Social video is now. Produce or perish.

The headline may seem a bit dramatic, but hopefully it caught your attention. I keep reading articles about upcoming trends in social media, and video is always listed.

Let’s get one thing straight. Video is not an upcoming trend. It is happening right now, and you will be left behind if you refuse to get in front of the camera.

I’m not being alarmist. If you haven’t noticed:

- Video now represents 74% of internet traffic, and is predicted to rise to 85% by 2019. This is hardly an upcoming trend. It is reality.
- Video content generates more engagement than other content, and it is shared more than any type of content. For example:
  - On Facebook, native video (video produced within or uploaded to the site instead of linked from elsewhere) receives 135% more organic reach than an image.
  - On Instagram, video ads generate twice the engagement than images.
  - On Twitter, 82% of users watch video and a native video is six times more likely to be retweeted.
  - On Snapchat, video ads receive five times more swipe up rates than average Click Through Rates (CTRs) on other platforms
  - There really is no point rehashing the YouTube engagement stats again. 🙂

- All of the most popular social media platforms now facilitate video content.

Whether it is produced live or pre-recorded within the site, using a stories function, uploaded, linked from elsewhere or shared via video chat in messenger apps, all of the main players have jumped on board the video train.

LinkedIn was the latest to join the party in August this year, which has completely changed the platform.

Experts are sharing their advice and knowledge via simple pieces-to-camera and are reaping the benefits, not only limited to increased engagement and audience, but increased leads and true conversion to clients and customers.

Check out Jess Thoms, String Nguyen, Avery Azriel Ratz, AJ Kulatunga and Gretta van Riel if you don’t believe me.

People are more likely to watch a video of your message than read it, and they are more likely to share that video.

Untitled design — All you need is a smartphone and a selfie stick

Production values are no longer out of reach

You no longer need a crew and an editor to share your message with the world via video. All you need is a smartphone that records decent sound, and a tripod or a selfie stick and you’re away.

The video doesn’t have to be long. Keep it short, sweet and relevant. Tell your story and your key points clearly and succinctly.

Justin Brown from Primal Video has some helpful tutorials on smartphone video production.

While it’s daunting to put yourself out there, just like anything really, the more you do it, the easier it becomes, which is why I put myself in the front of the camera for this post.

In 2018, 3/4 of the social media courses that I teach at the University of the Sunshine Coast will involve students producing video, and I prefer to lead by example.