Using Visuals Effectively on Social: When to Choose Videos or Graphics

When it comes to social media people generally want to see eye-catching, engaging visual content fast. Visual information is processed quicker, displays information faster and leads to a higher engagement rate. 

They are a powerful tool to add to your social media strategy, but how do you use them effectively? Let us guide you through and decide whether you should be using videos or graphics on your social media accounts.

When to Use Videos

Videos are one of the most powerful tools for capturing attention on social media, with 89% of businesses already using video as a marketing tool. Whether you’re looking to tell a compelling story, explain a product or boost engagement, video content often outperforms static images. 

Let’s look at when videos work best:

Product Demonstration: Show your customers the benefits and features of your product in action. This is perfect for complex products where you can explain your products too.

High Engagement Goals: If your goal is to increase comments, shares and overall interaction, videos are a strong choice. Social media algorithms tend to prioritise video content, meaning your post is more likely to reach a larger audience.

Following Trends: Join in with trending challenges and viral sounds to boost your visibility and brand relevance.

Tutorials: Step-by-step guides, how-to videos and educational pieces are a highly engaging way to provide value to your audience.

Storytelling: Build connections and leave a lasting impression on your audience by telling compelling brand stories, customer success stories or behind-the-scenes insights.

Our social media team is dedicated to helping our clients capture and share video content that aligns with their specific business goals. For example, we recently visited Trials4Us, our TikTok client, to capture video footage that will fuel their social media content for the next 3 months. Through careful analysis, we determined that short-form TikTok videos would be the most effective format to engage their target audience.

Short Videos Killed the Long Video Star

Short-form videos which are under 60 seconds are dominating social media. Compared to other marketing trends, short videos deliver the highest return on investment. With platforms, like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts, all prioritise bite-sized engaging content that captures the users attention quickly. 

However, for those with a bigger appetite, long-form videos still have their place, particularly on YouTube. Detailed tutorials, in-depth storytelling, and thought leadership content will all benefit from a longer format. 

If your audience prefers long-form videos consider repurposing the content to shorter 60 seconds clips to use on your socials to get the best of both worlds.

When to Use Graphics

Think of graphics as your creative way to communicate messages quickly and effectively. While videos excel in storytelling, static images can be more efficient for delivering concise information at a glance. Here’s when graphics work best:

Quick Consumption: Deliver your message instantly. A well-designed visual can grab attention and make information easy to digest.

Brand Consistency: Reinforce your brand identity with custom graphics using consistent colours, fonts and design elements. 

Promotions & Announcements: For sales, special offers and graphics provide your customers with the offer at a glance.

Striking a Balance

Both formats have their strengths, and the best strategy often involves a mix of videos and graphics. Our Social Media Executive, Elena Broda, says “Scroll-stopping visuals are vital for success on social media. In such a saturated market, utilising engaging video content combined with creating graphics that stand out is key.” 

It’s best to test different content types, track engagement and adapt to what your audience responds to best. Need help navigating the minefield? Contact our friendly team today and see how we can boost your social media engagement.