Just wanted to give you an update on the TikTok journey as we learn to navigate a different marketing platform in a lot of ways, including a completely different approach to shooting and editing. Staying cool on TikTok, while being professional and giving value is not without its challenges. But we did find a way with their “day in the life” trend. It was a great way to show a little behind-the-scenes.

When you see a great interview setup, you probably aren’t thinking about ALL of the things that are going on outside of the camera’s view (that is our goal, anyway). In this week’s #BehindtheStream, we’re showing you the other side of the camera and how we think about getting the perfect shot from a producer’s point of view.

I recently talked to someone who makes video content for social media and has gained over 500,000 Instagram followers in just a few years. 

Don’t worry; we filmed the interview, so you can expect a deep dive into this influencer and how she made it happen, coming soon. 

The one thing she said she does for all her videos is a hook. In public speaking, we call this the attention grabber. It’s nothing new when it comes to social media videos, but it’s more important than ever. 

Research from academic studies, market research firms, social media platforms, and web analytics tells us that we have somewhere between 3 and 7 seconds to grab a scroller’s attention before they move on to the next thing. 

So, what if I told you I have the one thing I believe to be true about video marketing that I am certain will determine if you succeed or fail? Interested? I thought so. It’s a pretty good hook, right?

TikTok (an app known for creating and sharing short-form videos) became popular in 2018. Our Video Production Company, founded in 2014 didn’t use it for Marketing until last week. The reason… there are much easier ways of reaching people with videos that tie directly into our business goals that didn’t include this platform. Mainly in email, and our website. But we also want to learn new things and find new markets so I am happy to report that we are now posting 5 times a week on TikTok.

We didn’t explode overnight, and that tracks for us because we haven’t fully understood their algorithm, or how they get their videos in front of our potential audience, and it will take some practice, tweaking and most importantly putting out video content. If you are a TikToker, will you do us a favor and give us a follow? In the meantime, we’ll keep you updated on what we learn on this platform and the ways it helps us grow our business!

Do you ever get sucked into a reel or stories on your social media and think, wow, it seems like they just grabbed their phone, went for it, and spit out viral content? Well, maybe it is that easy, but it’s more likely that a whole lot of thought went into that quick little video. Watch this week’s #BehindtheStream to see how we think about the planning process.

Do you know that on the Mainstream team we have almost 65 years combined experience in video production? And in that time we have seen some things! But these old dogs are determined to learn some new tricks. To that end, we are changing up a few things up in our #BehindtheSteam series to be more en vogue. We’ll be mixing up some of our more polished shooting and editing styles to reflect the UGC (that’s user generated content) trend you spend hours a night seeing on your scrolls (or is that just me)? Take a look at this week’s #BehindtheStream for a sneak peak into the content this user generated. And while you’re at it, learn the questions that we think you should ask if you’re considering hiring a video company. 

If investing in video services seems a little permature and you want to learn more before you jump in – same! And it’s why we have created all kinds of freebies for those of you interested in video, but just want a sample. Check out this weeks #BehindtheStream to learn all the free ways you can utilize the team at Mainstream Video Production. #StorySELLing #YourStoryMatters

If you’re thinking of venturing into video in 2024, I’ve got your first assignment! Dive into this week’s #BehindTheStream, where I spill the beans on the essential starting point we share with all our clients to kickstart their impactful video journey.