chances are, you’re reading this blog post because you want to learn how to make some low-barrier videos for your business. And if you’re thinking “I don’t know if I can actually do this … can I really make videos?” Think of this post as your very own Buddy, helping you out from the sidelines.

Communicating with video can be done on virtually any platform, but there’s so much potential when it comes to incorporating video into your social media strategy. By the end of this post, you’ll walk away with specific video ideas for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Let’s get started!

1. Highlight your company culture

Social media can be a great place to organically share the inside scoop of life at your company — and there’s no better place to bring your company culture to life than on Instagram.

With Instagram Stories, the possibilities are endless. What’s great about Instagram Stories is that you can easily combine both curated and candid content in order to create an authentic look into what your business is all about.

By now you’re probably seen your fair share of Instagram takeovers. Brands will hand over the keys to their profile for a day to promote a new initiative or event, for example, and what usually ensues is a fun and personable take on what could have been basic promotion.

You can use this same technique to convey your company culture — hand over your Instagram to someone on your team for the day. Have them share about their day-to-day and why they value your company or product. Doing this will give your audience authentic insight into what it’s like to work at your company, help them understand your product more, and create an opportunity for them to grow their brand affinity for your team.

We started this series back in March 2020 when quarantine started, but this type of campaign is not limited to pandemic conditions. Think about what makes your company special and use your team members to highlight that. No matter the conditions, these videos are sure to brighten up your feed and in turn, your audience’s days.

Of course, this same concept can really apply to any channel your audience lives — not just Instagram. Keep each channel in mind to craft meaningful, authentic content and share it with your audience wherever they are!

2. Recap a piece of content

Raise your hand if you’re a fan of the eerily specific ads that clutter your feeds …  ( I bet I’m not the only one with my hand firmly by my side). These days, social media feeds can feel more overwhelming than fulfilling. And as a marketer, it can often be frustrating that despite all the amazing blog posts you share, witty copy you craft, or followers you gain, it’s still hard to see the engagement you want with your posts.

That’s where video can step in and save the day. Let’s be real , video on social media is no longer just a trend — it’s table stakes for engagement. Tweets with video see 10x more engagement than those without. LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post. And video generates more engagement than any other content type on Instagram.

Here’s an example of a video that you can easily create to provide value to your audience and highlight your content. This video is a great example of using what you have. You can probably tell we made it right in the Wistia office!

One of the reasons this type of video is so easy to create is because the script practically writes itself! If you have the blog post written then you have the outline of your video script. Instead of making it easy for the viewer to scroll past your post of text and static imagery, make something eye-catching and engaging that will point them in the right direction to learn more.

3. Promote your podcast

Podcasts are all the rage right now, especially for brands looking for creative ways to grow their audience and build brand affinity. Consider this — 23% of U.S. adults listen to podcasts every day or a few times per week. And, more than 37 million people in the U.S. are “avid podcast fans.” How’s that for engagement?

Whether you’re starting from scratch with a new show or you’re a seasoned podcasting pro, using video to promote your show on social media is key to growing your audience. We recently employed this tactic to promote our latest podcast Talking too Loud.

Now, if you’re wondering how you can make something like this with limited resources, worry not. There are a ton of apps that can help you do this. For example, Headliner is a handy tool for creating social images out of audio clips. And the good news is, you don’t need to be a designer or audio editor to use the app. If you’re just beginning the journey of promoting your podcast on social media, this type of tool is a great place to start.

When people can get a feel for the space they’re listening to you from, they can immerse themselves in your show. Then, when they say, “it just feels like I’m the room with them,” they’ll actually be able to picture the room and really see themselves there.

4. Behind the scenes

Of course, the finished product of a video is always great to share with your audience. But what can make the finished product even more enjoyable is to see a behind-the-scenes clip of how it all happened.

When your audience watches your videos they’re bound to have questions about the creative process and how you got to the finished product. Getting this footage cut into an easily shareable video for social media is a great way to keep your audience engaged long-term.

That said, not all behind-the-scenes clips have to be educational — the value can be based purely in delight. Who doesn’t love a peek behind the curtain of one of their favorite video teams getting set up for shooting? Take this example we recently posted to our Instagram.

We’re currently in the process of social-distance shooting for a show that’s coming soon. We’re so excited to be able to share the finished product, but in the meantime sharing videos like this one help pique interest and intrigue around the project — which will make the show itself even more satisfying!

Use this type of video to preview a new show, tease a new product or service, or share tidbits of your company culture.

5. Spread the word about an an upcoming event

Whether you’re hosting a large in-person event, like a conference, or a small-scale online event, like a webinar, you’re definitely going to want to spread the word with your contacts. Videos are the perfect medium to share high-level details and build excitement for your event.

For businesses, we typically recommend starting with LinkedIn. Unlike the other social media channels, we typically think of LinkedIn as a channel for buttoned-up business content — but that doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun with what you post!

Start by creating an enticing promo video for your event, and then invite your teammates to share with their contacts. LinkedIn makes this super easy with the employee notification feature. Engaging your employees will increase your reach and make your promotion impact even stronger.

Here’s an example of a video our Sales Manager, Katie made to promote an event we hosted with Marketing Showrunners earlier this year.

Whether or not you decide to go full-on guerilla marketing with your next video, LinkedIn is a great place for experimentation with simple, effective promotional videos. Try it out next time you have a company event to promote!

Of course, event videos can also work well on other channels. Facebook allows businesses to create private groups and dedicated event pages, which can be the perfect place to generate awareness and build buzz through video.

6. How-to videos

The launch of a new product or feature is always a great opportunity to show your followers on social what it’s all about. And what better way to do that then with a product walk-through right on your profile?

When we launched Channels, we took to our Instagram stories to do an in-person demo. We walked through different aspects of the product with different folks from the team — some people featured actually helped build the product! Here’s the video of one of our Product Designers, Lamp, explaining how to update your Channel design.

When a new product launches it can sometimes feel overwhelming to customers. There are multiple ways to guide folks along, but one of them should definitely be a video. Thanks to your expertise and simple explanation your audience will be on the track to power-users in no time!

Shine bright like a videographer

There you have it, folks. Six simple social media videos that anyone at your company can create with minimal effort. Whether you’re a trained video-pro or a scrappy beginner, we all have what it takes to make videos for social media. All it takes is a dash of creativity, a few minutes of your time, and a camera.