3 Fast Ways to Finish Videos with Finesse
Prepping, creating and publishing a social video is a bit like running a marathon—stay with me on this for a minute!
First, a lot of prep work goes into making sure you’re all set up with the right gear and skills. You may need to play around with different microphones, lighting, or online tools, while a runner needs to train in a variety of conditions and find the perfect shoes.
Second, the execution can be exhilarating! Going live on social can feel intense and exciting, similar to racing against the clock for a runner.
And finally, you want to finish strong! A runner doesn’t want to cross the finish line unremarkably, they want to be full-on sprinting. In the same way, you want your social videos to finish strong and stay memorable.
So, let’s focus on techniques you can use at the end of your videos to turn your lookers into bookers and stay fresh in your viewer’s memory.
Ending on a High Note
Imagine a viewer watching your video, loving it and wanting to reach out to you. But, they can’t find your contact information quickly enough. So, what happens…they forget and move on to something else. You lose out on a valuable connection and a potential group booking.
The fix is to include a slide at the end of every video with your contact information.
Bonus tip: Include a subtle call to action along with your contact info. Here’s an example:
Done for you: YouTube End Cards
The last time you uploaded a video to YouTube, did you notice the option to add an ‘End Card’? This battle-tested option is sometimes missed in the haste and excitement of an upload.
Using a collection of templates provided by YouTube, you can have a professional looking end card to spur subscriptions and squeeze more video views from a current viewer. Here’s where you start:
Figure 1 – End Screen option is only available when you select “No, it’s not made for kids” as your Audience.
The trick is to leave 5-20 seconds of blank air at the end of every video you produce. Once you create your ‘End Card’ using the templates on YouTube, it will automatically be placed at the end of your video.
Bonus tip: Optimize your ‘End Card’ to promote other videos, playlists and even an external website.
Tap into the Power of a Thumbnail
When was the last time you saw a video post where the feature image showed the speaker with their eyes closed or making a funny face as if the shot was frozen in time? Crazy funny image, but not a very professional look, right?
Here’s the fix: Choose a frame from the video where the speakers are looking straight at the camera and have their eyes open. Use this frame to create a video thumbnail image. This will help you conquer that ‘deer in the headlights’ or crazy-face look we’ve all seen before.
Using an image editing tool like PicMonkey, Canva, Stencil or your favorite image tool, you can create a video thumbnail that will always show when your video is posted as a social post and on your video channel. Size your thumbnail to fit the pixel width and height of your video. Most video will be 1280×720 pixels.
Use this thumbnail when uploading a video to any social channel. For example, on Facebook there’s an option to upload your own custom image. On YouTube, when using a business account, you also have the option to add a video thumbnail.
Bonus tip: When creating your thumbnail, include your logo and/or name. You may also consider adding the video title. Don’t overlook the power of adding some branding within the video using overlays. Keep viewer attention with these 3 little details.
Using these techniques, your social videos will be sprinting a lightning speed across that finish line! Your viewers will appreciate your professional style videos and easily know how to contact you.
Catherine Heeg, International speaker & trainer, takes the mystery and mayhem out of social marketing. She focuses on social media marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality industry. Connect with her at www.cmsspeaking.com and socially.
