Short-form video content dominates the social media landscape – and our smartphones.
The emergence of TikTok in early 2020 sparked a new interest in short-form video. Suddenly, in the midst of the pandemic, when people were at home, we found ourselves consuming more content than ever. Once we reached our limit of watching Netflix, we were looking for something new.
That’s when TikTok introduced short-form video content to consumers. Instantly, people worldwide were non-stop scrolling the app. Other social media platforms quickly took notice that short-form video is what consumers want to watch. So, they introduced new short-form options like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
The popularity of short-form video has only continued to rise. This year, short-form content will be an absolute necessity in your video marketing strategy. Here’s what you need to know about the trend and how to use it to grow your business.
What is Short-Form Video?
Short-form video content refers to any video under 60 seconds long, with most marketers saying the optimal length is 31-60 seconds.
Short-form videos are intended to be bite-sized content that’s highly entertaining and effortlessly digestible. So naturally, it should be easy for viewers to scroll through and ‘binge-watch’ several at a time – as seen on TikTok.
What are the Benefits of Creating Short-Form Video Content?
Short-form video is the future of marketing. If your brand isn’t creating any, you must get on board. But, if you’re looking for reasons it will be worthwhile, let’s explore a few.
1. You’re More Likely to Have a Viral Video
Every brand dreams of having a video go viral. While it might seem like an out-of-reach goal, it’s not as wild as you think. There are strategies you can use to increase your chances of success. One of them is creating short-form videos.
According to HubSpot, 47% of marketers say short-form videos are the most likely to go viral. Combined with consumers’ overwhelming demand for more short-form content, the odds of getting your video to skyrocket online are pretty good.
2. Audiences Are More Engaged
With an influx in demand for short-form video comes an increase in engagement, especially on social media. Why? Because short-form video is compelling, engaging, and fun to watch. As a result, TikTok users spend an average of 1.5 hours every day on the app, with an average session length of 10.85 minutes – making TikTok the most engaging social media app available.
Additionally, nearly 30% of all short-form videos are watched 81% of the way through by consumers. So no matter how you look at it, short-form video engages people. Meaning it’s an ideal way to share your marketing messages online.
3. Video is Easier to Digest and Understand
The nature of short-form video makes it an excellent tool for communication. For one, consumers are more likely to engage with the content (see above), and secondly, video makes complex information easier to understand.
Today’s consumers can’t be bothered to read lengthy explanations or detailed tutorials on how a product works. They want the essential points given to them at face value. It turns out many consumers lean on videos to provide them with an overview. According to a report, 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. Video simplifies information for consumers. So, when you create videos about your products, how to fix an issue or resolve a problem, your audience is likelier to watch and learn from your video.
4. Excellent for SEO
It’s no secret that search engines love video content. And short-form video is no different. Through video SEO strategies, like keyword usage in video titles, meta descriptions and hashtags, you have a greater chance of supercharging your search results on search engine results pages (SERP) such as Google. Nowadays, even TikTok is being used as a search engine by consumers. So, you have tons of opportunities for greater visibility and searchability when creating short-form videos.
Types of Short-Form Videos to Create
The rise of short-form video is all about creating content that will appeal to, engage and entertain your audience within their attention span. Let’s look at the different types of videos you can create:
User-Generated Videos
User-generated video content is a proven way to increase trust and credibility in your brand. Leverage the voice of real people, like your customers, to create videos about your products or services—for example, unboxing videos, video testimonials and product tutorials.
Social Media Stories
Social media stories are excellent ways to engage an audience online. Share snippets of what your brand is up to, for example, behind-the-scenes videos, or ask questions your followers can reply to through direct messages, emojis or survey polls.
FAQ Videos
FAQ videos are powerful tools for improving the customer experience. Replace written FAQs on your website with videos answering customer questions to deliver faster and more personalized support. Other examples include how-to videos, explainer content or educational videos that help consumers solve problems. A self-service portal on your site will help reduce customer frustration and enrich your digital cx.
Video Reviews
UGC video reviews from your real customers are excellent sources of social proof. Tap into the voice of your loyal followers to get them talking about you in a short video. Then, share the reviews on your website and social media channels to build trust with a new audience and help prospective customers make purchase decisions.
Best Practices to Follow When Creating Short-Form Videos
To get optimal results from your short-form content, it’s essential to follow best practices. Here are a few to consider:
1. Participate in Popular Trends
If you want to connect with your audience through video, knowing what’s trending on different platforms is essential. Pay attention to the different sounds or songs used repeatedly in videos, as it usually means it’s a new trend.
Tons of brands and creators will jump on trends to increase the reach of their videos and hopefully get in front of a new audience. This is a great strategy, but you want to ensure you choose the right trends related to your brand.
Here’s an example of a trend many people hopped on – the teenage dirtbag song. StoryTap used it to show the company’s growth from its beginning to the present day.
@storytapvideo a little throwback to StoryTap’s teenage dirtbag era ft. our co-founders 👀 #greenscreen #teenagedirtbag
♬ Teenage Dirtbag – Sped Up (and she doesn’t give a damn about me) (Sped Up) – Wheatus & slater
2. Make Your Videos Short and Punchy
Short-form video platforms are designed to let users scroll through content quickly to go from video to video. As a brand creating content on these platforms, you want to grab attention instantly so viewers stop scrolling. Do this by starting your video off with a punchy hook. For example, record something eye-catching at the beginning or use an intriguing sound to get users to stop and watch.
But, once you’ve got a user to stop scrolling, you only have so long before their attention span wears out and they move on. So make your videos short and under 60 seconds long. Short-form videos make your viewers more likely to watch the whole thing. Ensure your content is bite-sized, entertaining, relatable, and easy to watch.
3. Focus on Authenticity
Consumers today have high expectations from brands. One of their biggest is authenticity in content. So, channel this expectation into your short-form videos. You can do this in a few ways – for example, by focusing on collecting user-generated videos, publishing honest reviews from previous customers and sharing testimonials from your employees. These are all aspects that feed into creating authentic short-form content your audience will appreciate.
4. Repurpose Content for Multiple Platforms
The great thing about video is that it can be easily repurposed. For example, if you’ve previously created long-form videos, use that content and cut it into smaller pieces. This is a great way to reuse content you already have without investing more time or resources into creating new videos.
Additionally, you can reuse video content for multiple platforms. For example, reuse product reviews published on your website for your social media channels. It’s best to post short videos to all your platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels. This way, you increase the exposure of your content and reach a wider audience.
Create Short-Form Videos with StoryTap
Creating short-form video content is necessary for your marketing strategy. Short videos are in demand, undeniably entertaining, and can go viral if done right. But the first step to creating short-form videos is finding the best platform for you.
StoryTap’s user-generated video platform makes collecting videos at scale easy. With our tech, you can produce, curate and distribute hundreds or even thousands of videos from your real customers. Then, seamlessly embed videos to your website and social media platforms using our YouTube and TikTok integrations. Once you’ve posted your videos, leverage our data-driven platform to track and optimize the performance of your content.
Chat with our team today to learn more about creating short-form videos for your brand.
