Hey, remember that phrase “snackable content”? In a recent post, we talked to you about how social video is the new SEO, and we ever-so-briefly mentioned the importance of content being easy-to-digest and easy-to-share, ie. “snackable.” We quickly realized that snackable content is a whole post unto itself, so to do it justice, we’re going to spend a bit of time laying down some tips for making your video content super snackable.
First, why make snackable content at all?
The average media consumer now does a lot of consuming while on the go, such as while standing in line at the grocery store, walking to work, etc. This means two things for your content: first of all, it needs to get your message across quickly, and secondly, It needs to make an impact so as to stand out from the huge influx of stuff people COULD be looking at during that valuable 15-second window before ordering their coffee. Mobile consumers don’t have time to waste, or at least, they only have a really tiny window of time to waste, so you’d better nab it.
Video is crucial to a snackable content strategy, because it allows you to deliver the more information in small packages compared to images or text, making it ideal for short-form content. Here are some tips to make sure your video snacks are uber-appealing.
1. High-impact snacks
When it comes to grabbing attention, it’s all about the visual impact. Make sure you present the nuts and bolts of your information in an attractive, eye-catching and easy-to-digest format.
2. Tapas (not burgers)
You literally have seconds to grab a viewer’s attention, so give them the most impactful messages or visual hooks right upfront. For videos that are quick to consume, two minutes long is the absolute upper limit, and you should probably shoot for something much shorter. Think tapas, not burgers.
3. Easy to digest
If the message or plot is hard to identify or understand, people in a hurry are just going to move on to something else that’s more engaging. To make your video easily accessible, especially on social media where it will be playing in the timeline without sound, make sure your content contains ample visual cues, text, and imagery to get your point across clearly.
4. Simple recipe
Stick to a few ingredients to make sure you don’t distract your viewer from the key message. Confusing or inconsistent symbols, abbreviations and obscure acronyms, and ambiguous icons will detract from your content and mix up your message. Limits are your friends.
5. Strong flavors
Because you are limiting yourself to just a few ingredients, make sure they’re ones that pop! Snackable content is likely to have strong colors, themes, striking music and audio, and can even be a little controversial! If something presented in the video is slightly startling to viewers, it will definitely grab their attention and keep it. There are definitely right and wrong ways to court controversy, so tread carefully if you go that route.
6. Easy to Share
Shareability is what creates a social stir around your posts, so make sure your sharing buttons are front-and-center, that you include a call-to-action about sharing it forward, or that your content prompts viewers to share in some other way. And of course, the more striking the content, the more it lends itself to recommendations and sharing, so don’t be afraid to be bold and take some chances!
7. Mini-bites
Ever turn your day-old baguette into the next day’s bruschetta? You should be doing the same with your content. Create small and snackable bites of content by repurposing and repackaging bits of existing content (for example, taking the most striking bits of older videos and edit them into quick-hits).
8. Make it “To Go”
No matter what kind of snackable content you’re working with—whether it’s video, infographics or what have you—make sure you gear it toward the mobile consumer. Optimize for mobile viewing, and pay attention to the behaviors of your mobile device users to find out how they’re reacting. Luckily, we’ve got great tools for that.
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