Vertical Video Mastery: Dominating Social Media Platforms

Vertical Video Mastery: Dominating Social Media Platforms

Our peepers are positioned side by side, making the horizontal world our main stage. The horizontal layout outshines the vertical one when it comes to showcasing the daily drama of life, such as group interactions, dynamic motion, or those breathtaking landscapes that leave us speechless (or at least until we find our next meme).

The situation at hand is a colossal collision between our visual preferences and hand-held habits (your phone), between common sense and handiness, between the past and the future. So, what's the remedy for this conundrum? drumroll

Flipping phones sideways? Nope, not a chance. Back in 2018, 72% of millennials refused to take that "drastic" step. And now, in the present day, a whopping 80% of social media video viewers (Youtube Shorts, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and all their digital pals) scroll through these platforms on their phones.*

The key to capturing the attention of today's audience is making your content mobile-friendly. In the pre-smartphone era, widescreen videos reigned supreme with their 16:9 aspect ratio, claiming their territory on computers, TVs, and laptops. But times have changed, and so must our videos. Enter the vertical realm of smartphones, boasting a 9:16 ratio, demanding our content to evolve and occupy as much screen space as possible. Vertical video content now conquers 78% more screen territory than widescreen videos, and that's a game-changer, folks.*

Making a creative vertical video is the secret sauce to seizing someone's attention instead of watching them vanish into the digital horizontal abyss. You and I are about to explore why vertical videos reign supreme on social media, the epic battle of square vs. vertical, and the art of creating your very own vertical video masterpieces!

The Vertical Video Victory

Snapchat burst onto the scene in 2011, revolutionizing the way users exchanged photos and videos by encouraging vertical orientation – and they say change is hard! Since then, the social media giants have all hopped aboard the vertical express, adapting their platforms to favor this new format. In the attention economy, vertical videos are your ticket to success.

Nonetheless, there's an ongoing face-off between square and vertical videos in the social media arena. So, which format deserves the crown? Generally speaking, if you're aiming for a mobile-first audience, it's wise to roll with vertical videos – it's hip, it's cool, and it's the way to go!

Square Videos vs. Vertical Videos: The Ultimate Showdown

Recent experiments by Buffer reveal that square videos bag 30-35% more views and a staggering 80-100% more engagement than their widescreen counterparts (16:9) on social media platforms. It's evident that square videos are crushing widescreen in the social media arena. Posting a widescreen video on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok leaves unsightly black borders that are the visual equivalent of a vacant lot – they take up space but offer no value. Avoid these no-value zones whenever possible.

So, we've established that square videos triumph over widescreen, but now the real question emerges: which is better, square or vertical videos? Instagram, FB, and TikTok are all vertical-centric platforms. Posting a widescreen video on these platforms is like pitting a unicycle against a Ferrari – it simply won't keep up. Buffer conducted a series of tests on Facebook and Instagram to compare the performance of vertical and square video content, and the results were astonishing. Vertical videos on both platforms significantly outperformed square videos, boasting 6% more 3-second views and a jaw-dropping 187% more viewers who watched at least half the video. It's safe to conclude that in most cases, vertical videos are the top choice over square videos – the numbers don't lie!*

Mastering the Art of Vertical Videos

Before hitting the 'record' button, consider where your video will make its grand debut. While vertical reigns supreme on many platforms, sites like YouTube and Vimeo are still die-hard fans of widescreen (16:9). Reflect on your audience's platform preferences and aim to make their viewing experience a breeze.
Fear not! If you accidentally shoot a horizontal video (16:9), you can still salvage it by cropping it into a vertical format. By importing your video into an editing app like Splice, you can choose your desired aspect ratio and crop away. Voilà! Your widescreen video is now a vertical masterpiece.

However, beware of the resolution loss when using this method – cropping means fewer pixels in a larger space, resulting in lower quality. To avoid this pitfall, plan your shoot with a vertical orientation in mind. Enhance your vertical videos with attention-grabbing titles, animations, and music using Splice's video editing app.

Vertical Videos: Riding the Wave of the Future

Keeping up with ever-evolving trends can feel like a wild rollercoaster ride. Not long ago, 16:9 widescreen was the darling of the video world, but it fell from grace before many media agencies could adapt. The secret to standing out on social media is embracing trends like vertical video content.

Resistance is futile; instead, harness these trends to your advantage. As you ride the vertical video wave, stay alert to emerging trends, observe successful content creators, and experiment. Now, go forth and create captivating vertical video content – the world awaits your genius!

