The Importance of Short Form Video
Introduction
Short form video is blowing up massively as the new space in social media, with companies such as Instagram and TikTok being the pioneers in the short form video format. Read our other blog posts about other media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube and even Netflix are close following in reaping the advantages of the short form video space.
What is short form video?
Short form video is exactly what it says on the tin- videos which only run between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Using this format has a huge positive impact on repetitive engagement as the main platform in which has pioneered its use, TikTok is designed for its users to be consistently consuming video content catered to them- the algorithm that TikTok and other short form platforms use is incredibly refined meaning that in terms of advertisement, your content is always reaching your individual potential consumers
Who uses short form video?
In January 2022 TikTok as a platform has over one billion consistent monthly users, In the first 6 months of 2021 it was the most installed non game app, congregating a massive 383 million downloads; so since then, its safe to assume the majority if not all of your audience will use TikTok or another short form video platform such as Instagram reels. Meaning the potential of using short form video is an extremely powerful tool for outreach, when used correctly.
With TikTok and Instagram reels proving a huge success in social media platforms as a whole, we can expect that influencers thrive in these spaces, this leaves a huge opportunity for using them to your brands advantage; by harboring influencer marketing our brand can almost instantly gain massive amounts of traction.
How and why short form video is beneficial for brand marketing
People share videos up to twice as much as any other content, which is why using short form video is incredibly beneficial to your brand and how far your message is spread. In addition to this, short form is very easily distributed cross-platform with almost all social media allowing to share from other separate platforms.
Due to the rise in social media as a whole, the attention span of consumers is declining meaning that short form video caters for this perfectly, by being able to amplify the voice of your brand in two minutes or less makes your message and impact memorable.
How to use short form video to its full advantage
Short form video is known for its entertainment value and trend culture which include things such as audio snippets, dances and more ; allowing for certain kinds of content to be easily repurposed from user generated content to brand marketing and vice versa. This being said, things like brand challenges are a great start in generating traffic and building a community that actively engages in your product. Catering to popular trends in a personalised manner is a perfect way of being seen by users who wouldn't otherwise interact with your brand. Some of the best ways of effectively using short form video formats include but are not limited to:
- Choosing how to brand your content and sticking to the same patterns/ trends
- Posting regularly and at a consistent time/day in order to keep engagement at a consistent level
- Using the correct hashtags
- Collaboration with similar brands or influencers
- Interact with your audience by asking questions
Your brand can massively benefit from using short form video, but its difficult to know where to start with posting video content, especially if this is your first time branching out to video marketing; we have compiled a list of video ideas to start you off with, that in most cases are incredibly useful for most video marketing strategies:
- Product demos and testers- People love to know about a product they're considering buying, a well made product demonstration does exactly that and allows for potentially apprehensive consumers to be assured that what they are buying is a quality product
- Reviews/ testimonials - Similar to the first point, this allows for consumers to be assured that the product they are investing in is a worthwhile investment
- Live streaming events or exclusive products- by live streaming you are showing your customers real time content, allowing for a feeling of shared experience between your brand and your consumer, by creating this kind of trusted relationship, you are securing loyalty and trust for your brand, which ultimately leads to more people consuming your product
- "Behind the scenes"- by making a behind the scenes video of your company you allow your viewers to feel a closer and more personal connection to your brand
- FAQ session/ Question and answer sessions- by interacting with consumers you are showing that your brand is flexible, consumer orientated and those that vouch for your brand are knowledgeable
