Mobile Video: 4 Things Businesses Need to Consider

Filming a mobile video — Photographer: Thomas Russell | Source: Unsplash

Mobile video has become a vital tool for businesses to reach both their current and ideal customers. With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, incorporating video optimization is a must – especially if you want your mobile videos to reach your audience effectively. In this article, we will explore 3 reasons why mobile videos are important, as well as 5 things you need to consider, including video optimization for mobile.

3 Reasons Why Mobile Videos Are Important

Before we dive into the steps you can take to optimize video for mobile, let’s dive into why mobile videos are important.

1. Mobile Is the Preferred Platform for Watching Video

It’s no surprise that mobile devices have surpassed desktop computers as the preferred platform for video consumption. Did you know that 92.3% of internet users access the internet by their mobile device – this percentage has increased by a whopping 75% since 2015. With that in mind, businesses will want to make sure they’re reaching their target audience by taking all the steps that they can behind the scenes with video optimization for mobile.

2. Video For Mobile Has Higher Engagement Rates

Mobile videos have higher engagement rates than desktop videos – much higher. In fact, it has been found that mobile apps are more engaging than mobile-optimized websites or simply browsing the web on a desktop. Another interesting fact? 92% of consumers share mobile videos with others. What does that mean? Businesses can have higher engagement rates simply by creating and optimizing video for mobile.

3. Mobile Videos Have a Wider Reach

As we’ve already alluded to, video for mobile has a much wider reach than desktop videos. More 18-49-year-olds are heading over to YouTube than any TV station. That said, if your ideal client is in this age bracket, this means that you should be capitalizing on video for mobile. How can businesses reach a much wider audience? By using video optimization when creating mobile videos.

Creating Mobile Videos: 4 Things Businesses Need to Consider

1. Be Sure to Plan Ahead

The first step to creating an effective video for mobile is to plan ahead. Before you even start the filming, you want to be sure you take the time to develop a storyboard or an outline of your mobile video’s content. Having a storyboard will help you stay on track during filming. One other thing to consider: keep your specific audience in mind and how you can tailor your video to solve their problems and meet their needs.

2. Keep It Simple

When it comes to creating video for mobile, simplicity is key. Remember that viewers will be watching your video on a smaller screen, so it's important to keep the visuals and messaging clear and concise. Something else to consider is to focus on one main message or idea per video and keep the length of the video to a few minutes or less. Use clear and easy-to-read fonts and avoid cluttered visuals or overly complex graphics.

3. Video Optimization for Mobile Videos

With the increasing use of smartphones, businesses need to optimize their video content for mobile devices in order to engage their audience. When we say optimize, we don’t just mean SEO. When filming and editing your business video for mobile, keep in mind that mobile devices have different screen sizes – and are much smaller than traditional computers or televisions. To optimize your video for mobile, consider the following:

Consider aspect ratio: When optimizing video for mobile, you want to make sure it fills as much of the screen as possible. Think about where you will post your video. The aspect ratio recommended by Facebook is 4:5. The aspect ratio for a vertical story needs to be 9:16, so shooting your mobile video in portrait mode will ensure that the video fills the screen without a black bar on the side.
Keep text and graphics within a “safe zone”: Keeping your text and graphics in the "safe area" in the center of the screen will ensure that they don't get cut from your mobile video.
Use subtitles: Did you know a lot of people actually watch videos on their mobile devices with the sound turned off? Adding captions will make videos for mobile more accessible and ensure that viewers can follow along even if they’re watching without sound.
Use eye-catching thumbnails: The thumbnail is the first thing viewers will see when scrolling through their social media feeds. That said, you want to make sure it's attention-grabbing and clearly lets viewers know what the video is about.
Keep the video short: Remember, in today’s world, attention spans are short. When it comes to mobile video for social media, you want a video that will hook within 5 seconds. And be sure to keep your video to 60 seconds or less to ensure that viewers will watch the whole thing.

4. Ensure Fast Loading Times For Mobile Video

Mobile viewers are often on the go or have limited time. To keep your viewers engaged, businesses need to make sure that their videos load quickly. If they don’t, users will click off. This means optimizing videos for fast loading times. One way to do this is to avoid large files – which can slow down loading times.

Creating Video for Mobile Is a Test, Trial, and Error Process

Once your mobile video is finished, the last thing you want is post it and forget about it. Test things out to see what works, what doesn't, and make adjustments as necessary.

In conclusion, creating business videos with mobile devices in mind is essential in today's digital world. By planning ahead, you can create professional-looking videos that effectively reach your clients and target audience. Looking for help with creating videos for mobile? Contact Levitate Media today!