Multimedia Social Posts: Not just a good thing to have - “it’s a must-have”
There’s a saying that content is king. That mantra is applicable to social media posts, especially if those posts can help a small business engage with clients and prospects.
While frequency of posts by a business owner is important, enriching those posts with multimedia can help people fully understand what an operation, its services, and its expertise. The richer the media, the better.
As BBVA USA Head of Digital Sales Santiago Lopez Heredia stated in this article in August: “Videos and live feeds present content that people love and can help them understand what kind of services a business is selling.”
Lopez Heredia recently expanded on this particular topic regarding social media and how it can help entrepreneurs attract business:
Alejandro Ortiz
What are some of the ways small businesses can utilize videos on their social media platforms to drive engagement?
Santiago Lopez Heredia
I think the most important thing for businesses to understand is where exactly they are adding value. They have that information first hand because they deal with customers every day. They have a feeling of the common questions customers ask, and how they are improving those customers’ lives. They have to look at that information, and create content that can address those concerns, those questions that they feel they can solve through their business.
Alejandro Ortiz
You spoke about content, but what about the average length of the video to keep people engaged?
Santiago Lopez Heredia
In terms of videos, it depends on what the message is trying to address, but I would say the shorter the better. So maybe 2 to 5 minutes would be ideal. Again, it depends on the complexity of what the video is trying to address. But I would say the minimum required time to get your message across is the best strategy.
Alejandro Ortiz
What about podcasts? How can small businesses utilize those?
Santiago Lopez Heredia
Businesses can definitely use podcasts. Podcasts are on the rise. The more ways the company can leverage content that addresses concerns and also explain trending topics of the industry they operate in, the better. It can be super useful. It’s about getting your name out there and establishing yourself as a voice and an expert in your industry. You could do your own podcast, or you could also leverage an existing industry podcast. For me, specifically, I would leverage a CMO or general marketing podcast.
Alejandro Ortiz
Can you tell readers about live feeds and examples of how entrepreneurs can leverage those on social media?
Santiago Lopez Heredia
This could be an informative feed from the owner about trends in the industry, positioning yourself as an industry expert. It could also be something newsworthy about the business itself. It could be an organization announcement, or the opening of new offices, that type of content.
Alejandro Ortiz
Some small businesses may not have the time or money to produce this type of content. What do you suggest there?
Santiago Lopez Heredia
It’s not that expensive to produce this type of content. It’s more about the time and priority. It’s also about commitment, because you don’t want to have just a one-off post. You want it to be a series of similar types of posts to build engagement. But as far as resources, it’s fairly easy to set up this type of multimedia. In terms of when small businesses can or should consider producing this type of content, I’d say this is something for the mid-funnel. You always have to start with the low-funnel - the low hanging fruit. Then you grow. So part of that is customer engagement, and that’s at the mid-funnel.
Alejandro Ortiz
Is there anything else you would like to add that you would like small business owners to know about?
Santiago Lopez Heredia
I think I would circle back to the point of priority. For a local business, it’s important to produce this information. It’s important for businesses to look at this from the perspective of including this in your robust marketing plan, and not as “an extra mile” aspect. This needs to be considered from Day 1. It’s not just a good thing to have, it’s a must-have.