Are you still not using short form videos?

Content marketing is an incredibly useful technique for attracting and engaging customers. By creating content like blogs, e-books, and social media posts, you offer value to customers while sparking their interest in your brand. But written content isn't the only thing you should be using to get customers' attention.



Short-form videos are enjoying a wave of popularity, driven by platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Making and producing these short form videos is a great way for any brand to reach new audiences and expand content marketing efforts.

In this article, we’ll be talking about what short-form videos are, why they’re so important, and some ideas for you to try out on your page.

What is Short-Form Video Content?

Short-form video content is generally between five and 90 seconds long. By contrast, long form content ranges from two minutes to several hours long. Brands typically post short-form videos on social media sites, but they may also include them on their websites or in promotional emails.

Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have popularized shorter videos. Because they’re so popular with users, other platforms like Pinterest and Facebook now also encourage posting short form videos.

The typical length and layout of these videos varies from platform to platform. For example, Instagram Stories can be up to 60 seconds long, while TikTok users can upload videos up to three minutes long. Your content and strategy when creating short form videos will need to align with the standards of each platform.

Why is Short Form Video Content Important?

Even if you’re already posting other types of video content to your social media channels, your content marketing strategy should absolutely include shorter videos as well.

Short form video is perhaps the most popular content type, and it has the highest return on investment of any type of content creation. If lead generation and engaging target audiences are your goals, short-form videos are the best choice. 

One goal of any content marketing strategy is to educate audiences and expose them to your brand offerings. It turns out that a whopping 96% of customers prefer learning about a product or service through short-form videos over text or image content. Some other benefits of posting short-form videos include:

• Boosting engagement on your social media profiles
• Saving time and resources compared to creating long-form videos
• Staying on trend and being more likely to go viral, since short-form videos are highly shareable
• Enhancing brand awareness, especially among younger audiences who prefer platforms for short form videos like TikTok and Instagram
• Creating more memorable marketing materials, since short videos are easier to remember

Marketers often struggle to get consumers to engage with their content from start to finish. With short-form video content, that’s not as much of a problem. Users watch 30% of all short-form videos at least 80% of the way through the runtime.

Short-Form Video Ideas to Add to Your Content Strategy

Now that you have a sense of why short form videos are so important to your content strategy, you'll want to start thinking about the best way to integrate them into your marketing efforts.

You can create videos about almost anything related to your business or industry as long as you can condense the information to less than 90 seconds. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these popular types of short-form videos:

Product/Service Teasers 

Help your followers get to know your products or services with short and sweet teasers. There's no need to go into depth about these products/or services and their benefits in these videos — just give viewers a preview.

If you have any new products coming out or special service options, a quick 15 to 30-second video lets customers know what to expect without overwhelming them. Posting product/service teasers is a quick and cost-effective way to promote your offerings for followers to see.

UGC (User-Generated Content)

User-generated content is getting more and more popular among marketers because it’s an extremely effective marketing tool.

With UGC, regular people who are not affiliated with the business create content about a brand’s products or services.

Typically, brands produce their own social media content or hire a third party to create it for them, but with UGC, the idea is to foster more organic engagement and to build a more personal connection with the people you are looking to target.

Other customers tend to trust videos more when actual users generate them. Ask your followers to share videos of themselves using your products or discussing your brand to reap the benefits of this engaging content. 

Behind-the-Scenes

Social media users love to see behind the scenes and learn more about the businesses they follow. Posting short videos with behind-the-scenes content helps people get to know you as a brand better and feel a connection to the people behind the brand.

Consider a short video inside your production facility or warehouses if you make products. If you provide services, you could post a day-in-the-life video of an employee at your company.

Educational Videos

Sometimes, brands offer products or services that require a little extra explanation. Posting educational videos helps people understand the importance of your services/products and why someone might want to use what you provide. 

For example, share a video showing how to use some of your popular products. Keep it short so you don’t exceed viewers' attention spans. At the end of these videos, include calls to action that tell viewers what to do next if they want to learn more.

How Optimize Can Help

If you're planning to start adding short form video to your content marketing strategy, Optimize can help. We help clients through the process of planning and sharing content, from developing unique ideas to content scheduling and management.

Making your business stand out is what we do best, and perfecting your short form video strategy is key to building your company's online presence. If you would like to learn more about how Optimize can help you improve your business’s content online, schedule your free consultation today.