How Short-Form Videos Can Help Your Business.
How we consume content has vastly changed, and it continues to do so. Looking forward to 2023, as the days left of 2022 pass by at warp speed, let’s look at one of the biggest content trends that is set to play a major role in the year ahead. Short-form video is set to be a hero of the content world; a short-form video is a video that is under 60 seconds in length, with an optimum length being between 31 and 60 seconds. Video content isn’t new, it’s played an important part in brand content strategy for many years, but the length and style are a moving feast.
Customers have become used to static content, trolling through image after image on Instagram; video content enables a brand to capture the attention of consumers and engage them for longer. Part of the rise in popularity of short-form videos is the increase in popularity of TikTok, which was bolstered during the height of COVID-19. TikTok has made such an impact, with its predominantly unedited and honest insights into people and business worlds, that platforms such as Instagram have adjusted their strategies. Short-form videos can take various forms, from consumer-generated and behind-the-scenes to influencer and explainer videos.
With videos getting shorter, it’s imperative that brands land their messages fast to create impact. It’s recommended that you include your hook in the first few seconds of your videos to keep your audience interested and increase the likelihood that they will watch the entire video. Hooking in a viewer also helps cement the audience bond and can encourage reposting, which assists in amplifying your message. Like how we consume other forms of entertainment, social media audiences love a good binge. A profile full of exciting video content can mean longer immersion into your brand’s world, and more prolonged brand exposure can encourage your audience to act in the form of a purchase and strengthened bonds.
Continue below to read all you need to know about How Short-Form Videos Can Help Your Business.
Above, we see statistics from Wyzowl on the increase in video consumption from 2018 – 2022.
Best Platforms For Short-Form Videos:
With the rise in popularity of video content, we have seen countless platforms adjust their strategy, and many new platforms come into the race. Below we will take you through some of the leading platforms for your 2023 short-form video strategy.
TikTok:
TikTok is a Chinese-owned platform that launched in 2016, then known as ByteDance. TikTok is a content disrupter and has changed the strategy of many other content platforms, including Instagram and YouTube. According to Oberlo, TikTok has 1 Billion monthly users as of 2022, and the app has been downloaded over 2 Billion times. TikTok is the platform de jour for attracting the attention of the younger demographics; according to Statista, 62 per cent of TikTok users in the US and Australia are aged between 10-29. A TikTok video can run from 12 seconds to 10 minutes as of 2022, with a sweet spot sitting between 21 – 34 seconds. The platform is filled with micro-communities that can have a significant impact when tuned into due to their loyal contributors. There are ones focused on almost any interest and quirk you can imagine, from cleaning, beauty, fashion, and recipes; these groups are endless and are without geographic boundaries.
Instagram Reels:
Instagram reels were Meta’s answer to TikTok and were launched in 2019 in its basic form, with newer styles available in 2022. Originally a reel was only 15 seconds long, but now a creator has four options going up to 90 seconds in length. Similarly to TikTok, you can create a reel with AR filters, music, text, and audio; you can also duet with existing content and share them with your profile. Unlike stories, reels don’t disappear after 24 hours and are currently favoured by the Instagram algorithm.
YouTube Shorts:
YouTube Shorts was launched in 2020, one of the youngest short-form video platforms. The platform is similar to its sibling, but videos are limited to between 15 - 60 seconds in length and are filled with user-generated content. It is similar to TikTok, as creators can add music and captions to their creations. YouTube short videos are viewed by 6.5 billion viewers, with this expected to increase, and according to emarketer, 49.3% of all YouTube viewing time in 2022 will be mobile.
Triller:
Triller is an American-owned video-sharing platform which launched in 2015. The platform allows users to create and share short-form videos, including videos set to or automatically synchronised to music, using artificial intelligence technology. They have been compared to TikTok, but one of the differentiators is that Triller allows their audience to use an entire song, whereas TikTok only allows a small section of a song to be used per clip. Triller is closely aligned with the music industry, with one of its owners being Colin Tilly, the director of music videos for artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Justin Bieber. Triller videos can run from 4 – 60 seconds in length depending on the licencing of a song; creators can make longer videos if they use their own audio.
