While no one can be 100 percent certain how social network algorithms will change from day to day, it’s a pretty good bet that people will still enjoy watching videos. If you have any doubt, just consider that we Americans collectively watch about 38 hours of video a week between our TVs, phones, Rokus and computers, according to Nielsen research. It’s actually something of a miracle that we’re able to hold down full-time jobs in between all of our binge-watching.

So, if you want to reach your customers, video is a great way to do it. We caught up with Sally Sargood, a video marketing expert at Animoto, for some tips on how to best deliver it on social media.

Text Sells

Sargood says 85 percent of videos viewed on social networks are watched with the sound off, so having text captions is critical to getting a message across. In fact, quickly introducing text in the opening seconds of your video is a good way to hook your viewers during that critical window, she notes.

Content Is King

Video marketing is all about “telling, not selling,” Sargood says. Crafting video around a story is a great idea. This can be a quick highlight reel of a wedding you shot or a short behind-the-scenes video of a recent portrait shoot, she says. “A “listicle,” or list-based video, “is very easy to create, and they’re share-worthy,” she says, so they’re likely to reach beyond your circle of followers.

Time Is of the Essence

Even though we consume unhealthy amounts of video weekly, Sargood says you only have about three seconds to hook someone into your video. If you can keep their focus for that first three seconds or so, you’re more likely to keep them watching for the whole length of your video, she says.

On balance, 30-second videos are the most effective for marketing on social networks. If you’re gearing video for YouTube, you’re better off with a longer duration since YouTube viewers tend to be more focused on finding content, whereas social users are simply browsing for something to catch their eye.

It’s important to keep videos concise on social networks, she notes, because videos that are watched in their entirety are more likely to be pushed onto your followers’ feeds by Facebook’s and Instagram’s sorting algorithms.

Hip to Be Square

Square-format videos (with a 1:1 aspect ratio) are better suited to both mobile viewing and Instagram. And remember, most consumers (about 85 percent, Sargood says) are browsing social media feeds on mobile devices.

Give It a Boost

While video can organically gain traction on Facebook or Instagram, it never hurts to pay for a little bump in visibility after all the work you put into it, Sargood says. “You don’t have to spend a lot, you can set aside $25 or $50 to promote it for a week or two,” she says. This will expose your video, and your brand, to a wider audience.

Related: 7 Facebook Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make

Seamlessly Switching Photo Specialities Without Losing Clients

Top Action Cameras and VR Cameras For Immersive Filmmaking