What makes for a good silent video?
Silent videos have been around since at least 1903 when Thomas Edison produced the first narrative movie. Silent videos are coming back with a vengeance, just on smaller screens. Audiences now more than ever before are watching videos on social platforms. This is a great opportunity for small businesses to reach the customers they need in the most effective way.
Why Do Silent Videos Matter?
No one likes it when a video starts loudly blaring as they scroll through Facebook or Instagram. In fact, a majority of social media users likely have the sound auto play muted on their videos.
When silent auto play is the default, 85% of videos are watched with the sound off. That means that your audience will likely watch your video for longer if it’s silent—and created for silent viewing. So what makes for a good silent video? We offer you 5 tips to create a great silent video for your audience!
Above all remember that the purpose for creating a video without the expectation of sound is to solve a problem for the viewer. You can do this by using bold captions, featuring a timely topic, using a simple concept, building suspense, or making your video highly visual.
1. Use bold captions
By using bold captions you make your video automatically more accessible. Consumers generally follow the path of least resistance, so if you’re creating a video with bold, short subtitles you’re leading them through the content without them even realizing it. Facebook’s own research even illustrates that captioned video ads were watched an average of 12% longer than un-captioned ads. Captions can also be a great way to illustrate your brand by using the right font and verbiage. Movidmo has tons of font options to create a sense of branding all the way through your video.
2. Ensure your video is timely/ answers a common question
When putting together any video for social ensure your video is timely and answers common questions. By ensuring that your video is timely you’re listening to your customer’s needs and you know what’s important to them. When a customer feels like you’re listening, sale conversions tend to be much higher. Also, by being attune to what’s happening your business can avoid sounding tone deaf. There are so many major events happening in the world today that you might think about acknowledging, but ensure you’re keeping consistent with your branding and what made your customers love you in the first place.
3. Use a simple concept
When it comes to a video on social you have a brief amount of time to make an impact. Keep your video concepts simple. If it’s a product, show your audience how it works or focus on a specific feature. Whatever you do ensure your video is crystal clear even without sound. We even suggest showing the video to someone that’s never heard of your brand to see if the concepts are easily grasped.
4. Build suspense from the beginning
We’re not saying your videos have to be a suspenseful thriller, but you do need to grab the viewer’s attention from the beginning. Facebook ads keep track of how long viewers watch videos. One metric marketers pay a lot of attention to is the 3 second rule. According to Facebook, 65 percent of people who make it past the first three-second mark of watching a video will make it to the ten-second mark and 45 percent of those will watch for thirty seconds (the ideal length of video on social). That statistic alone describes why you must, catch your viewer’s audience's attention within 3 seconds. Try triggering the viewer’s curiosity by doing something unexpected.
5. Make a Highly Visual Video
Making visually captivating videos is the best way to make viewers tune in. As we’ve discussed so far, make sure the content is simply and you use captions. Rely on visuals more than words to tell your story. Don’t forget bold and bright colors to attract attention or use a spokesperson that’s easily recognizable.
So, although silent videos have been around since 1903, we believe that with these 5 tips you’ll be able to create the most successful silent videos on social today!