“In 2022, an estimated 1.6 billion people will use short-form videos to communicate. By 2022, short-form video will account for 80% of all mobile data traffic in North America. Short-form videos will be the most popular type of content on social media, accounting for 40% of all videos.” Woosuite
Types of Short-Form Videos:
User-Generated Content
Behind The Scenes
Product Previews
Explainer or Educational
Product Teasers
Influencer
Brand Challenges
1. User-Generated Content:
Get your customers and followers in on the act to help generate content. The videos could be unboxing, product reviews and testimonials. User-generated content is popular amongst current consumers, as they’re authentic and honest and can create more traction than brand-created content. UGC is by some now considered the new word of mouth. You can encourage user-generated content through brand-specific hashtags and competitions and capture it through social listening. It’s essential that you don’t try to fool your audience with fake UGC; modern audiences can sniff this out, and it can damage your brand reputation.
Above we see an example of a day in the life short-form video from a TikTok creator.
2. Behind The Scenes:
Behind-the-scenes videos are a great way to give customers and viewers an insight into the inner workings of your business. Doing so can assist in developing relationships between viewer and brand, as they break down walls. You could get a staff member(s) to film a day in the office from their perspective; this could be done across various sections of the business for a broad view. Q&A’s between team members talking to product and or service can make great content, or you could unbox new arrivals fresh from the showroom floor. The key is to keep it on brand but authentic; authenticity is one of the key ingredients for any content creation in the current environment. These videos don’t need to be high in production value; try a few of the ideas below:
Create a video over lunch and share who is eating what.
Conduct a tour of your office.
Q&A’s.
Capture team building days.
Create a day-in-the-life video.
"Short-form video has the highest ROI of any social media marketing strategy at 30%. " business2community
3. Product Previews:
Product preview videos can be a great way to create interest in a soon-to-be-dropped collection. You don’t need to dive straight in; tease it out and do a countdown; this can help build suspense and encourage your audience to continually visit your profiles in the hopes of the big news. In your videos, talk about your product attributes, pain points and solutions and, if possible, showcase your product in action. Keep your content on brand, fill it with information, and be sure to include a call to action.
4. Explainer or Educational:
Explainer or Educational videos can be a great way to showcase a product or service's attributes and can assist in lessening product returns. This type of short-form content can be a great addition to your social media and your website in a prime position, such as your landing page or another prominent page. Keep yours on brand, using brand colours, language and tone and be sure to include a call to action. When creating your content, be sure to include the following:
The problem
Solution
How it works
A call to action
5. Product Teasers:
Grab attention in the lead-up to a product launch with a product teaser video. This type of short-form video content can be a great addition to your strategy and can help build anticipation before launch day. Create a sense of excitement in your creative, be on brand and be creative to assist in the video being shared across platforms. You can make your content stand out by authentically showcasing brand personality, brand colours and on-brand audio. Include a key date and a call to action to ensure your viewer returns for the big reveal and link your content to your website for further traction. Your video should include the following:
A hook
A solution
A call-to-action
“According to research from Statista, 14.9% of Millennials watched 10-20 hours of videos per week.”
6. Influencer:
Influencers have been around for a long time and are set to play an important part in content strategies in 2023. Collaborate with a strategic fit and create influencer videos. These could talk to brand offerings, product reviews, and try-ons. If you and your team don’t want to be the face of your content, engaging an influencer can be a great solution. They give a face to content, which is vital for connection, so you will need to do your due diligence when choosing whom to collaborate with. You may want to collaborate with a selection of influencers, but don’t cast the net too broadly, as it can make it hard for viewers to connect with your brand. Before you select your influencer, consider the following:
Who is their audience?
How interactive are they with their audience?
Which platforms do they specialise in?
Who else do they collaborate with? Is there any conflict?
Do they create content suitable for your brand and audience?
Ask for examples of their previous work.
Make sure they provide reports to monitor the collaboration’s success.
Pepsi goes viral with its brand challenge.
7. Brand Challenges:
Brand challenge videos have become popular, especially of late and on TikTok. They can be an excellent way to encourage user-generated content, which often goes viral and seamlessly plays into the current trends. Some brands of late have taken their brand challenge videos to the next level with custom music, the next generation of a jingle. We see an example of a brand challenge above done by Pepsi, where creatives dance with a drink in hand. The drink is the co-star, but these videos swept TikTok and generated buzz amongst a very hard-to-get generation of consumers. Another Pepsi brand challenge in the above video links to soccer and the brand's partnerships.
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Jane Hayes Consulting, Leading You Through The Digital World:
Jane Hayes Consulting is an independent digital marketing agency founded to help businesses create consistent, creatively aligned, and strategic content. We can help you put your best foot forward with our expertly crafted team covering website design and building, marketing strategy, content creation, brand creation, and project management. We work within budget restraints and look toward the future. Need assistance in developing your digital strategy and creating a business advantage? Contact Jane Hayes Consulting today and sign up for our newsletter.