Short-Form Video, Long-Term Success
It’s no secret there’s a generational push towards short-form video. YouTube is the second largest social media site and is often called the second largest search engine after Google. The platform, which has been known for long-form videos has embraced shorter content with YouTube Shorts. In the last few years, TikTok and Instagram Reels have proven to be serious contenders, experiencing tremendous growth. Brands on TikTok and Instagram Reels are reaching younger audiences, increasing brand awareness, and going viral – all by leveraging the power of short-form video.According to a 2022 HubSpot Video Marketing Report, any video under 60 seconds is considered short-form, with the optimal length between 31 and 60 seconds. Small businesses to large scale corporations can build scalable, fun, and creative strategies on the platforms.
What makes this so appealing?
Encourages Creator and Viewer Participation
"63% of marketers say trendy content related to cultural moments and news stories generates the most video content"
Engaging content facilitates active user participation, giving users the chance to interact and connect. This creates a sense of belonging and formation of online communities in which creators can adapt to trends, memes, and important news quickly. There are four content types of social media marketers will lean into in 2023:
Value-based
Funny
Interactive
Relatable
Adapts to Align with Brand
"20% of marketers surveyed leveraged brand challenges and 42% said they performed better than expected"
Brands can produce content based on viral dances, songs, and sounds or make their own filters and challenges go viral. They can jump on a trend by making it unique to their niche and target market. For example, a play on words can be interpreted in more than one way, allowing short-form videos to remain versatile.
Generates Full-Funnel Impact
"Nearly all short-form videos are watched for over 40% of their duration"
Every customer experiences each brand as a journey that progresses from awareness to interest to purchase. Marketers visualize it as a funnel - customers enter the top to first learn about a brand, and then gravitate toward the lower funnel as they gain interest and decide to buy. A full-funnel marketing strategy is powered by the ongoing draw down the funnel, rather than targeted isolated campaigns that may result in disconnect. Consumer behavior and consumption patterns are unpredictable, which is a perfect match for TikTok and Instagram Reels. These short-form videos cater to customers at every stage with messages that are most relatable to them given their online and offline behaviors, driving customers closer to the final conversion.
Results in High ROI
"Short-form video has the highest ROI of any social media marketing strategy and will see the most growth in 2023"
The growth of social media is causing the human attention span to become shorter and shorter, Short-form video allows brands to capitalize on this in an accessible and affordable way by creating content that provides entertainment and investment value. A TikTok video that performs really well can be cross posted to YouTube shorts or Instagram Reels and bring in a completely different audience. Brands can craft consistent and compelling clips with a data-driven marketing strategy to measure campaign success and establish baselines that can serve as a guideline for future marketing efforts. Moreover, short-form videos offer the highest ROI of any social media platform and maximize impact.
Sparks Organic Visibility
"Nearly half (47%) of marketers surveyed believe short-form videos are most likely to go viral"
Short, trendy videos grab attention and are shareable, reaching a larger audience without the need for paid ads. Optimizing video ensures a brand is showing up in a search results, and not just on their own social media or website. It goes beyond driving traffic to increasing visibility across a variety of platforms aligning a brand's content strategy with the type of content people are searching for and want to see. If a brand has specific keywords on TikTok or YouTube that their audience is searching in a high volume, the brand can implement video strategy in those areas to drive intentional traffic to their page, and reap the passive, organic traffic and visibility that is sure to follow.
Need help executing a strategic short-form video plan?
Our team of digital marketing experts is here to assist. Connect with our team at Flashlight Marketing to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals to expedite growth!