We produce social media content on a daily basis and have learnt, perhaps the hard way, some of the key do’s and don’ts. I have tried to condense them into 10 easy to understand points:

Social Media Content, Video Marketing, Content Creation Tips, Social Media Strategy

1. Know Your Audience

  • Understand who you are creating content for. Are they professionals on LinkedIn, entertainment seekers on TikTok, or casual scrollers on Instagram? 
  • Research their preferences, habits, and the type of content that resonates with them.
Close-up of a storyboard with sketches and notes for social media video planning.

2. Define Your Objective

  • Be clear about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming to inform, entertain, inspire, or promote?
  • Don’t try and appeal to everyone. Remember you’re trying to appeal to your audience, not the whole world.
Social media video with captions displayed for accessibility and silent viewing.

3. Choose the Right Platform

  • Your audience and objective should define this decision. For example, selling/promoting candles is probably best done on Facebook or Instagram. Whereas Selling/promoting accounting services might be better placed on LinkedIn. 
  • Different platforms favour different content formats. Vertical videos perform well on Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, while LinkedIn might be better suited for more polished, horizontal content.
Mobile Video Optimization, Audience Engagement, Branding and Visuals, Hashtag Strategy

4. Plan Your Content

  • Storyboard or outline your video to ensure a clear and logical flow.
  • Attention spans are incredibly short. Personally, if I’ll give about 1-2 seconds before I’ve decided whether I’m interested. Get attention-grabbing visuals in at the start.
  • Scheduling is so important. Realistically you aren’t going to have time every Monday of every week to dedicate time to this. So create content in batches and have a strict schedule that you stick to. It’s far easier to share an existing piece of content, than creating it from scratch.
Person filming social media content with a smartphone, showcasing vertical video framing.

5. Optimise for Mobile Viewing

  • Most social media users consume content on mobile devices. Use vertical framing and ensure text and visuals are clear on small screens. Online services such as Canva or Adobe Express are perfect for this.
  • Test your content on a phone before publishing.
Ring light and microphone setup for filming high-quality social media videos.

6. Engage With Visuals

  • Use vibrant colours, clear text overlays, and engaging transitions to capture attention.
  • Incorporate captions or subtitles for accessibility and to cater to users watching without sound.
Filming Techniques, Social Media Trends

7. Incorporate Branding

  • Subtly integrate your logo, brand colours, or tagline without overwhelming the content.
  • Consistent branding helps build recognition and trust.
Hashtag Strategy, Social Media Discovery, Content Visibility

8. Leverage Trends and Hashtags

  • Stay updated on platform-specific trends and incorporate them creatively into your content. 
  • Use relevant hashtags to increase discoverability, but ensure they align with your brand and audience. There are apps out there that can do this for you.
Video Editing, Content Creation Process, High-Quality Social Media Content

9. Test and Adapt

  • Analyse the performance of your content using platform analytics. A and B testing is a great example of this. You create two similar social posts with subtle differences, where them both and see which performs best. You then need to work out why. Rinse and repeat and keep the secret sauce!
  • Experiment with different styles, formats, and lengths to see what resonates best with your audience. 
Content Creation Tips, Social Media Analytics, Video Performance Metrics

10. Stay Authentic

  • Social media users value authenticity. Show the human side of your brand and avoid overly polished or staged content. This is true for quick social posts of small businesses and large conglomerates. People buy into people, why do you think companies like Apple, Nike and Chanel use people in all their advertising and not just show product shots.
  • Engage with your audience through comments, replies, and calls to action.

Here’s an example of a well performing piece of video content we produced for Compass Group UK&I.