Social Media Formats for Ecommerce Brands

Social media is constantly evolving and changing. It can be hard to keep up with the seemingly infinite formats and media types for any single channel. To help navigate this landscape, here are the most common types of media your brand should be considering.

Product stills  (1:1 or 4:5)

Most brands already have a library of these from website or catalog assets. Although there isn't (and perhaps shouldn't be) a single standard for these, product images are usually straightforward with a clean background. These assets are most commonly used in retargeting and product-oriented messaging.

Graphics (4:5 or 9:16)

Non-product imagery. Can be still or animated. Used mostly in Stories. Easiest to think of in the frame of email content.

Carousels  (4:5)

3-10 images that showcase a common theme or tell a story. Lead image should be attention-grabbing. Some common ideas we see here:

• Theme and exposition
• Compare and contrast
• Slide and dice

Short video (9:16)

~15 second video targeting first or early impressions. Best for new audiences and ads. MUST be vertical. Because these are so heavily focused on new audiences, we recommend spending more time on these. Here are a few things to check for:

• Strong hook in the first 3 seconds- quick cuts, faces, bodies, flashes, audio cues
• Exposition of introduction message with secondary approach and slower/clearer communication after first 3 seconds
• Call to action at least twice over the length of the video
• Music/sound encouraged
• Captions (or captionable) encouraged but not mandatory
• Cover image needed
• Pay attention to safe zones between different platforms to make sure your subject is clearly visible within platforms.

Short video produced by Effigy.Agency for Graphia New York

Medium video - (9:16)

<1min video. Best for multiple messages or bigger ideas (new collection, interview, etc). Should be vertical but can be run as an ad if it’s the only asset. 

• Pacing of visual content is the most important. 
• Experiment with spacing and timing between segments or elements to find a flow that makes sense. Pacing usually is either barbell shaped or linear (faster or slower)
• Captions mandatory for any voiceover or interview (use native tools)

Long video  (16:9)

>1min video. Best for storytelling and “captive” audiences onsite or in dedicated media. Should be horizontal (not vertical). Caters more toward traditional film-making formats. Most brands will only publish these either on their own sites or via a video platform like YouTube.

Keep these things in mind:

• Captions are mandatory and should be generated or uploaded for each piece of media (don't embed into the video).
• Cover image is mandatory and will likely be the most widely seen component of the video.
• You will always need some kind of caption and linkable content to tie in if outside your site.

Jurassic World x Accompany video.