From Long to Short

Short-form videos have actually been around for a long time, even before the presence of social media. Initially, most were just the shortened, edited version of their longer counterpart and were done to immediately showcase the video’s primary highlight. We would normally see these short version clips on T.V. especially on the news or even on entertainment shows which would televise the “funny fails” of average people. Because, unless it's truly meant to be done in long-form, no one wants to watch a full-length video where the most interesting bit makes up for just 5% of the entire recording. In an age where people are always on the move, making someone watch a video like that would simply be a waste of time. 

Exactly why the simple reason behind short-form videos is to get straight to the point. 

Additionally, as technology as well as the internet continue to evolve at a much faster rate, so do the people’s habits of digesting digital information. The quicker we can access contents then the quicker we can comprehend them but also the quicker we would get bored of it in favor of moving onto the next. Let’s face it, with the vast amount of things being uploaded globally everyday, if there’s one daily habit we have developed then that’s taking in as much of the latest info as fast and efficiently as possible. This is how short-form videos turned into merely being the concise version of long videos into an independent visual content form of their own.

Photo by Solen Feyissa

The Rise of Short-Form Videos

As social media took over the lives of millions across the globe, apps like Vine and Musical.ly which primarily catered to short-form videos became popular particularly to the younger generation who took joy in the creation of lip-syncs and comedic contents

. And, for the time being, most short-form videos on social media were just this — bits of youth entertainment. Then the pandemic hit and people all over the world suddenly found themselves being unceremoniously locked up at home with more time to kill than ever before. In light of this boredom that was felt worldwide was a growing need for something, anything, for us to burn all this time at home with. Enter TikTok.

Long story short: the app became a go-to for killing time with its endless stream of short videos and a great pressure reliever for all of us who were either tiredly cooped up at home or stressfully working in the frontlines. An article by the Hollywood Reporter stated, “in March, as most Americans began to shelter at home, TikTok’s global downloads jumped 51 percent year-over-year to 199 million”. On a global scale, a Forbes article wrote, “TikTok was the most downloaded, mobile, non-game app worldwide in January and February [2020]” with over 800 million users worldwide. 

Not too long after, TikTok’s immediate surge in popularity and social media usage across the world made it a new target for professionals and businesses to spread their influences at. Other apps like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube who either already had a form of short-video sharing option (Stories, Reels, Highlights, Shorts) or ended up including one to their platform were also flocked by businesses, among other users, to integrate them within their marketing plans.

If you’re wondering exactly just how these short-form videos can become beneficial to a brand’s marketing scheme then allow us to further explain.

Photo by Obi Onyeador

Benefits of Integrating Short-Form Video Marketing 

1. Ideal for Social Media 

One of the main things digital marketers have to keep in mind when creating content is how they can make it suitable for the online world, especially social media. This is because social media has become mostly everyone’s daily newspaper where they get all the latest information and updates from — it’s one of the easiest ways to spread info on products or services to the general public. 

Which is great for short-form videos as they are the most popular format of digital content on social media nowadays! When properly done, they are thethey can become creative, concise, and quick pieces of effective marketing which suits both the content format catered by most platforms as well as the short attention span of the online community. 

2. Keep Up with the Trends 

Short-form videos are a great way to fuse social media’s most viral trends with your business’s marketing strategies. Doing so can help boost your business to the top especially when it comes to online attention and even relevancy. They’re definitely a marketing format that leave more room for imagination and humor all while promoting something despite their short length! Exactly like this TikTok from McDonald’s where they made use of the trending photo crop challenge to specifically promote their customer-favorite hash brown.

3. Perfect for the Fast-Paced World

We now have access to quicker upload and download speeds which means that, in a span of a day, we’re capable of digesting massive amounts of content and information. But the latter’s issue is that most of us are either turned off by long-form content or we’re on the move 24/7 with not a lot of time to spare for leisure. In this article, it was stated how “58% of viewers will finish watching videos under a minute. But if the video is over 20 minutes, only 24% of them will do that.”

Short-form videos' time-saving conciseness are what make them perfect for both those always on the go and those needing to satiate the desire of viewing more informative content. Businesses can create memorable marketing campaigns with simply this format since they’re brief but straight-to-the-point. Statistics from Stackla actually mention how “68% of people will happily watch a business video if it’s under a minute”.

4. Additional or Alternative FAQs Source 

As it’s easier for many to comprehend audio-visual content then short-form videos can become a great way to answer the most common queries your business gets as well as actively answer to the other less common questions specific people bring up. This is a great way for both fostering and strengthening customer relationships as it proves how your business is truly listening to its audience and cares about officially clarifying things to prevent misinformation.

For example, one of the several Instagram highlights Fenty Beauty has up on their profile is for their Gloss Bomb Heat in which they efficiently mixed static content with short-form video content to give us an all-around explanation regarding the lip product. 

5. Great Way to Share UGCs, Teasers, and Behind-the-Scenes 

Short-form videos provide the perfect template for businesses to share user-generated content (UGCs), behinds, sneak peeks, or even bloopers! Positive testimonials are a sure way to lure in even more customers and reposting your current customers’ short-form videos where your product or service is showcased gives them a voice to somewhat speak on behalf of the brand when it comes to, at least, their genuineness. 

Not to mention, people often have this curiosity to see how a business works behind the finished products or offered services that are often the only ones getting showcased. As respective examples, check out Dunkin’ Donuts’ Instagram Reels which primarily consists of UGCs and this content creator’s TikTok page where she gained popularity by showing people how their favorite Dairy Queen desserts are made.

All this gives your business more transparency when it comes to its internal workings. Utilizing short-form video marketing in this manner can also improve your business’s legitimacy and relevancy especially to potential customers. 

6. Show the More Human-Side of Your Business 

Lastly, short-form videos give your business or brand a chance to become less stiff (a.k.a. too robotic in sound) and rather more natural and relatable — a business that’s really run by people and not bots. This can help increase your overall business appeal to the target audience since one of the aspects people admire the most in a business, as mentioned earlier, is transparency. 

If You Can’t Beat Them Then Join Them! 
As short-form videos are dominating the internet scene for their innovative and concise format in quickly and effectively sharing information, there really is no reason for businesses and brands not to find a way for this to work to their marketing advantage. In fact, if there’s one thing newbie business owners can learn from those businesses or brands that have managed to stand the test of time, it’s all about a willingness to evolve with what’s currently “in” so as to maintain relatability within our ever-changing society.

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Sevensharp Creatives elevates businesses from different industries to a whole new level! Our team offers 360 digital marketing solutions that includes the current online vital social media platforms, website design and development, software development, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, email and SMS marketing, photo and video shoot and more for small, medium, corporate businesses, and public entities. Get your free consultation with us to jumpstart your digital marketing journey! Contact us at +63 917 146 2603 (Viber, Whatsapp) / (02) 7500 9446 (Landline) or email us at hello@sevensharpcreatives.com.