As visual content continues to eclipse long-form content, marketers are using more and more video in their media plans. According to eMarketer, 70% of U.S. marketers are planning to use social video ads in the next 12 months, with Facebook cited as the most popular social platform for video, followed by YouTube and Instagram.

This shift in content consumption will require brands to be more agile in social media feeds, and think pointedly about the tactics necessary to create video content worth stopping thumbs.

But fear not; there are a few levers brands can push and pull when onboarding and briefing influencers to maximize opportunities for success. We’ve extracted key learnings from some of our top performing influencer marketing videos to equip you with the right tips to create and curate influencer video content.

1. The View from Here
Trending Tasty style videos continue to drive success when it comes to generating video views. Overhead video formats allow audience members to quickly and easily see all ingredients required to complete the recipe. Accompanying these aerial views with short, stop-motion steps is the perfect framework for digestible video content.

Linqia Influencer Video created by Magical Slow Cooker for Foster Farms

https://www.facebook.com/TheMagicalSlowCooker/videos/1135629059841038/

2. Time is of the Essence
A piece of content is only as powerful as the viewership it drives; and getting the right message, in front of the right audience, at the right time is crucial. Consider tentpole moments or cultural events for your brand like award season, back to school, or the holidays. Consumers are habitually searching for inspiration during these windows which creates opportunities for you to supply content that supports seasonal demand.

This Million Dollar Cream Cheese and Garlic Dip recipe, made by Linqia Influencer The Best Blog Recipes for Dorot, was shared just days before the Super Bowl when people were actively searching for dip recipes. The video went viral and it now has more than 12 million views and counting.

https://www.facebook.com/MustMakeRecipes/videos/829205513871278/?hc_ref=ARSjSxyPC5TZEVLkQtjlUUbhmILyegJWpUyzoCklqmmpSGCuyK48UiJDusAuRXWQfwQ

3. Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
Audience members leverage video content as a source for inspiration. In fact, 81% of consumers have been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a branded video.

Get creative in the way you develop content by illustrating a new technique or method for enjoying your product in a visual way. This offers a unique opportunity for you to establish your brand as an viable resource for insightful video content, and provides tangible use cases on how consumers can think about engaging with your product in the future.

Influencer Crafts by Amanda repurposed her Pepsi bottle for the PepsiCo Recycle Rally. Through this initiative, which aimed to educate K-12 students on the importance of recycling, Amanda was able to showcase an interesting new way to enjoy and reuse PepsiCo products. To date, she’s driven more than 400K views of her influential video.

https://www.facebook.com/CraftsbyAmanda/videos/10159951305695217/

4. Go Easy on Me
Accessibility is a key factor in a viewer’s desire to engage with your video. Reduce the barriers to entry by creating content that involves simple inputs and minimal steps. Showcasing DIY crafts using repurposed household items or simple recipes can get the whole family involved by limiting the number of steps required to get started.

5. Show & Tell
Creating the right type of content is half of the battle. Shaping the lens that your audience uses to view your content is the next step. Format your video to include actionable captions that let audience members know what to expect before they engage.

Optimizing video captions not only increases click-throughs, but can also impact discoverability as algorithms work to make sense of, and rank, your content. Keywords like “simple”, “quick” or “how-to” are directive descriptors that help audience members anticipate how digestible that piece of content will be.

Influencer Cake Wiz was able to drive over 1 million views leveraging this tactic with her Easy Cream Cheese Horns recipe for Pepperidge Farms.

https://www.facebook.com/cake.whiz/videos/1469467723111324/

6. “X” Marks the Spot
Above all, the placement of your video content is core to the number of views it drives. It might surprise you that Facebook is a more popular platform for video than YouTube, but this is because videos are more discoverable in the newsfeed vs. YouTube’s confusing and constantly changing algorithm.

Omnichannel influencer marketing programs provide the strongest ROI because video can be discovered across a variety of social channels. When planning your video influencer marketing strategy, consider integrating video across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and blogs.

Ultimately, when it comes to driving success with video content, there is no one size fits all formula. But, the right medley of timing, ingenuity, and placement are key variables to consider when solving your video content strategy equation.

For more insight into how to best leverage influencer video as part of your content marketing strategy, download our research report, The Value of Influencer Content 2017.