Video is easy, fun and effective.

It doesn’t take acting skills or Hollywood looks to be effective. Short videos 45 seconds to a couple of minutes, offer a great opportunity for originators to market their services. It's important to note that internet surfers spend as much as one-third of their time watching videos on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn now participates

Usage statistics make a compelling case for video: Fully 80 percent of internet content could be in the form of a video by 2019, due to the increased engagement, according to estimates. While that number sounds high, and reflects social activity across all sectors of the economy, not just the mortgage business, which will skew the numbers, learning to deploy video is worthwhile and will pay dividends.

Even if the percentage is 10-20% for the mortgage business that means a large subset of borrowers viewed a video during the purchase process. Moreover, 90% of consumers report that video can help them make a buying decision and including the word ‘video’ in the subject line of an email increases open rates as much as 19 percent. Including video on landing pages can dramatically increase conversions. Millions of people are estimated to watch videos on Facebook every day.

To be sure, video consuming borrowers are an audience ignored at your peril. While video required a significant investment in the past, sites including Magisto, Animoto and others make creating videos affordable, easy and fast. 

Facebook: To help ensure the best results, upload videos directly to Facebook directly because that approach is said to maximize interactions with viewers. After all improved engagement is the objective. Even if that approach, known as native video, works better there is no reason not to post the video on YouTube and Vimeo as well. At least that way, you’ll  have a better sense for what works best in your market. Some viewers, estimated as high as 85%, prefer to watch the video without sound. The solution is to include brief captions, charts, subtitles or animations to deliver your message.

Instagram: Instagram requires short videos that force users to carefully determine their message. A short video can be effective, but be sure to plan each frame, write the caption, and select the photos or charts to include before beginning production.

Here are some other tips:

• Square Videos Outperform Landscape: It’s a concept that works on most social platforms including Facebook and Twitter. Square videos look better on mobile and many people will view the videos on their phones or iPads.

• Make Graphics:That Standout: On Instagram developed highly produced, graphic or animated videos in a professional and with memorable images.

• Show Corporate Life: Deploy Instagram Stories to demonstrate life where you work, or engage the audience live in real time. Remember the audience is notified whenever you go live.

Twitter:

• Employ Native Video: Twitter algorithm prioritizes native video over links. The  autoplay feature makes users more likely to engage with videos, so be sure to upload videos whenever possible.
• Short Videos Only: Twitter Users prefer short bursts of data. Make sure to attract viewers in a few seconds, and cap videos at 45 seconds. 

LinkedIn: The site is designed for professionals, so make sure videos are educational and professional. They want very different content than what is effective on Facebook or Instagram. Remember, professionals on LinkedIn want to expand their reach and stay current on news in their field. Share your expertise or provide customer service for service is an ideal use of the platform. Short videos are better, so keep them under two minutes, and provide captions because many people view their videos without sound.