In the old days, say back in 2014, video marketers would shoot a video, and then simply post it across multiple networks. Now, social media’s embrace of video means marketers must edit videos specifically for particular platforms in order to win viewers and engagement.

Video marketers must meet the varying styles, formats and lengths of YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram, to name just the most popular platforms. Formats may be horizontal or vertical. Some have silent auto play. Some have auto loop.

Marketing Land’s guide to the different video parameters lists nine different parameters of seven major social networks.

Offering What Viewers Seek

“The advent of Snapchat Discover was a big eye-opener for us,” James Williams, director of digital video for National Geographic, told Digiday. “As Facebook video began to rise in popularity and video became more of a priority for us, unless we adapted to what viewers were looking for, we were going to be fighting a steeper uphill battle to get views.”

Other brands can learn about video posting on multiple sites from National Geographic’s process.

• Find people knowledgeable about the different social platforms. National Geographic has a team of over 15 video specialists. (National Geographic has always emphasized photography and video in its publishing and broadcasting.)
• Ensure that team members communicate with each other about the video’s plan, even if communication is informal.
• Identify the main idea, and then build a story around it. Remember that a video has only seconds to win audience attention.
• Obtain plenty of video in the field to meet the needs of different social platforms.
• Create text to narrate action for silent playing.

Less outdoor-oriented brands devise different strategies. Business Insider conducts 30-minute Facebook Live interviews in its New York studio. It cuts those videos into multiple shorter segments and publishes them on BusinessInsider.com and Insider, its general news spin off. Itproduces three times as much video now as a year ago. “We’re always thinking about how we can get the most out of a story, shoot or interview we’re doing,” Justin Maiman, head of video at BI, told Digiday.

Options for Smaller Organizations

Although customizing videos to different networks can prompt more views, editing videos is time consuming. Digital video editing tools can save time by helping crop, trim, cut, split and combine segments, says Harsh Agrawal, CEO of ShoutDreams Media, in a post for Startup Grind. You can also use functions like jump cut, video transitions, adding titles/credits, picture-in-picture, filters, and visual effects.

You can also create shorter versions while filming the videos, keeping different platforms in mind. This way, the idea, concept, campaign, etc. will remain the same but you will have better videos on hand, Agrawal explains.

Additionally, you can consider converting a video to slides, a podcast or the written word, he adds.

Bottom Line: Successful video marketing now requires understanding the varying formats and styles, not to mention lengths, of the many different social media networks. As online video becomes more popular, leading brands and savvy marketers recognize that repurposing videos calls for editing them to meet preferences of networks’ different audiences.

William Comcowich

William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.