TWITTER VIDEO

HOW TO USE TWITTER VIDEO FOR YOUR AUDIENCE
While your brand might be putting all of its money behind Facebook or spending all of its money optimizing its YouTube channel, Twitter is still alive and growing fast. With 1.3 billion registered users and 120 million of those visiting every month, Twitter can do a lot with a little. With whispers from the social-sphere that the platform is adding 10,000 characters, there are clearly opportunities here for brands and agencies to explore and get a piece of the pie.

The Rise of Video
One of these areas is through video, which has been slowly but surely adding an important interactive element to the tweet-based site. A recent study showed that 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter, and 90% of those views are on mobile. With a mobile-first ideology sweeping the social industry, this is huge as Twitter users are almost twice as likely to upload a video online than the average Internet user in the United States. So how do you use this growing feature to its full potential?

How Do You Use It?
Well, you can upload these videos directly to the mobile app from your camera roll or record it through Twitter itself. Side note: Twitter videos must be 30-seconds or less. It might not seem like a lot of time, but it’s for the best. In today’s world, the rule is: the shorter the better. Instagram gives you 15-seconds to work with, Snapchat videos max out at 10-seconds and Vine is even less at just 6-seconds. When millennials are scrolling through their phones, they want something quick, simple and to the point, which is why 30-seconds is more than enough time to get your point across.

Depending on the user’s preferences, these videos might even auto-play, which will greatly help your brand’s video reach a wider audience. Look at the success Facebook has had with its native videos auto-playing, and realize that you can mirror that success on Twitter.

The Right Content
One of the best things to upload as a video on Twitter is a current or topical event. 41% of Twitter users believe that Twitter is a great place to discover videos. For example, when a breaking news story hits or a new trending topic appears, Twitter is often where users will look first. Utilizing Twitter video allows you to tell a larger story, without being stuck in the platform’s character limit. Most people take to Twitter when something big happens, so be there first with a video to drive maximum engagement.

Two other areas that present opportunities are tutorials or educational videos. Look at Buzzfeed or NowThis, as these two media companies have gained huge followings by posting videos that explain or educate its audience on a topic in short, easy-to-consume videos. This is a great place for you to educate your own following on your product, services or a fun campaign that will be available soon!

Twitter video is clearly here to stay, even if its 140-character limit does not. Native video on Twitter drives 2.8x more retweets and 1.9x more favorites, so what are you waiting for?