12 Social Media Video Ideas To Generate Engagement

Looking for social media video ideas that can get you more engagement and new followers?

We’ve got you covered.

Social media videos are an important part of any digital marketing strategy.

Just look at the most popular social media platforms today — Instagram and TikTok. Both of these platforms see their users consuming more videos.

Creating video content that gets engagement is an important part of a successful social media marketing strategy.

In this post, you’ll find a bunch of engaging social media video ideas you can use across your online profiles.

1. Product demonstration videos

Product demonstration videos are a staple for businesses on social media. You can’t go wrong with letting your audience know what your products are and how they can help them.

But do you know how to make your product demonstration videos effective?

First, you’d want to make your videos as visual as possible. Let people see it in action. Simple techniques like shooting multiple camera angles will go a long way. Remember to take close-up shots as well so viewers can appreciate the small details.

You’ll want to sprinkle in shots of the product in the real world. If you’re selling clothes, for example, then having models walk the streets while wearing them will give people a sense of what they’re like when worn.

Keep your product videos simple. You don’t want to overwhelm your viewers. Information should be fed slowly to give people a chance to digest everything. And don’t use overly complicated words or phrases just for the sake of using them.

Adding music is always a good choice. If you know how to, you can use graphics to keep viewers entertained and informed. You know your audience best. So you decide what tone you would use when you create videos. Just make sure you use a consistent tone.

2. Behind-the-scenes videos

Give your audience a peek at what’s going on behind the scenes (BTS) — content that die-hard fans of a business wish they have access to. This type of video lets creators be real with their followers. They get to follow you along and see what it’s like working for your company.

They get a glimpse of your struggles as well as the company culture. People can meet the employees working in the background. BTS videos also let you show off your personality. You get to display a side of you that your customers don’t normally get to see.

But with BTS videos, they’re only as interesting if you have something to say. You can’t just show people the back office and call it a day. You’ll have to talk to your viewers. You must explain how things work. Share something that they might find interesting.

Here are some ideas. Show how a product gets made from start to finish. Introduce your employees and tell people what they do. Or you can show everyone BTS footage of an event that you launched. Some shoot BTS videos that give people a glimpse of what an ordinary office day is like.

3. Q&A videos

Q&A videos let you connect with your audience and provide them with valuable information at the same time. These perform better on social media because most viewers are already fans of the brand.

These videos are easy to make and don’t require that many takes. All you do is read questions from viewers and answer them. It doesn’t get any simpler. You can even stream it as a live video and upload a recorded copy on social media channels at a later date.

When you make Q&A videos, you just have to be as authentic as possible. Don’t lie to your followers as the truth will come out sooner or later. Don’t be afraid to not know the answer to all questions. Nobody’s perfect.

It would help if you read some of the questions ahead of time so you could prepare visual aids if necessary. You can inject some humor when answering questions to keep it light.

Are there disadvantages to doing Q&A videos?

There are a few. If you don’t have a large following, you might find it hard to gather enough questions for the video. You could also receive inappropriate questions from people who are trying to damage your reputation.

Still, Q&As are worth doing because of how engaging they are.

4. User-generated content

If you don’t have your own video content just yet, you can try uploading videos from your followers. Even if you do have videos to post, you’d still want to share a couple of user-generated videos to increase your credibility as a brand.

While most user-generated videos come organically, there are ways to encourage people to create videos that promote your small business.

Asking directly is a bold but popular option. Do a social media post letting people know that they can share videos of themselves using your products. You’d be surprised by how many people would be more than happy to oblige.

It’s common courtesy to ask for permission before sharing their videos though. So you better ask before reposting. Also ensure that proper credit is given as well.

You can also create a contest where people have to submit videos featuring your products. Offering prizes like discounts should nudge them toward participating. You can also have participants use specific hashtags for increased visibility.

User-generated content offers a whole new level of authenticity and trust. They’re also great for engagement. And because other people are basically creating content for your business, you’re not spending as much for video marketing.

Sharing videos from your customers is also a great way to show them how much you appreciate their support.

Related Reading: How To Repost On TikTok.

5. Short-form documentaries

While these are typically used sparingly, there are businesses that do short-form documentaries and post them on social media.

Why do people do this? Well, there are products that aren’t demonstrable. Think apps, computer software, and similar products. It may be difficult to show what these products do in an entertaining way. But you can do a short-form documentary that showcases the people behind the product or how the product can revolutionize an industry.

Admittedly, documentaries aren’t that easy to do. It will require a lot of planning and research. On top of that, you’ll have to do a lot of interviews. But if you think your target audience will appreciate this type of video content, then you should absolutely go for it.

To ease your burden, you can work with people who can help you find footage you can use or shoot b-roll footage for the film. Having access to a professional editor can not only make you finish faster but also make the final product look polished.

It’s a fantastic way to introduce a product to the masses. And if you use a serious tone, you’re bound to be taken seriously by your community.

6. How-to videos

How-to videos are the best type of content for businesses that have a lot of demonstrable products. If your customers need more information on how to set up or use your products, then you’ll need to publish how-to videos on your site and social media profiles.

You start by making a script. Without one, you might accidentally omit key steps in your video or say something that you shouldn’t. Clarity is important when it comes to instructional videos. So review your script a couple of times before recording. At the very least, you should have an outline.

Prepare visual aids that you can use to get your point across. And add some light music in the background to help retain your viewers’ attention. Keep your videos short. You can split your content into multiple videos, especially if there is too much information to share with social media users.

If people have additional questions that your video was unable to cover, they’ll leave questions in the comments section. Others will suggest future topics. Some will help other users by answering questions on your behalf. All these actions will improve your engagement rate.

