Twitter video strategy + how schedule video to Twitter

Twitter video is extremely effective way to boost engagement on your Twitter profile. According to Twitter itself, tweets with videos get 2.5 times more replies, 2.8 times more retweets and 1.9 times more favorites than posts without videos. We have discussed Facebook video strategy before – now it’s time to tackle Twitter video strategy! So in this post, we will talk about:

• Why video on Twitter works better than any other type of medium
• How to create a Twitter video strategy
• How to create and schedule Twitter videos
• When to post videos on Twitter

What kind of Twitter videos are there? Why video on Twitter is better than any other type of medium? A short introduction to Twitter video marketing

The history of video on Twitter begins in 2012, with the acquisition of Vine. The standalone app allowed users to create 6-second looped videos, which could be posted and viewed directly in their Twitter’s feed. Since then – videos have taken Twitter by storm: according to a report published in 2015 by Twitter 82% of users watch video on Twitter, and 41% look for great videos on Twitter. Most users (90%) watch videos on mobile. As on any social network – motion pictures are the most effective type of media. This is shown by almost 3x more retweets of Tweets with video than with just text, and almost 2 x more likes on Twitter video posts.

And the best part for any business is that 80% of Twitter users who have seen a video of a product or brand remember it better than those who have seen just text.

Since 2016, Twitter has been focusing on native videos and live streams, like all the other social media platforms. This means that videos can be uploaded directly to Twitter, and can be embedded on other sites with Twitter embed code as well. Native Twitter videos have 216% higher engagement rates on Twitter than non-native videos shared on Twitter from other platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo – according to SocialBakers. This is because Native Twitter videos play automatically on Twitter – unlike videos shared from other platforms.

Another option to post video on Twitter is Twitter Lives via Periscope (another company that Twitter bought) – that allow you to publish live stream to Twitter (without duration restrictions).

How to create a Twitter video strategy

As with any social media platform, you need to approach Twitter strategically – create Twitter video content with your business goals in mind. Otherwise you may end up spending lots of time on creating videos that are – simply put – not converting. 

So here’s how to create a Twitter video strategy step-by-step:

1. Think about your audience. Who are they? What kind of content would resonate with them most? If you’re targeting teenagers interested in funny cat videos, your Twitter video strategy will look very differently if you’re targeting B2B SaaS owners looking for customer retention advice.
2. Think about the purpose of each video. What do you want to achieve with it? Brand awareness for Top-of-the-Funnel audience who is not familiar with your company or product yet? Or are you going to target middle and bottom of the funnel prospects, who are already familiar with the solution you are offering, but just need more convincing that your solution will fix their problem? Make a purpose statement behind each video you make – before you actually make it! E.g.
   1. ‘I want to draw attention to my brand from people in the target audience group by providing valuable and interesting content that is vaguely related to my product’
   2. ‘I want to convince people who are already following my brand or are already aware of the solution to their problem that my solution is the best’
3. Now, knowing the purpose of your videos – think what video content will be most appropriate for a) your audience b) achieving your purpose

Ok, so now you know why you want to create Twitter videos, let’s focus on what to create! 

Types of Twitter Video Content You Must Try

Here are the types of Twitter videos you can use to achieve your different business goals:

1. Short tips / HOW-TO videos– e.g. if you’re selling coffee peeling kits, you could post a video on ‘How to DIY a SPA experience at home during the quarantine’ (very topical) ???? This type of video should be 3-4 minutes long and address only one specific solution to a specific problem. 
2. Video answers – e.g. ask your audience to ask you questions – do a Q & A which you will respond to by video 
3. Moments & behind the scenes – to build a personal connection with your audience, show them how you do things in your business (or in your life) – if you’re a restaurant owner, show them the ingredients, interior of your restaurant, and how you prepare meals (more on restaurant marketing in our earlier post!). If you’re a social media marketer, show them e.g. how to schedule a Facebook cover and use it for marketing their business.  If you’re a fitness influencer, show them snapshots of your training. 
4. Opinions and news – in pretty much any industry, there are some news that animate your audience. Be sure to make a personal commentary on them. It can be anything from a new healthcare regulation to a new feature release in a popular product or a new Facebook algorithm.
5. Video testimonials – there’s nothing better than a testimonial from a happy client. Well, almost. A video testimonial from a happy client is even better! So don’t be shy, grab the phone or email and ask your happy clients for testimonials.
6. Live trainings, webinars, Q & A – use Twitters live streaming options to educate your audience, invite guests, engage with your audience and collect valueable feedback.

How to create and post Twitter videos?

Ok, so now you may be thinking – how do I create Twitter videos?  And how do I stay on top of my marketing plan while producing videos for Twitter?

There are a few options how you can post native Twitter videos: 

1. Directly on Twitter, by pressing the ‘photo’ icon and uploading a video file (.mp4 or MOV)  from your computer. To create videos and screen casts easily from your computer, I would recommend using Loom Chrome Extension.  Loom allows you to capture your screen and create short films that you can download as an MP4 file or share directly via a link (not recommended for Twitter though as native videos have higher impression rates – as we mentioned earlier). For more video editing tools, check out our earlier post. 
2. Directly LIVE on Twitter, via Periscope (follow this link to see how to get started in detail)  – Periscope is an app available on iOS, Android, and as a web app. You will need to create a new account and link it with your Twitter account.  Broadcasts public by default and visible to all your Twitter followers and Periscope users.
3. Or you can use Postfity to upload and schedule the videos you created with Loom! That way you can e.g. spend 1 day per month only on creating videos, and line up 2 videos per week and post them at a perfect time – without your involvement! Scheduling videos on Twitter via Postfity is as easy as scheduling regular posts:
   1. Log into your Postfity account and create your post. Click on the video icon and upload your MP4 file: 
   2. Upload your video:

3. And schedule it to the right date and time:

And that’s it! It was so easy!

When to post videos on Twitter

Now – we are only left with one question: when it the right time to post videos on Twitter? Is there a ‘perfect time’ for Twitter videos?

Posting  Twitter videos at the “right time” boosts organic engagement.

Different sources have different opinions on that though:

Hubspot – 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday to Friday

The Huffington Post – 5 p.m., 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

 Kissmetrics –  at 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Luckily, with Postfity you can experiment with different times using our scheduler – without interrupting your own day!

Start scheduling video with Postfity now!