SID Video

Videos Company Insights: Sparking Engagement

In 2020, as the travel industry grappled with pandemic-induced disruptions, Airbnb launched its “Made Possible by Hosts” campaign. The initiative spotlighted real-life moments from travellers who rediscovered the joy of local experiences, demonstrating the value of Airbnb’s community-driven campaign approach. This was not just a recovery strategy—it was a masterclass in how content, driven by genuine stories and algorithmic insights, can amplify engagement. By using user-generated video clips, Airbnb turned its customers into ambassadors, fueling an ongoing cycle of interaction and brand loyalty​. Airbnb’s approach reveals an important cycle: engagement begets engagement. It is a principle that applies far beyond travel, offering insights for businesses wanting to incorporate video as a resource for better communication. In this article, we will explore how a videos company can help brands produce content that promotes interaction, how algorithms amplify those efforts, and how such strategies can evolve into ongoing engagement with audiences. From case studies of successes to lessons from missteps, we will uncover what it takes to transform a video campaign into a catalyst for meaningful engagement.

What Does It Mean to Engage to Get Engagement Through Video?

Engagement in the world of social media means more than just posting a video and hoping for a reaction. It involves actively creating content that prompts interaction—whether through likes, shares, comments, or other user behaviours. However, simply uploading videos is not enough; a videos company must create content that sparks an initial interest with the audience, prompting them to engage and continue to do so over time.

For example, videos that encourage users to comment, share their opinions, or take part in a conversation have a higher chance of engaging users in the long run. The more users interact with a post, the more likely the platform’s algorithm will prioritise that content, increasing its visibility​

How a Videos Company Can Help People Engage to Get Engagement

A video production company’s responsibility extends beyond making content look good—it is about designing videos that drive viewer participation.This might include:

1. Creating Videos with Clear Calls to Action (CTA): Directly inviting the audience to comment, share, or engage with the video is a crucial tactic. For instance, asking viewers to share their thoughts, vote on a poll, or share the video with friends can significantly increase interaction rates​.
   
2. Storytelling and Value-Driven Content: Videos that provide real value, whether educational or entertaining, are more likely to prompt engagement. Whether it is a behind-the-scenes look, a tutorial, or a funny clip, content that emotionally appeals to viewers or provides useful information is more likely to get shared and commented on.
3. Interactive Elements: Implementing polls, quizzes, or clickable features within the video can encourage viewers to interact directly. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook have features such as Stories and Instagram Reels, which support interactive content like polls or questions, making engagement easy​.

By focusing on these elements, a videos company can help businesses create content that gets people talking (commenting), keeps them watching (replaying), and maintains engagement over time (coming back and sharing).

How Social Media Algorithms Play a Role with Engagement

Understanding the algorithms behind major social media platforms is important for a videos company aiming to maximise engagement. Each platform employs its own unique algorithm designed to prioritise content based on user preferences and behaviours.

Facebook’s Algorithm: Prioritising Interaction

Facebook’s algorithm, historically known as EdgeRank, still influences how posts appear in users’ news feeds. The algorithm ranks posts based on three key factors:

• Affinity: How much the user has interacted with the content creator before.
• Weight: The type of engagement, with comments and shares being weighted more heavily than likes.
• Decay: The freshness of the content, with newer posts receiving higher priority.

Videos that generate lots of engagement—especially through comments and shares—are more likely to be pushed to the top of the feed. Therefore, encouraging viewers to interact directly with the content is crucial for ensuring that videos have a greater chance of reaching a wider audience​.

Instagram’s Personalised Feed Algorithm

Instagram’s algorithm also focuses on interest, recency, and relationships. Videos that spark interest or engagement (such as a video that prompts a comment or share) will be prioritised by Instagram’s algorithm, which is designed to ensure users see the content most relevant to them. Posts that cultivate deeper interactions, like discussions or sharing, are favoured by Instagram’s system. It is essential for a videos company to produce content that appeals to the interests of their followers, encouraging ongoing interaction​.

TikTok’s Algorithm: A Cycle of Engagement

TikTok has one of the most advanced algorithms, using machine learning to recommend content based on user behaviour. TikTok’s recommendation system takes into account several factors, including:

• User Interactions: Likes, shares, comments, and watch time.
• Video Details: The use of relevant hashtags, captions, and trending audio clips.
• Account and Device Settings: Preferences like language settings and device type.

