If you’ve scrolled through Instagram lately, your feed has probably looked a little something like this:

- Video

- Reel

- Reel

- Photo Carousel

- Recommended Reel

- Sponsored Ad

- Reel

- Video Carousel

That’s not by chance. In June of 2021, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealed that Instagram is no longer just a photo-sharing app. Instead, their core focuses are now video content, messaging, shopping and creators. Now, we’re not here to only talk about Instagram. Even platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are adding features that put more of an emphasis on video content. Stories. Live video. Short-form video. Long-form video. There’s no escaping this content type anymore – so it’s time to embrace it.To add, when you think about how social media apps are primarily used – on mobile devices – it makes perfect sense as to why video content should be an essential part of any social media strategy in 2022.

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Videos typically perform best with algorithms because they capture a viewer’s attention for longer periods of time than photos. By posting vertical video content (think Instagram Reels and TikToks), you’re giving your content the opportunity to take over a full phone screen. This gives you more potential for fan engagement compared to your traditional square photo posts. Now of course, producing quality video content may be more time consuming than taking a photograph or designing a social media graphic, but videos can be cut in numerous ways in order to effectively engage audiences on different platforms. For example, if you make a vertical video (9x16 ratio) for TikTok, there are plenty of ways to take that same creative concept, and implement in new ratio formats that fit better on Twitter, Linkedin, etc. 

With Slate, we make it easy to create branded, aesthetically pleasing video content for your Instagram Stories, feed posts and beyond. Check out some of our case studies from brands like the Los Angeles Lakers and the World Surf League. World Surf League used Slate to 45+ pieces of content for the first Olympic Surfing Event, and they garnered over 7 million impressions!

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Watch the Video TikTok and Instagram Reels both have the same 9x16 usage format. Similarly, 16x9 videos can be easily shared across IGTV, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube -- with each of these platforms being suited for content longer than 60 seconds. Creating video content also gives you a chance to humanize your brand. Nowadays, people love to see the people and processes behind their favorite brands. They wanted to be taken along for the journey, far beyond website transactions. Whether you’re taking your audience behind the scenes at a live event activation, hosting a live panel chat on Instagram, or resharing a video testimonial from a customer, videos deliver authenticity and connection in ways that a photo just can’t do sometimes. 

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This video from Jeni’s Ice Cream does a better job at showing off fan sentiments around their Everything Bagel flavor than any still photo would! According to Nielsen over 90% of consumers trust word-of-mouth from influencers, friends and family more than they trust brands, so utilizing video to showcase what fans and even influencers think about your brand can be vital for growth. People always say that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case, think about how many words a video can be worth for your brand!Hopefully this article convinced you to up the ante when it comes to including more video content in your forthcoming social media strategies. Have any questions for us? Be sure to follow us on social media in order to stay up-to-date on Slate’s product offerings, as well as our latest blog posts!

Interested in learning more about how Slate can help transform your social media content workflow? Here’s how our content creation platform works – tried, tested and loved by some of the biggest brands in sports & entertainment!