What is Native Video and Why To Use It?

You have probably heard the term “Native Video”, but what is it? A video recorded in your native language? Not exactly…

A Native Video is any kind of video content that is uploaded directly to a social media platform (or created ON it) and that is played in-feed on that platform. On LinkedIn, for example, a native video is one that is uploaded directly to a post you create on the platform, rather than a link to a video you posted on YouTube.

So why should you be posting native video rather than links to videos you posted somewhere else? Here are a few good reasons:

1. NATIVE VIDEOS HAVE BETTER REACH

The interest of every social media platform is that people stay on the platform longer and consume its content. The last thing Facebook wants is for someone to click on a YouTube video and get lost in the YouTube rabbit hole. Their algorithm gives precedence to videos posted directly on Facebook, and therefore will promote your video much more than an external video link. The same applies to LinkedIn or Instagram.

2. NATIVE VIDEOS ATTRACT MORE ATTENTION

Social media platforms are a real jungle these days, and the competition is fierce. You need to be using any method for your video to stand out among the multitude of videos that appear on a LinkedIn or Facebook timeline. When you upload a video on Facebook natively, the platform will show it larger than an external link, increasing the chances that viewers will stop scrolling to watch it. Research shows that native videos receive 530% more comments on Facebook than external links – meaning, many more people are seeing them!

3. NATIVE VIDEOS ARE MORE ENGAGING

This is a significant difference: when you upload a video natively, the platform will autoplay it, so when people are scrolling on their feed, they will see your video already playing, rather than just a thumbnail, and that is proven to be more engaging. Besides, if your video has subtitles – and it should have, because the platform plays it with the sound off until people click on it – people will be able to understand quickly what your video is about and may feel motivated to watch it.

 So, if you are creating videos for your business and still posting links to external platforms like Vimeo or YouTube, go native right now! This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be posting on YouTube – there are many good reasons why you should continue doing that. You just need to create separate versions that you can post natively on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

It may take you a little more time to make your videos platform-specific and to post separately on each platform, but the results will show you that it is well worth your time.

To learn more about creating video content for your business, CLICK HERE