There’s no question that short-form video marketing is dominating the social media industry right now. TikTok popularized short videos, then YouTube Shorts and Instagram & Facebook Reels jumped on board with their own version of short-form sharing.
With the popularity of video content, it provides the perfect opportunity for businesses to benefit from social media video marketing. In fact, recently, HubSpot reported that short-form video is one of the most effective and popular types of social media content at the moment.
Whether you are already sharing short-form videos or you are planning to get started with this type of social media advertising, there are a few strategies you can use to optimize your results and promote your brand at the same time. In this guide, we are looking at a few proven techniques that can help you design and share short-form videos that connect with your target audience.
Short-Form Video Content: What You Need to Know
Any video that is less than 60 seconds in length falls in the “short-form” category. Many of the short-form platforms limit videos to 60-seconds or less, although there are options for longer videos if you prefer.
The goal is to offer a small snippet of information or entertainment to your viewers. Instead of providing a full overview of the topic, these videos are designed to be quickly digested and easy to scroll through. Many people will view multiple videos in one sitting.
The truth is that viewers don’t have the attention span or patience to watch long videos. When they scroll social media, they prefer short-form content. When the video is less than 60 seconds in length, then there is a much higher likelihood that the viewer will watch until the end. As a result, there is a good chance that your conversion rate will be higher with this type of content as well.
One added benefit: short-form video marketing is more likely to go viral compared to longer videos.
Best Practices: Short-Form Video Marketing Tips
Here are some of the best practices to follow if you are going to publish short-form videos:
- Watch the Trends: One way to increase the likelihood that your video will go viral is by watching the trends in your industry. Take time to view other videos so that you can see which videos are getting the most traction. Pay attention to all of the details, including the type of video, special effects, sound bytes, and the video caption.
- Make it Catchy: People are used to scrolling from one video to the next, so you only have a moment to capture someone’s attention. Make sure you are using a hook to grab the person’s attention. This hook can be something eye-catching or a popular song that starts right at the beginning of the video.
- User Vertical Videos: Most people view short-form videos on their cell phones. So, make sure you are publishing videos that are vertical (not horizontal). The best solution is to record vertical videos instead of trying to cut horizontal videos to fit a vertical template.
- Include a Caption: While most of the focus will be on the video, many people will also read the caption. The text below the video offers an opportunity for you to share a relevant link. Also, you can use hashtags to increase the likelihood of your video showing up in specific searches.
- Share Different Types of Videos: Test different short video content ideas to see which type your audience is responding to the best. Examples include behind-the-scenes, User Generated Content (UGC), explainer videos, entertainment/funny videos, product reviews, fun facts, product unboxing, tutorials, and more.
- Repurpose Other Content: If you already have content published online, then you might be able to use these resources to create your short-form videos. For example, long-form videos can be cut down into sharable clips. Or, use information from blog posts or interviews to write the script for your short-form videos.
- Publish Consistently: You might not see much traction from the first few short-form videos that you share. A consistent publishing schedule is the best way to leverage the platform and get traction. Be proactive and make sure that you are publishing a minimum of 1 short-form video daily.
Think about this social media strategy as short video storytelling for brands. You aren’t going to communicate everything about your company in a single clip. But you can convey one small point that provides value to the customer.
FAQ
What are the Best Platforms for Short-Form Video Marketing?
The top three social media platforms for publishing short-form videos are TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts. Facebook also has a Reels feature now, and some publishers choose to cross-post their reels from Instagram onto Facebook as well.
Are Brand Awareness Videos Effective?
When your goal is to spread awareness about your brand, make sure you are publishing videos that are interesting, helpful, and/or entertaining. The messaging can contribute to your overall brand, making your company more memorable – especially when viewers are discovering new videos from you regularly.
How to Create Engaging Short-Form Videos?
There are many tools that can be used to make your videos more interesting and engaging. The platforms offer video templates and sound clips that you can use. Also, consider other tools such as Canva or CapCut.
Customize Marketing Plan for Your Short-Form Videos
While there is a lot of opportunity with short-form videos, this strategy is just one piece of the puzzle for an effective online marketing plan. Many brands want to leverage videos and social media posts to maximize brand awareness, but they find that it’s time-consuming to create the content and keep up with the publishing schedules. It often makes sense to hire a content creation team for assistance.
If you need help designing and implementing an effective online marketing strategy, then it’s time to talk to the experts at ARYU Advertising. We have a long history of success and offer full-service marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Contact us at your convenience to learn more about the ways you will benefit from online marketing and short-form videos.
