We all know video is no longer the future but rather video is the here and now. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are helping brands maximize video content to reach audiences on a whole new level. The creative options are endless and the ability to make content even more interactive continues. The key to creating video content on mobile devices is to understand exactly how the audience engages and how to maximize the time and money spent on creating these crucial videos. Attending Crafting Mobile Video on Facebook and Instagram brought an insider look at how to properly advertise on these platforms and continue to create brand loyalty within your audiences.

Maria Jimena Cos (M.J.) from Facebook’s Blueprint taught the entire session on maximizing video content on Facebook and Instagram. Blueprint is Facebook’s training site for how to best advertise content and M.J. is the pro for onsite training on the platform. As M.J. summed up, “the world is mobile.” Learning how to create the best video for each platform and each purpose is also important. From an Instagram story, to Facebook Live, to a classic advertisement, each medium has a different approach to what the video and content should look like.

The world is mobile.

It took radio 30 years to go global; television did it in 13 years. Mobile went global to nearly two billion users in just 2 years. At this rapid pace, how we approach mobile video is ever changing and evolving as bandwidth increases and creativity abounds. What we know now is different than just a few years ago. For example, video on mobile is not only short and sweet but the use of text becomes important as most users are viewing the video with the audio turned off.

Facebook, in recent years, has taken a video first approach and the options to maximize content regardless of bandwidth is unlimited. From static slides to interactive videos to compelling commercials, video can be used in a multitude of ways and helps increase brand awareness while speaking to your targeted audience.

With mobile comes a shorter attention span, you need to grab someone’s attention in 1.7 seconds and as M.J. put it this attention has to be earned when someone is scrolling through their feed. To condense this educational session down, here are the main bullet points when creating video for mobile that content creators should be aware of. It is important that the video content is matched with how people watch and consume it:

• Capture attention quickly and consolidate your message in fifteen seconds or less
• Design for sound off but delight with sound on
• Frame your visual story and build for vertical
• Play more and test your ideas with Creative Hub