Over the next nine weeks, ReelSEO will run a series covering social video production Chicago marketing from all angles, including case studies, best practices, and strategies. For their first installment, Jeremy Scott describes social video as a concept, defining it and setting the stage for the rest of the series. A must read for any business interested in using video to market themselves.
In order to define what social video is it’s important to differentiate it from viral video because a lot of websites use the terms interchangeably and it’s easy for people to get confused.
In my view, a viral video is one that achieves a high number of views through the organic word of mouth from one viewer to another. This is where the word comes from, after all, because viral videos spread like a “virus,” from person to person. Sometimes that’s literally through word of mouth, like an in-person conversation, or a phone call. Other times, it’s over email. And yes, very often the viral spread of a video takes place through social networks.
Where “viral video” is more of a destination (“We did it, we’ve gone viral!”), social video is all about intent on the part of the brand. Social media has woven itself into the fabric of our society. It’s how we share good news, movie reviews, photos, or videos. It’s the new front porch… the new water cooler… social media is where our communication with each other is taking place. So social video is all about an intentional brand strategy that leverages the powerful communication capabilities of social media by appealing to the emotions that cause viewers to share.
In my book, social video and viral video are not mutually exclusive. A social video can go viral, and a viral video can have social elements. Viral is the end product… a video that gets a ton of views has reached viral status. But social video is the genesis of the content… it begins with a brand saying,
“How can we interact with our customers more over video, and what kinds of video are they more likely to share and discuss with each other?”
Social video seeks more than views, it seeks shares. It seeks interaction and discussion. Most of all, social video seeks a long-term relationship with consumers over a short-term sale.
Content Versus Ads & Brands As Publishers
A good way to think about the concept of social video production Chicago is to look at traditional television ads versus the kind of entertainment-based content that brands are creating more and more of. Social video is pushing brands away from the old ad conventions and into an entirely new era where brands create their own content.
This means leaving behind a heavy marketing statement. Some social video doesn’t even contain the creating company’s branding at all anymore. Instead, we’re seeing businesses create short-form entertainment content–web series, comedy shorts, documentaries, etc.–that is compelling in its own right.
Web video audiences don’t want to see traditional ads on YouTube. They want to see things that are hilarious, scary, shocking, and amazing. Beyond that, they’re surprisingly unpicky about where that content comes from–brand or amateur–as long as they are entertained.
Visit ReelSEO for the whole story. To find out how we can help you utilize the powerful tool of video production Chicago, call or email us today!
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