Or if you need a trusted video partner, we are introducing a short-form content subscription into your marketing strategy. The future of engaging content is just a step away – dive in with a short discovery call with us today.

Set up a call with us here. If you aren’t ready for a call but want to start clarifying your message, fill out our creative brief here.

Sources: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/video-looks-most-natural-horizontally-but-we-hold-our-phones-vertically/

https://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/

https://buffer.com/resources/square-video-vs-landscape-video/

The Cost of Video Production

As a video production company, we've been blessed to work with a wide spectrum of clients, from non-profits to large corporations, from businesses with teams of two to teams of too many to count. However, no matter their size, style, or mission one thing remains true- they always have a budget they’re sticking to (it’s all about the benjamins, amirite?). This inevitably leads to the question most clients come to us with,

“What will it cost to Make our video?”

A fair question, but one that doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. There are many factors that go into producing a high-quality video, which results in a wide variety of costs associated with video production. 

We know many of you may be thinking, “wait a sec, I came to this blog to find out how much producing my video would cost”. All is not lost! While we would need to know your specific needs to give you a price estimate (if that’s what you’re really after, look no further and schedule a call with us here 😉 or fill out our creative brief here), instead we want to help you understand what goes into making your video and determining the price so you can budget accordingly

Below we have created a list of key factors to consider: 

Clarifying Your Message: This is a foundational first step in the video production process. You will find that without coming up with a plan and a strategy before you begin will likely end in a frustrating and difficult process- possibly with more costs than were necessary. Think of it this way, if the foundation of your house was built on sand, the investment that you put into your home will be worthless. Our clients will tell you that clarifying their message not only helped them achieve the video they needed but also provided an opportunity to better define their business. Want some help getting a kickstart on clarifying your message? Check out our previous blog for a couple of tips.

Length of Video: After clarifying your message, consider the length of your video—hint: typically, shorter is preferable when considering the short attention spans of humans (we all have places to be!). However, shorter does not always mean more affordable depending on the production value.

The Script: All good videos, much like all good school papers, begin with a solid outline and, in most cases, a script. The outline and script are essential to your video because it’s the blueprint that dictates all aspects of production including: equipment, location, talent, style of editing, and graphics.

Equipment: The right equipment makes a huge difference in producing a high-quality video. Equipments costs will always vary depending on the scope of production. When working on a production that is larger in scale, a crew might need to rent film equipment such as cameras, lighting, stands, mics, etc. The majority of production companies will charge you directly for these rental costs and treat them as an expense, others (like us) have 90% of this equipment on hand and rarely need to outsource which saves on overall expenses. Just be on the lookout if they put a helicopter rental in there, drones work just fine these days.

Location: When considering location for filming you might decide your video calls for more than one location. You’ll need to think through what it’ll take to move locations: cost of transporting equipment and people, logistics of transportation and timing, as well as any necessary special arrangements like permits, equipment, or rental fees. Multiple locations can really spice up a video but keep in mind it can come with added costs.

Talent: Most videos will need people in front of the camera, which could include you or your team, your clients, volunteers or paid actors. Hiring an actor can be a great addition to your video as they can professionally and clearly represent your audience on camera. Prices for actors vary depending on amount and level of expertise. 

Editing: Like equipment, editing makes a huge difference in producing a high-quality video. There is more that goes into editing than one might think. First, there is the equipment such as editing software, music licensing, etc. then there is the time. As good ole Ben Franklin once wrote “time is money”. Whether it is someone on your team or you outsource there will need to be a good amount of time spent editing the video to make the video right.

Graphics: Graphics can be a helpful tool in clarifying your message. You have the option of either supplementing your video with graphics or making a video that consists solely of graphics; however, do not assume that using only graphics will reduce the overall cost of your production. The cost of creating custom graphics will be comparable to the cost of having a full production on set.

Distribution: You have your video- now what? It’s important to take into consideration the costs of marketing your video.  In order to get your video to the masses you may need to think about creating ads or posting videos on various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube or TikTok. In order to get your video out there you will likely need to create shorter social media versions of your video. Here is a video on Facebook marketing basics to get you started:

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 Now that you have a general understanding of some of the costs you can start to think through what type of budget you might need and whether you need to out-source or do things in house. No matter what you choose, keep in mind that your video is an investment. So while the costs could seem daunting the return you will find from a well-produced, well-distributed video will prove worth it.

We hope this was helpful to you as you begin your video marketing journey! If you have any questions or want to find out more information about the production services we provide feel free to set up a call with us here. If you aren’t ready for a call but want to start clarifying your message, fill out our creative brief here.