Social Video Creative Fundamentals

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

The ten fundamentals

Over the years, YouTube has analyzed its top creators and how they engage with their audiences on the platform. It has identified ten key fundamentals that underpin a successful creative strategy. While not all of them are totally necessary, the more of them you are able to implement into your content, the higher the chance that it will be discovered and shared. 

These ten fundamentals are that content should be:

•      Shareable
•      Accessible
•      Conversational
•      Consistent
•      Sustainable
•      Discoverable
•      Collaborative
•      Interactive
•      Targeted
•      Authentic

Shareable

First, your content should be shareable. So find a subject matter or format that will make the viewer want to share your video. The more engaging your content is, the more likely people are to share it.

Accessible

Second, make your video content accessible. Find a video content format that can be appreciated independently from other videos on the channel. If a viewer discovers one of your YouTube videos, can they appreciate it without having to watch all the other videos in your channel? Being accessible will allow for your videos to populate various feeds – and that will expand your audience.

Conversational

Third, make your videos conversational. Are you having a conversation with your audience? Make sure that there’s an element of speaking directly to the audience within your video. This should help you connect to your community and bond with your fans. When you are conversational, you understand that the audience wants to engage with the content and that you need to speak directly to them.

Consistent

Being consistent is another important fundamental. Consistency can involve many different things. Do you have a regular schedule that you stick to? Is the format of your videos similar across the board? Is the on-screen personality consistent with every upload?

Sustainable

The fifth fundamental principle is that your content should be sustainable. 
If a video format is successful, will you be able to make more of it in different formats and in different parts of the web? This might not be the case if the video was very expensive to produce.

Discoverable

Your content also needs to be discoverable. Will people find your content? This means ensuring that titles are correct, and that your metadata clearly identifies what your content is about. It also means that you need to make content that your viewers are searching for. 

To make your content more discoverable, you have to optimize your videos for search. Bear in mind that YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. As with on-page SEO, it’s important to optimize your video for search, so that users have a better chance of discovering and viewing your video content. 

• Titles are important. Anticipate what people would look for when they want to find your video. Then name your video after what people are likely to type into YouTube to find this type of content. Include keywords relevant to the video and your brand. 
• Include a keyword-rich description of your video. Be sure to include a clear call to action, and links to other useful videos, social media channels, and resources on your website. 
• Use tags to tag your video with relevant keywords. This associates your video with similar videos which broadens its reach. 
• Using a custom thumbnail can have a large impact on the number of clicks and views your video receives. YouTube recommends using a 1280x720 pixel image to ensure that your thumbnail looks great on all screen sizes. Bear in mind that you must verify your YouTube account to upload a custom thumbnail image. You can do this by visiting youtube.com/verify and entering the verification code YouTube sends you.

Example: Carwow

Car platform Carwow is a platform that aggregates car deals across the UK.  The company uses YouTube to offer up-to-date car reviews and testimonials. The channel has been built with SEO practices in mind. For example, each video contains keyword-rich titles, descriptions, and tags. The descriptions used include links to the website, other videos, and additional social media links. All these actions can help discoverability on the platform. 

Collaborative

Next, let’s consider the collaborative principle. Does the format of your content allow for collaboration with other creators? Can it be integrated as part of a paid or mutual partnership? Many digital content creators collaborate with other creators to help grow their channels. For successful collaborations, make sure you have a similar target audience and create a guest spot that’s appealing. It’s also important to collaborate with creators who have already shown an affinity to your product. 

Interactive

Next, your video content needs to be interactive. As a marketer, you need to avoid thinking of YouTube as being a purely broadcast medium, just another way for you to get your message out there. It is actually an interactive platform. Find a way to allow the audience to participate and shape your content with feedback, content ideas, and user-generated content (UGC). Social listening is essential to really capitalize on audience engagement.

So ask yourself: is there a way to involve your audience in your content? If your audience sees that they are being heard and that your content is being shaped according to their comments, they will appreciate it and come back for more. 

Targeted

The ninth fundamental is that your video content should be targeted. To achieve this, you need to clearly define the audience that the content is trying to reach. Tailor the video content to their preferences and needs so it has a higher likelihood of resonating with them.
So make sure you know who’s watching your content. You can learn about your audience by engaging with them on social media, seeing what they like, what they don’t like, and understanding what they expect from your channel. The more niche your audience is, the more engagement you will see on your content. 

Authentic

The final principle is that the content should be authentic. Is there true passion behind the content of the video? Your content needs to be authoritative, and to show your enthusiasm for the subject matter. On camera, it will be clear from your body language if you’re passionate about your subject. Your audience will engage more with your content if they feel your message is credible and authentic.