Did you know that between Facebook and Snapchat alone there are 16 billion video views every day? How on earth do you make your brand stand out in this infinite ocean of messaging? By providing value, that’s how.

Aside from using hard analytics to measure, there’s no better way to assess how consumers engage with video on social media than to pay attention to your own behavior. We’re not robots, so we’re not engaging exactly alike – but there are some very established patterns. One of them is that people like to see and hear other people. We’re just hardwired that way. And even though we’re disengaging from real interaction by spending so much time online, we still pay more attention to videos with people than we do to static images.

Unless they’re hard-selling us. What’s the online equivalent of slamming the door in a salesman’s face? Scrolling by your videos like they don’t even exist. Consumers engage with the video that provides them with value. Maybe it’s information. Maybe it’s a laugh. Maybe it’s making them feel part of a community. And yes, all that can lead to selling your products or services. That’s your goal, after all. The point is that you should never forget that your social media video strategy should be about building relationships.

Here are some other key things to do (or don’t do) when building a social media strategy:

Stackpole & Partners is a privately-owned integrated marketing and branding agency servicing a wide variety of businesses for the past 25 years. We combine strategic discipline, creative talent, and actionable initiatives to build leading brands that drive growth for our customers. Our expertise