For businesses, be sure to give your customer service team information in advance so that they can answer queries from people that have related questions.

7. Virtual events

Yes, you can post recordings of virtual events like webinars or podcasts. Or you can record fun online events for your followers like game and trivia nights. Then you can take those recordings and post them on your social media platform of choice.

Not only will these give your followers something to look forward to, but they’re highly engaging too. You can add comments as viewers are watching back the recording. Interact with your fans as they listen in on your presentation.

It’s even more fun when you’re doing games. You can read reactions from the audience as they watch what’s happening on screen. It’s a great way to talk with your followers.

But to get a lot of viewers, you’d have to promote it in advance. Tell people that you’re going to launch a virtual event. You want people watching the event itself and the recording after.

Holding events and posting them on social media has other benefits. You get more reach since anyone with an internet connection will be able to join your fun and informative events. Virtual events, after all, are more accessible than in-person events.

Overall, virtual events can be a valuable and effective way to connect with your audience and provide value on social media. Don’t forget to monitor the results.

8. Video series

It’s great to have your very own video series for social media. Producing and posting a multi-part series can be less work compared to creating several standalone videos. And having videos on standby means you can post them anytime you’ve run out of social media posts.

If you do a video series, you can also be consistent when it comes to uploads. For example, if you have a 4-part series and you release one video a week, that’ll give you video content for a whole month.

Facebook video might be a good place for this. Now, what are some video series ideas?

Some businesses do interviews with several key personalities in their industry. They’ll feature one figure per episode and call the whole thing a series. There are tutorials that come as a part of a series as well. You can also do a multi-part customer success story series. A series of explainer videos can also work.

It is even possible to do a series of announcement videos to hype up a product launch or event.

Ultimately, you’ll be the one to decide what series would be best for your social media channels. After all, you know your audience the best. You know what content they want from you.

9. Collaboration videos

Collaboration videos will always be popular on social media. Working with influencers, for example, will generate engagement and views. It should be part of every social media content strategy.

You can partner with another business or an individual. What’s important is that you and your collaborator share the same target audience.

And thanks to its collaboration feature, Instagram is a great platform for these types of videos.

Here’s a great example of this Instagram feature from a collab between guitarist Ben Keightly and Squealing Pig Guitars:

To start, you’ll need to do your research. Find a partner that aligns with your brand and audience. You’re also going to want a partner that brings something to the table. It’s generally a good idea to work with someone that has a huge audience. But you can also collaborate with someone who is an expert in a category.

You should also have a plan. Before approaching someone, you should already know your partner’s role in the video. Will this be an interview? Will you work on a project together? They will need to know this alongside other details like when and where it’s going to take place.

Collaboration videos will benefit both you and your partner. You can engage each other’s audience. Both of you will get exposure from people who may not have heard of you before. And if the collaboration turns out to be a huge success, you’ll have someone you can collaborate with on future projects.

10. Customer testimonial videos

Not only are customer testimonial videos great for engagement but they’re also amazing for showcasing the value of products and services. They also provide a good source of social proof. They give brands a ton of credibility.

But how do you get customer testimonials?

People who like your product will make testimonial videos organically. You can also produce them yourself. For instance, those with a retail store can ask happy customers to leave a video message that’ll get featured on your social media platforms.

Customer testimonials could give you and your followers a break from your usual video content posts. And it might give them an idea of how your products can make their lives that much better.

In addition you could reach out to influencers and collaborate with them to create review videos of your products or services.

11. Tour videos

This is a more specific variation on the ‘behind-the-scenes’ idea – Try giving your followers a video tour of your workspace. This can work especially well if you have a retail store or large creative space that you work in.

For ecommerce businesses, try doing a video tour of your warehouse or even the factory where your products are made.

You can do live videos whilst on tour, or record and edit them for posting. Live streaming might be the better option between the two since you can engage with your followers in real time.

What’s great about video tours is that the final video doesn’t have to be as polished as something like a demonstration video. You can record it using your smartphone and just edit it down for time. Recording it that way might even be better for your brand because it’ll make you seem more authentic.

Before posting, you should promote the video ahead of time so that your followers know when it will drop. You could even publish teaser videos.

But what if you don’t have a space that you’d want to do a video tour of? Do a video tour of someone else’s space.

For example, Premier Guitar did a great job on this tour of the PRS guitar factory in Stevensville, USA:

12. Vlogs

You might be more familiar with vlogs from sites like YouTube. But you can get some great results from publishing them on your other social channels. Unlike BTS videos, these are supposed to be more personal. It’s more about you than it is about the business.

It’s a bit more challenging compared to the other suggestions on this list. You’ll need to be more open with your audience. And you have to come up with topics that’ll keep viewers entertained. There’s also the challenge of posting frequently and regularly as that’s the norm for vloggers.

If you want to stand out, you’ll also need to have a professional edit your videos. There’s a lot more competition in this space. And people have come to expect high-quality videos from vloggers.

But if you manage to pull it off, expect to see more views on your videos and gain new followers as word gets around about your vlog. And who knows? You might even find it fun. It’s a good way to share your thoughts on things that you find interesting. And it lets you connect with people on a deeper level. It’s definitely worth a try.

Final thoughts

Creating engaging video content is an important part of any social media strategy.

There are plenty of other types of videos you could create, but the list above gives you a solid starting point.

So, take a few of these types of videos and use them to create specific ideas that will work for your own social media profiles.

Just be sure to keep your business goals in mind as you develop these ideas.

Need more help with social media? Have a read of these related articles:

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