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Writer's pictureDeJuan Wright

How to Select The Perfect Songs For Your Social Media Marketing Videos

Updated: Jun 12



Whether it’s hip-hop, rock, pop, R&B, blues, country, or just about any other genre of music that involves lyrics—the greatest songs have one thing in common.... they all contain a great hook. 


If you’re familiar with song structure, then you’re already aware that the purpose of a hook is to serve as a device that “hooks” the listener by making the song catchy, engaging, and more memorable to whoever hears it. 


Similar to the hook of a song, short-form marketing videos created for social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube also serve a similar purpose—to hook viewers. And the song’s featured in those videos often play a significant role in whether or not a brand’s social media marketing videos will accomplish that objective or not. 


Why the songs you choose to feature in your videos are so crucial 


Throughout your lifetime, you’ve probably met many people with many peculiar interests, hobbies, likes, and dislikes that differed from yours. From food to fashion—obviously, people enjoy different things than we do. And that’s a great thing! As it makes life much more interesting. 


Be that as it may, I’m also certain that out of the myriad of people you’ve gotten to know throughout the years, you probably couldn’t name ten who told you that they did not like any form of music at all. 


That’s because like French fries, just about everyone enjoys music! 


Music is so powerful, it could bring people together. Change our mood. Help us charge through a tough workout. Express our love. And also reminisce on past times. Music could also help bring consumers closer to your brand. Which is why the songs that you choose to feature in your short-form social media marketing videos are so important. 


What your songs should do for your audience


A recent consumer survey from Adobe Express and exclusively covered by Chain Store Age revealed that 89% of consumers are more likely to view video content over any other form of content marketing. So, if showcasing your brand’s products are of the utmost importance to your startup—there’s no better way to highlight those products than by featuring them in short-form videos on social media.


The secret sauce that really makes a short-form video resonate with an audience on an emotional level is the music featured in the video. 


Try and think of yourself as a film composer. And as great film composers know, the key to creating a riveting musical score for a film is to understand your audience and which emotions you want them to feel in each scene. The same logic also applies to your social media marketing videos. 


But in order to optimize the impact of your videos, aim to feature songs in your videos that’ll have a great chance at evoking at least one of the following emotions from your audience:


  • Affection

  • Amusement

  • Excitement

  • Happiness

  • Joy 

  • Love


The ultimate objective for everything that your brand does on social media is to build a deeper connection with your audience. A great way to do that is by touching your audience emotionally on social media through short-form videos. 


Selecting the right songs 


Song selection is all about understanding your audience both demographically and psychographically. That entails understanding just how your audience wants to feel. And which songs could help bring about those emotions. 


Just as importantly as evoking the right emotions, the songs that you feature in your short-form videos should be songs that your target audience is already familiar with and are fond of. 


These are the best types of songs to feature in your social media video clips:


  • Current slaps – Songs that are currently popular amongst your ideal audience from a contemporary cultural standpoint. These songs should also be congruent with what your brand ideally aims to represent. 


  • Throwback jams – Songs that are likely to spark nostalgia amongst your audience. Preferably songs that were popular during your target audience’s early to late teenage years and from a genre of music they most identify with. 


  • Wildcard joints – Songs that your audience typically wouldn’t expect to hear coming from your brand—but would be pleasantly surprised once they do.  


To reiterate, the songs featured in your brand’s short-form social media marketing videos will be most effective if your audience is already familiar with those songs and enjoy them. And the only way to know if they’ll actually enjoy those songs is by understanding your audience. 


If you do understand your audience, featuring songs in your short-form videos that’ll resonate with them will surely help your brand build a tighter bond with the consumers that you seek to serve.  


Final thoughts 


Short-form videos are an excellent way to capture the attention of your audience and direct them towards your brand and its products. They are also a great marketing tool to use that'll help increase the effectiveness of your brand’s social media marketing strategy.


Want to build customer affinity by optimizing your social media marketing strategy? Contact us today and allow us to create a social media marketing strategy for your brand that’ll give it an absolute unfair advantage in its industry!


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