HOW TO CREATE ENGAGING VIDEO CONTENT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

When starting your business up on social media, it can be difficult, overwhelming, and quite frankly, frustrating working out how you can make your business stand out from the crowd on an already overpopulated platform.

And it only gets harder when your business may not have the most ‘Instagramable’ or engaging niche for the general population to begin with (let’s face it, we’ve all seen businesses simply posting poor quality photos of their nuts and bolts and assuming that it’s enough to generate leads through socials *spoiler alert, it’s not), but reschedule your despair, there is good news…

You don’t need to grab the attention of everyone on socials, only your target audience!

This article explores how to use video content for business social media effectively, providing practical advice on content creation and strategic planning to help your brand connect with the right audience.

UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF VIDEO IN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Video marketing offers a unique advantage over other content types by combining visual storytelling with sound and movement. It’s quick, fun, and engaging. Think about how many times you’ve jumped onto socials for one reason and lost minutes or hours scrolling through the endless rabbithole of visual stimuli.

It’s addictive, yes, but it is also incredibly effective in conveying your message, so lean into the most naturally engaging form of content and take advantage of it.

But this doesn’t mean you can solely rely on posting a weekly half-hearted video and expect to see the leads come flocking in like digital sheep. Video should never be an afterthought or standalone tactic.

It needs to be integrated into a wider social media strategy that aligns with your business objectives, audience preferences, and platform requirements. This includes considering which platforms your target audience uses and tailoring your videos to suit those environments.

We’ve all heard of TikTok and how ‘it’s the number 1 place to be for all businesses and can magically transform your company overnight’ and is it true? Absolutely not, it can 100% be an incredibly useful platform for some businesses like B2C, local hospitality and retail, and E-commerce, but not for all, so it’s extremely important to do your research and find out where your target audience already are.

PLAN YOUR SOCIAL VIDEO CONTENT WITH CLEAR OBJECTIVES

The one and only downside to social media video content for businesses is that it can take a little longer to create than other content formats, and smaller businesses and SME’s don’t always have the ability or time to produce in-house.

But there are always options. One strategy that we’re particularly fond of is outsourcing your social media requirements and woes to an all-in-one marketing agency like Treefrog (shameless plug, but it works), which means you can skip this blog entirely and have your entire social content and calendar managed and grown externally without ever having to lift a finger.

Alternatively, you can sit down and meticulously plan out your next steps by asking yourself:

• What do you want your video content to achieve? Brand awareness, lead generation, product education?

• Who is your target audience, and what type of video content do they engage with most?

• How can your videos offer value, solve problems, or entertain?

• How often do you need to post videos to achieve the above?

Once you’ve worked out the above, you can start looking at specific platforms and how best to get results on your ideal soapbox. For example, on TikTok and Insta you may be best to only post videos, whereas on something like LinkedIn, it could be best to integrate your video content into an eclectic mix of image and word-based content as well as blogs and polls etc.

The optimum differs drastically from business to business, but one sure-fire way of finding out what could work well for you is competitor research. Look at what works for your competitors, what could be improved, and how you can reformat and improve their content to give you an edge.

PRIORITISE VIDEO QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Consistency on social media platforms like TikTok is critical, one of the biggest factors towards overall success, but is it more important than quality? We don’t think so.

Perhaps for individuals and influencers, consistency takes the trophy, but as a business, your social presence is your word, your voice, and the face of your brand. Each post needs to be relevant and valuable to your audience, or you risk losing your position of authority in the industry.

High-performing video content is rarely accidental. It’s created with a specific audience, platform, and outcome in mind. Your videos should speak directly to the needs or interests of your target audience — whether that’s answering a frequently asked question, showcasing a product in action, or offering a behind-the-scenes look at your brand. Relevance is what builds engagement, trust, and ultimately action.

Here are several key considerations to help guide the content creation process:

• Craft a strong opening: Viewers decide whether to continue watching within the first few seconds. Begin with a clear, engaging hook that sets expectations or poses a question your audience wants answered.

• Keep videos concise and focused: Attention spans on social media are short. Videos that are direct, well-paced, and tightly edited tend to hold attention better than longer, unfocused pieces. If your message can be delivered in under 90 seconds, do so.

• Use captions or text overlays: With most social media users watching videos without sound — particularly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram — adding captions ensures your message isn’t lost. This also improves accessibility and SEO.

• Maintain consistent branding and messaging: Use a cohesive visual style, tone of voice, and brand identifiers (e.g., logo placement, colour palette) to ensure your videos are instantly recognisable. This strengthens brand recall and builds trust across platforms.

Ultimately, fewer, more strategic videos that resonate with your audience will deliver more impact than a high volume of content with little direction. Focus on delivering value, and the engagement will follow.

MEASURE SOCIAL VIDEO PERFORMANCE AND ADAPT YOUR STRATEGY

Publishing videos is only the first step. Use analytics tools native to social platforms or third-party software to track key performance indicators such as views, engagement rates, shares, and conversions.

Regularly reviewing these metrics helps you understand what content resonates and where to refine your approach. Continuous optimisation is critical to ensuring your video marketing efforts deliver real business value and ultimately drive more sales and revenue to your company.

Creating engaging video content for social media isn’t about producing as much as possible — it’s about delivering the right message, in the right format, to the right audience.

By aligning your video marketing with a clear social media strategy and focusing on purposeful content creation, you can cut through the noise and build stronger, more consistent engagement.

Whether you're showcasing expertise, promoting a product, or simply telling your brand story, relevant and well-executed social media videos remain one of the most effective tools for driving visibility and impact online.

ENGAGE TREEFROG TO LEAP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO STRATEGY TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Reach out to the team today to talk about how we can help you create professional, purpose-driven videos that elevate your social media strategy and drive real business results. Contact Us to start building content that actually connects.