Reaching new audiences on social media has become increasingly challenging, but there is one key strategy to tap into an entirely new audience: through video editing for social media.

Social media videos are one of the top ways to engage with your audience and boost your content marketing. Studies by Sprout Social show that more than 54% of marketers say video is the most valuable content for achieving social media marketing goals. So keep reading to find out the best practices for editing videos!

Statistics showing video in social media marketing

According to Statista, Facebook is without a doubt, the most-used platform by marketers worldwide (90%), while Instagram sits in second place (79%). So if you want to take your marketing game to the next level, you need to learn how to create the best videos for social media that will make your brand stand out. 

In this article, we will look into 5 best practices of video editing for social media to make your brand shine, how to make social media videos, when to use free stock videos to optimize your campaign and the key video lengths for optimized performance on social media.

How to Make a Video for Social Media?

Video editing for social media may seem intimidating, but with the right tools, you can set yourself up for success. Posting videos regularly on social media is important for engagement, so here are a few tips to make video creation easier. 

#1 Keep it Simple

Having usable footage is one of the greatest challenges in creating and editing videos for social media. Relying on a video team to capture the necessary footage can sometimes de-rail your timelines on your social media content calendar. 

An easy way to bypass this challenge is to rely on broll footage you already have on hand or look into free stock videos. 

Videvo is a good source for stock footage that you should have on hand. Stock videos can keep your social media budget down but still create engaging and captivating content. 

#2 Think Outside the Box

Jumping on a trend can sometimes be a good idea, but so can creating a trend! When you are creating your videos, think of innovative ways to reach your viewers. For example, using tools like an Instagram story maker is a great way to create vivid intros before you post a video to Instagram stories, for example.

Pro Tip: Here are 21 content ideas for your Instagram marketing account.

How Long Should Videos Be for Social Media?

Short and sweet is generally the way to go when creating videos for social media. Optimize video length when video editing for social media platforms. Each platform has different best practices, so let’s take a peek. 

Instagram Videos – Reels

Instagram is a powerhouse for social media videos, and Instagram Reels are a huge part. These videos should stay under 60 seconds but be sure to capture your audience as much as possible at the beginning.

YouTube Videos

YouTube video length really depends on what the video’s purpose is. Studies show that the average length of an integrated video, when sponsored content is mentioned within a video, is 82 seconds. 

Standard YouTube videos generally perform well anywhere from 5 to 12 minutes, but under 2 minutes seems to be a popular way for B2B videos.

Tiktok Videos

Although TikTok videos can be up to 10 minutes, recent statistics found that TikTok accounts with up to 500 views produced videos of approximately 32.4 seconds on average.

Tiktok does not have a set time that it recommends, but whatever time you choose, ensure you have the most engaging content within the first 15 seconds to really hook the viewer and keep their attention. 

5 Best Practices of Video Editing for Social Media 

Let’s take a look at some key video editing practices to help your brand’s social media videos go to the next level. 

#1 Focus on High-Quality Video and Audio

Creating high-quality videos is the best practice you need to adopt when video editing for social media campaigns. Viewers want to engage with a brand that has top-notch videos, so you need to ensure that every video you create is of the highest quality. 

If you are new to video and still need to get more broll footage, free stock videos are a great way to add high-quality footage to create top content for your brand. 

#2 Experiment with Different Content

When producing a video, it may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for your audience. Make sure to incorporate online video editors into your content marketing strategy as a helpful tool for creating unique content. Video editing for social media is not an exact science but more of an art that requires a mix of different ratios now and then. 

Social media offers several different methods to boost posts. It is possible to test different methods and see which performs best. If you have run out of footage and just want to test the waters, use stock videos to try the different techniques and see which performs best. The numbers don’t lie, especially when it comes to what your audience engages with best.  

#3 Captivate Your Audience

The people watching your content on social media are looking for an experience. When video editing for social media, you should focus on content that will captivate your audience and make them want to watch more of your videos. 

Every detail, from the color and format of your videos to the emotional narrative, plays a key part in keeping your viewers engaged. If you have long-format videos, consider using video editing tools to create video highlights for social media. This is a great way to pull information from a longer video and repurpose it to engage on social media.  

#4 Optimize for Mobile Viewing

Statistics show that more than 70% of internet users will access the web solely via their smartphones by 2025, so if you still need to optimize your social media video editing for mobile use, now is a great time to start.

Be sure to keep a good many of your videos vertical so that your social media videos will fill the screen on mobile phones. This will probably engage and captivate the viewers as they will be more prone to watching a full screen. 

#5 Use Caption or Subtitles

As many viewers use their mobile phones to view social media while out and about or doing other things, it has become quite popular for videos to be viewed without sound. A key path to social media video success is adding captions or subtitles when editing videos. 

If you are creating videos for Instagram or Facebook, consider introducing a short video with captivating shots and explanations in the story. Full text instead of a voiceover should help reach more viewers. Instagram Story Maker is a great tool to develop these intros and elevate your brand’s content creation.  

Conclusion

With the right tools and careful preparation, video editing for social media does not need to be as intimidating as you might have thought. 

By using the best practices above, you are setting yourself up for content success so you may have great video content for your social media marketing campaigns.