MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Going online made staying at home more entertaining, given that anything you are looking for can be found within a few clicks. Filipinos go to Twitter to be updated and check out #WhatsHappening for the day, be it on serious topics like news or random things such as searching for memes or viral videos online.
Speaking of videos, Twitter as the source for real-time information, is where people will most likely discover the newest videos for the day. Sharing of information can be as fast as lightning when people Tweet it, so it is no surprise that there are over 3 billion videos being watched every day on the platform.
In the Philippines in particular, there is an increasing interest for videos on Twitter. Based on year-on-year comparison, there is a 1.7x growth in video consumption in the Philippines in 2020. For music fans, they might be on the lookout for Tweets with video snippets of song covers or for sports fans, it might be a video highlight of the winning shot in a recent basketball game.
Videos can provide an immersive experience beyond 280 characters or emojis, so it is highly understandable why Filipinos on Twitter are becoming more interesting in looking for and consuming videos on the platform. The engaging nature of videos also drives people to create and join in discussions. With this in mind, the growing in for video content on Twitter may be an eye-opener for brands to look into producing more interactive content and step up their campaigns on Twitter.
Why Twitter video?
The growth for video interest on Twitter comes from an audience that is actively creating and shaping conversations online. This authentic engagement can give an insight for brands on how to capture the attention of their target audience. To put it simply: Listen and join conversations just like how your target audience do it.
Why Twitter video? Only on Twitter where a promoted video performs like organic content elsewhere. While a promoted Tweet is still distinguishable as a paid content, people still engage on it because it is accessible and much more interactive. For example, brands can choose from various customizable executions such as promoted media poll, conversation card, and website video card to make a video campaign more engaging.
Polls are effective in prompting users to engage with content, while conversation cards entice the audience to join the conversation by clicking on the call-to-action button to Tweet. These, coupled with videos, are great combinations to pique the interest of the audience as they scroll on the latest Tweets on the platform.
Anong mas trip mo? Ang uma-Alab na Lucky Me! Go Cup Jjamppong o ang cheesy sarap ng Lucky Me! Go Cup Hot Cheese Ramyun? Show us by using the hashtags below!
— Lucky Me! (@luckymeph) October 26, 2020
Maximizing awareness on Twitter
Visual elements such as videos can create more awareness for brand campaigns. But apart from eye-catching content, the platform where to launch it is also important. As Filipinos are the ones who are actively creating and joining conversations on Twitter, it only makes sense for brands to be present where the receptive audiences are. Moreover, Twitter is where to mostly find people that care about what’s happening around the world.
In short, brands must also choose the right platform to reach their target audience. To further amplify the campaign, level up the execution through a promoted trend where people can immediately see the official hashtag or campaign slogan in the Trends list. Another great example is the First View execution where people can conveniently see the video the moment they first check their timeline.
It’s inevitable. #SimpleSmartAko #InSmartWeTrust pic.twitter.com/ryNU8b26yN
— SMART (@LiveSmart) February 8, 2021
Launch and Connect with your video
Anytime can be a great time to launch. For example, there can be a launch of a new company or brand, a new product or service, a new promotion, or new features which may help expand the options of the consumers today. A launch can bring awareness to people that there is something new out there. But when we say that anytime can be a great time for launch, it means that its approach is timely and appropriate. How? The answer is to connect.
To connect is to build relevance by being a part of the conversation. It is adding more significance to why a brand is launching something new, and why must people look forward to it. There are several ways for brands to connect. They can either tap into occasions, trends, or events that are highly anticipated by people.
For example, fast food giants such as Jollibee (@Jollibee) and McDo Philippines (@McDo_PH) make the most out of celebrating occasions such as the National Drive-Thru Day and McDo endorsers AlDub love team’s 5th anniversary with #ALDUBatADN5YearsNa. To connect is to encourage people to join and be one with the brand as they celebrate the moments together on Twitter.
Here’s to more McDo moments! Happy 5th anniversary, AlDub. Salamat sa pagpapa-kilig sa amin throughout the years. #KitaKitsWithMcDo #ALDUBatADN5YearsNa pic.twitter.com/bWCjzRr2ra
— McDo Philippines (@McDo_PH) July 16, 2020
The key here is launch and connect go together. Without connecting launch to key moments, it would be difficult to justify why a new product, brand, or service is necessary or relevant. In the same vein, this narrative will definitely go well if the message is spread among active and passionate communities.
Today is National Drive-Thru Day! Daan na sa Jollibee to get your langhap-sarap fix. See you and drive safely! pic.twitter.com/sP0qF3sTIZ
— Bestfriend Jollibee (@Jollibee) July 24, 2020
5 creative best practices for #VideoOnTwitter:
- Apart from the mentioned above, here are other ways on how brands can make the best of their video campaigns.
- Short and focused. Keep Promoted video to 15 seconds or less.
- Strong visuals. Use captions and visual cues for videos with no audio.
- Prominent branding. Always put the logo in the upper-left corner.
- Be relevant. Connect your copy with #WhatsHappening.
- Tweet simple. Keep it brief and use hashtags accordingly.
Videos work because it provides more stimulation than images or texts. While creating one for campaigns is not rocket science, it definitely works best when coupled up with a striking copy, a definitive hashtag, and a visual that sparks a conversation on Twitter.
