Technology is constantly evolving, and so is the world. Almost everyone is on social media, and 11 people use them for the first time every second. This opens a new branch of opportunities in digital content careers – Video content creation. It’s a fun and highly paid job. However, the career choice may differ from the image in your head.
According to hubspot’s data, more than 63% of businesses have started using video marketing alone this year. Out of that, 80% of businesses think that video marketing is an integral part of their marketing strategies, and without it, promoting their services and goods would be impossible. This is not all untrue. This has been possible because, as video content creation as a career option now has started gaining more traction.
Video channels have been progressing rapidly and will reach utmost importance in the coming years as well. One of the main platforms that initiated this change has to be YouTube. In its preliminary days, Google understood how big videos in marketing were going to get and bought YouTube for $1.65 billion. This marks the birth of video marketing as you know it today.
Having a popular YouTube channel, or a social media account, is not the only aspect of video content. Popularity is not a requirement for the job. You can opt to be a full-time social media manager or a freelancer instead. A lot of freelance platforms have already made freelancer jobs popular. Regardless, let’s take a look at how you can build your career as a video content creator.
1. Choose a Platform
There are multiple social media platforms you can work on. However, every platform has a different audience. Each audience group wants a different type of content. To give you an idea, YouTube videos are generally 7-15 minutes long, information-rich, and horizontal videos. Instagram favours a maximum of 20-30 second vertical videos more focused on aesthetics. For Facebook, around 24-90 second-long videos with information are preferred.
Choosing a single social media platform for initial growth is vital. This will work as a stepping stone for your career. Social media is tricky; diving into multiple platforms from the very start can be overwhelming and demotivate you. Limiting yourself to a single platform can boost your focus and gain momentum.
If you choose to be an influencer, it is essential to post content regularly. Interact with your followers frequently to keep them engaged. This consistency will continuously support your growth. Once you feel confident on this platform, move to others. Promote the new account to ensure your fans can support you.
2. Develop Research Skills
Any creative field career would require research skills. When creating a video, you must research the topic, your target audience, competitors, and the platform. These metrics will immensely influence the quality of your content. Having sharp research skills enable you to curate trendy videos.
3. Avoid Misinformation
A crucial piece of information to keep in mind is that media is an incredibly powerful tool capable of providing massive reach in a matter of seconds. Spreading false information can negatively impact the mass.
You should learn to recognize reliable sources to prevent misinforming your viewers. Misguiding them can lead to an immense backlash, especially for an influencer. This may result in you being a victim of the cancel culture.
4. Study You Audience
Studying your audience is important because every person has varied interests. To simplify this, we group audiences with similarities in their interests.
Simply by going online, you can evaluate major interests and types of video the particular audiences watch. Using this knowledge, you can successfully grab their attention and possibly keep them interested.
5. Read Your Competitors
Research skills will be required to scope out your competitors, especially when working under a brand. You will learn of their shortcomings which can help identify an opening for your content and product. This can be used as your unique selling point to gain the attention of viewers. This can also inform you of their strategies and often inspire you.
6. Understand Your Platform
Analyzing your platform can incredibly push you ahead. Along with understanding your target audiences’ preferences, you can meet their satisfaction by creating the type of video content they are searching for.
As mentioned earlier, each social media platform has varied audience demands. So, it is advised first to have a thorough understanding of the platform you choose.
7. Familiarity with Tools
Now, we come to the most expected part. In video creation, it is imperative to have the skills to edit videos. On honing these skills, you will be allowed to design videos as you wish. Many clients will send you pre-recorded footage and will only expect you to edit it.
Research plays a significant role in this section as well. One should read about which applications are best for editing. Video editing is notorious for being incredibly arduous and complicated. Since this is the case for many, we suggest starting with an online video editor tool with a simple interface such as InVideo.
Even as an influencer, video editing skills are incredibly advantageous. When unable to record any new content, one can recycle old raw footage. The old footage can be disguised with natural-sounding voiceovers using TTS platforms like Murf AI as new content to satisfy your viewers. This is important because consistency ensures smooth growth.
8. Be Active on Social Media
Since your career will be mainly social media-based, it is essential to experience the world of social media. Having a large number of followers is not a necessity. However, it is recommended to post your videos on your chosen platform. This is beneficial as you can interpret the audience’s response to your videos, and at the same time, you can build your portfolio.
Another perk of being active on social media is to learn the ongoing trends. Hopping onto trends with your videos will encourage audience engagement instantaneously. Being on social media keeps you updated with the latest features of the platforms. These latest features can be used to your advantage. For example, Instagram stories can be used to promote your latest post.
As a social media influencer, your social media presence is the measurement of your success. The larger your audience, the more your content will be distributed. Connecting with fellow influencers in the same niche can broaden your exposure.
9. Be Tech-Savvy
Video creation career choice revolves around the digital world. Every few months, there is a new tool taking the technology world by storm. For making relevant videos, it is necessary to pick up how these tech pieces work quickly.
Usually, newly launched tools are improved versions of previous models. More often than not, these can work smoother and faster. Being tech-savvy allows you to benefit from them entirely. With the help of these tools, you will create more content in a shorter period.
Not only does it increase efficiency, but the overall quality of work may increase as well. Generally, updated versions of video editing software are launched in half-yearly or yearly intervals. With each new update comes new features. These features can be utilized to create attention-grabbing and higher-quality videos.
10. Consistency is the Key
Like any career, to be successful, one must be consistent. This requires a considerable interest in the field and effort. Most find the career choice intimidating at the start since it differs from most traditional jobs. But this is what makes this career interesting.
Working as an influencer or freelancer allows you to be your own boss. You can schedule your routine, but adherence to it requires discipline. In the initial stages of your career, you may not receive much audience interaction but do not be demotivated. Consistency in posts will slowly but surely, grow your audience and increase engagement.
Conclusion
You must ensure to enjoy the journey and let your creative juices flow. Without these, the career may seem burdensome, causing burnout. The best part of this job is that there is no age limit. Influencer Cooking With Lynja is an excellent example of this. It is advised to take it slow and learn each step. This is a highly fruitful career with an incredible opportunity.
Lastly, take it easy! Regardless of which platform you choose to kick-start your video creation career- the sky’s the limit!