TikTok’s algorithm thrives on high engagement and is adept at identifying patterns in user behaviour. Videos that quickly accumulate engagement—especially from users outside the creator’s follower base—are more likely to be recommended to a broader audience. A videos company can capitalise on this by creating content that is both timely (capitalising on trending topics or sounds) and designed to generate quick engagement​.

Best Ways to Engage to Encourage Engagement

Creating engaging video content that triggers further engagement requires a strategic approach. Here are some key methods that video companies use to enhance viewer interaction:

1. Make It a Story They Can’t Skip Videos that tell a story or elicit emotion are more likely to be shared and commented on. Whether it is a success story, a customer testimonial, or a creative narrative, great stories are what turn passive viewers into active participants.
   
2. Incorporate Interactive Features: Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube offer interactive features such as polls, questions, and clickable links in Stories and Reels. These features keep users engaged and provide an opportunity to directly interact with the brand, creating a two-way conversation​.
   
3. Respond to Comments and Engage Back: Once viewers begin to comment on the video, responding to those comments can boost engagement. Engaging with your audience creates a community feel and encourages further interaction from others.
   
4. Use Series Format: Another effective strategy is to create a video series. When users know that they can expect regular video content from the brand, they are more likely to return and engage with each new release. For instance, a company might release a series of behind-the-scenes videos, each covering a different aspect of the business. This is especially effective on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where viewers appreciate the familiarity of a recurring theme or format​. Over time, these series build loyalty among viewers, and their engagement can snowball.

Case Study: Success and Failure in Engagement Campaigns

Successful Campaign: A notable example is GoPro‘s approach to user-generated content. GoPro incentivised viewers to share their own footage using GoPro cameras, which created a massive amount of user-generated content that reached both existing and new audiences. Their content was continually shared, liked, and commented on, helping GoPro boost visibility and further engagement. This strategy aligned perfectly with the algorithms of platforms like Instagram and YouTube, where high interaction leads to greater content distribution​.

Unsuccessful Campaign: On the flip side, an example of a failed engagement strategy is Pepsi’s 2017 ad campaign featuring Kendall Jenner. The ad was criticised for trivialising social justice movements and failed to generate the desired engagement. Instead of sparking a conversation, it resulted in backlash. This highlights the importance of understanding the audience’s preferences and ensuring content resonates positively. A lack of genuine engagement can result in negative reactions that hurt a brand’s image​.

Why You Should Trust a Videos Company to Create Videos That Inspires Engagement

Creating videos that successfully leverage algorithms and engage audiences requires expertise. Video companies have the skills and experience needed to produce content that speaks to viewers, is optimised for platform algorithms, and sets off the engagement necessary to expand reach. They understand the subtleties of social media algorithms, allowing them to create videos designed not just to be seen but to encourage interaction, comments, shares, and, ultimately, more engagement.

Final Thoughts

As we have seen through real-life examples like Airbnb’s “Live There” campaign, videos that go beyond simple views can trigger a ripple effect, creating a conversation that carries on long after the video ends. This is not just about flashy visuals or clever editing—it is about making a connection that invites ongoing interaction. A video production company is more than just a creator; they are the architects behind the scenes, crafting content that works with social algorithms to encourage comments, shares, and views that bring audiences back again and again.

In the end, engagement is not just a numbers game. It is a cycle—a feedback loop that builds momentum and strengthens a brand’s presence across platforms. By understanding these dynamics, a videos company helps businesses turn every piece of content into something worth returning to, revisiting, and sharing. It is not magic or luck; it is strategy. And in today’s media-heavy world, it is what makes a brand memorable in the first place.

Want your videos to stop people from scrolling and get them talking instead? Let Sound Idea Digital show you how to create content that keeps the conversation going. Contact us today and let’s turn your videos into a magnet for engagement

We are a full-service Web Development and Content Production Agency in Gauteng specialising in Video Production, Animation, eLearning Content Development, Learning Management Systems, and Content Production. 
Contact us for a quote. | enquiries@soundidea.co.za | https://www.soundideavideoproduction.co.za| +27 82 491 5824 |