What Social Media Video Apps Should I Use for Success?

Dorien Morin-van Dam

I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.

Updated September 4, 2020

Whether you love videos or you don’t care much for watching them yourself, no one can get around the fact that our social media newsfeeds are filled with videos. As a social media manager, you might be wondering what social media video apps are available to help you create the best video content for your clients. 

Let’s look at several video marketing statistics to get us started on this topic:

1. 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. This goes to show that the demand for video content is also increasing.
2. Video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year. This increased quality of leads could be because of the quality of education that video content brings.
3. 85% of all internet users in the United States watched online video content monthly on any of their devices. Which means that video content is becoming increasingly popular.

What we can gather from just these three statistics is that 

• Demand for video content is on the rise
• Video content brings in more leads that other content
• Most people will watch video content on their device-of-choice

In this article we will explore what video apps can help you, the social media manager, with your content marketing efforts!

What To Look for When Choosing Video Tools

Tools, tools, tools. 

Social media managers can’t do their job effectively and efficiently without them, but choosing the right tool for the job is… well, tricky!

“The best tool is the one you will use”

There are social media managers who collect tools like they go out of style! They don’t use all of them, but subscribe and pay for them ‘just in case’.

For those social media managers just starting out, those on a tight budget or those who are tired of switching, let’s take a good look at the best way to CHOOSE a tool.

Instead of focusing on and debating on ‘the best tool’ let’s change the conversation to ‘the best tool for my client’ or ‘the best tool for my agency’. 

Choosing Video Apps for Your Business vs Your Client

The best way to start is to look for tools which will make a difference in your business now. 

What will make creating, editing and publishing videos easier on you right now? 

Here are some things to consider when choosing a video app for your business:

• Pricing (per client, agency or enterprise pricing)
• Mobile App Availability
• Video Editor Capabilities
• Text Overlays
• Training Required to Learn the Tool

Next, as you choose a video app for each client, keep in mind the following:

• Length of Contract
• Number of Videos Needed Each Month
• Special Features Requested
• Social Media Platforms Video Content Will be Published On
• Video File Formatting
• Cloud Storage for Client Content

Video Apps For Different Social Media Platforms

The biggest factor in choosing social media video apps for your use is what type of content you expect to be producing and to what platform this content will need to be published, followed by whether you expect to use the app on desktop or on mobile only.

Small businesses with small budgets often look for one tool that can ‘do it all’. Their immediate need is to create a video, or two, for social media marketing purposes. 

If that’s you, here are some recommended video apps:

Wave.video
Adobe Spark

With video apps like these, it’s easy to 

• edit videos
• create video stories (Instagram stories)
• manage video ad creation
• Add B-roll clips 
• Add video effects like slow motion
• Insert logos or lower-thirds
• Reformat videos

Video Apps That Come With Your Device

We would be remiss to not mention the obvious first choice of video apps to use.

If you are on a Mac, ipad or have an iPhone, your first choice should be to use iMovie!

While iMovie works just a tad different on each of these devices, once you get the hang of this video app, it’s an easy transitions. 

Best ‘feature’? Being able to airdrop your videos from one device to another! 

If you are on an Android phone and/or on a PC, Windows Moviemaker is your best bet to get your started with creating social media videos. 

Higher End Video Apps 

If you, the social media manager, are in that space of ‘not ready for outsourcing’ but need a robust video editing tool, check out Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro (Mac) as options! 

These programs should give you the bells and whistles needed to create professional looking and sounding videos for YouTube and all other social media channels.

While you might eventually decide to outsource video editing, it’s an excellent skill to have in your skillset as a social media manager. 

Knowing how to do simple edits to any video that comes your way for social media publishing purposes is a skill all social media managers should have! Think looming deadlines with a video editor who is unavailable!

Dorien Morin-van Dam

I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You'll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.