Video has well and truly taken the lead as the most engaging content of 2021. The data is in and video content, that has been shared on social media, is now being watched just as much as TV.
Many brands created such content so that users can watch as they scroll, thus creating videos that can be just as effective on mute, as they are with accompanying sound.
Facebook is one of the platforms that encouraged marketers to tailor their video content towards a ‘sound-off environment’, where users can scroll and watch videos without the need for audio (so 2021, right?!).
However, TikTok has been vocal that sound is crucial to their user experience. Therefore, marketers need to consider audio as equally significant as the visuals. To highlight this, they have launched a new insight series on their business hub, which aims to educate marketers on the importance of sound and why brands should consider using audio as a key part of their overall branding effort.
According to TikTok, 9 in 10 users agree that sound is vital to the TikTok experience. No surprises there then. They also found that the odds of having a ‘strong brand attention’ are highest when sound is included in video.
The stats don’t lie. The above suggests that brands should consider using sounds, especially those of trending audios, jingles and narrations in their online videos to increase their brand awareness. This is an effective way to ensure that users are not only seeing videos, but engaging with them too.
For example, Chipotle knows that sound adds a new dimension to TikTok. They took their video content to a new level by overlaying the sound of someone screaming with enthusiasm. This transformed a simple food close-up to something hilarious. It is a joke that wouldn’t have landed in a ‘sound-off environment’.
This means that brands need to adopt a different approach when creating content for TikTok. Sound is a key element that can significantly boost user engagement. With TikTok set to reach 1.5 billion users, we can expect more and more brands to incorporate a ‘sound on’ approach to their social media strategy