Depending on the type of social video you’re creating – testimonial, culture, about us – you’ll want to consider utilizing graphics in a major way. Most social media users scroll through their feeds too quickly to consider audio. Graphics play an integral part in conveying your message (which is important because it supports your video goal) to your audience without having to depend on their ability to hear it.

Dynamic text is a great way to avoid displaying each & every word spoken on screen. Dynamic text allows you to call out the most important, key words and phrases to not only visually focus your audience, but also to clue in the viewers who prefer no sound as well as viewers who are hard of hearing.

Iconography is important for social videos – especially if you need to explain your message to your viewers. Most people are visual learners – so providing not only audio, but visuals to support your message is an effective way to engage your viewers. It also makes your video easier to share, which gives you potential to capture a new or larger audience.

As mentioned previously, you must consider where and how your audience will be watching your video. If your audience is most likely to watch while on the train home from work, make sure they’ll be able to comfortably and successfully watch without having to dig into their pocket for headphones.

Consider burned-in captions or captions that your audience is able to turn on and off. This way, your audience can read what the voiceover is saying. This does take away their focus from the visuals on screen, but still gives them a chance to engage with your video.

Social videos don’t always need a voiceover who reads from a script – if your message is simple enough to convey through visuals only, consider scrapping the voiceover and adding in some music to support your message. For example, you’re considering removing the voiceover from your recruiting video to simplify your message. You’re focusing on company benefits & you’ve thrown in an employee testimonial. You might consider utilizing text on screen paired with iconography & company culture photography. You’re also considering adding some spunky music to add to the tone. This way, your viewer can focus on the visuals and hopefully, feel moved enough by your video to apply.