Short-Form videos have been consistently gaining popularity among both Gen Zs and Millennials. In recent years, we have seen social media platforms innovating and integrating short-form videos into their ecosystem.
They have emerged as a powerful tool for brands to engage and connect with their audience. It is crucial for brands to understand the nuances of short-form videos before diving in. Here are 3 insights that we have discovered if your brand wishes to tap into these platforms:
1. Embrace TikTok for Younger Audiences
TikTok stands out for its genuine atmosphere and tight-knit community, fostering a high level of trust in content creators. A significant majority, nearly two-thirds, of users express increased trust in brands after learning from TikTok creators. Moreover, TikTok users are reported to be 1.5 times more effective in persuading others to try out a product.
The platform’s strength lies in its ability to drive cross-platform engagement, utilising a comprehensive approach termed “shoppertainment” – encompassing discovery, consideration, action, review, and participation.
It is vital for brands to leverage TikTok’s authenticity and community spirit to forge connections with Generation Z and Alpha, who increasingly favour TikTok over traditional search methods for product information.
2. Reach New Audiences With YouTube Shorts
YouTube offers a dual-algorithm system to present content to viewers. The first operates on the YouTube homepage, delivering content based on subscriptions, trends, and recommendations derived from viewer history.
The second, known as the Shorts Feed, functions similarly to TikTok, relying on likes and engagements within the Shorts Feed. When executed effectively, the Shorts Feed can lead to unparalleled organic reach and substantial subscriber growth.
To maximise its impact, it’s advised to incorporate Shorts into a brand’s main YouTube channel. Uploading Shorts content there not only drives traffic from existing subscribers to the YouTube homepage but also catalyses a rapid viral effect within the Shorts feed. This approach fosters increased subscriptions, broadens engagement with diverse audiences – particularly younger demographics – and opens doors to new markets.
3. Leverage the Efficiency of Short-Form Ads
Short-form ads excel in being “attentionally efficient,” delivering higher recall and choice uplift within a shorter duration. Studies show that a few seconds of a short-form ad can have a greater impact compared to the same duration of a longer commercial.
Social media feeds and stories on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow various ad lengths. However, given that the average mobile post captures users’ attention for a mere 1.7 seconds, short-form ads have become the logical choice. These ads not only align with users’ viewing habits but also complement the content they’re engaging with.
While there are many different types of content that brands can do, one of the more popular brand content is brand challenge with the option of using their own sounds and filters. According to a social media trend report by HubSpot, 20% of marketers surveyed leveraged branded challenges and 42% said they performed better than expected.
Other content types that brands can explore include influencer ads, product teasers, behind-the-brand or behind-the-scenes videos and, explainer or educational videos.
Even though brands have the option to create custom content for each platform, it can be resource-intensive. Therefore, a ten-second video, designed to fit square, landscape, vertical formats, and front-loading the message, emerges as an efficient and versatile choice suitable for social feeds and stories.
Some metrics that your brand can consider looking at when measuring the success of your campaign are impressions, views, engagement (including shares), reach, video plays and, retention rate.
If you’re looking to see the performance of your videos on TikTok, an average engagement rate per view of a video ranges around 5% to 7%, depending on factors such as the context and content.
One campaign example that leverages on short-form ads is YEO’s X Maximilian Maeder – Dare To Dream.
Short-form videos represent an invaluable asset in a brand’s digital marketing arsenal. However, there may be many more challenges that brands may face when integrating short-form videos to their long-form content strategy, such as having difficulties picking the highlights from long-form videos.
If your brand is facing the challenges that short-form videos impose, contact us today!
