How Short-Form Video Content Can Enhance Your Digital Strategy
It’s a no brainer that nowadays, videos dominate the online space, heck, our daily lives. Whether we’re watching a friend’s story, our favourite YouTuber, a cooking recipe guide or just funny cat videos, it’s evident that watching them has become an integral part of our routine.
That’s why marketers take advantage of this form of content when advertising a product or service. So much actually that a study by Animoto in 2020 said that 96% of marketers placed their ad spend on video creatives.
But that’s not our topic for this post, we’re going to talk about how Short-Form Video Content affects the way your digital strategies get structured and how it’s on an exponential incline towards a higher profitability ratio.
How “Short” Is A Short-Form Video?
To tell you the truth, there is not one specific length that can concretely define a short-form video. But marketers generally agree that any video under 3 minutes is considered short.
However, because of how attention-driven our world is today, some would even say that videos should only be under a minute. Our world has never been this fast-paced before and everyone is adjusting without even realising it. That’s why it’s imperative to make videos as short as possible because people have “more important things to do”.
Quick fact!
Did you know that the average attention span of a human today is only 8 seconds?
Compared to a goldfish which has a 9-second attention span.
How Short-Form Video Content Can Affect Your Marketing Strategy
The very essence of creating short videos is to make them “snackable”. Due to our ever-diminishing attention span, every second faster a video ends makes it more appealing to the audience. In fact, a 2020 study by Colormatics stated that 66% of video ads are now less than 30 seconds
Complimentary to this fact, consumers have acquired the habit of “binge-watching”, which basically means that they watch video after video non-stop.
According to Statista, binge-watchers have spent an average of 53 minutes per session on Instagram Reels and 45 minutes on Tiktok. The maximum length for one Reel is 1 minute and 15 seconds on Tiktok videos. This means that, typically, viewers of reel watch 45 videos and viewers of Tiktok watch a massive 180 videos per session.
And before you say anything, no, Tiktok is not dominated by teenagers. Another Statista analysis found that only 47.4% of its user base are from ages 10-29. Meaning that there is still a lot of potential for profitable marketing on this platform.
Moving forward, running short-form video content can greatly enhance your goal’s positive margins. By utilising the psychological information of a human’s attention span, you can create videos that are congruent with the “busy life” of today’s consumers.
The Key Components Of An Effective Short-Form Video
Great! Now we know that Short-Form videos are helpful in attaining better digital marketing results. The next question now is, how do you start making one?
While it may seem counterintuitive at first, creating a short-form video takes more effort than creating a long-form one. But not in the way that you think. Short-form needs to be concise but at the same time, substantial. And it takes multiple cuts and edits in order for it to be considered “snackable”.
Marketers often make the mistake of putting everything in their video to attract a wider audience, but that’s not always the case. Remember, people are easily bored. That’s why it’s important to stick to 1-2 of your product/service’s best benefits and capitalise on that.
That being said, there are 4 key components that you should always have when creating a short-form video. And it’s the one most marketers use for their copies and creatives called A.I.D.A.
For those who are not aware of the term. It is the most popular strategy used by marketers whether they’re on the digital or traditional platform.
A.I.D.A. stands for…
As a sidenote, Contevo uses this strategy when creating engaging videos for its clients, but on a much larger, A/B testing scale.
AIDA makes sense from the psychological standpoint of a human’s buying decision. Something caught your attention, you dive deep into researching it, you get the desire to have it, and you eventually, purchase the product or avail the service.
So with this in mind, the first part of your video has to be surprising, whether it’s in the form of visuals or sounds.
Next is to pique their interest with the benefits your product or service offers.
Then after showering them with benefits (not features), they begin to desire the product.
But that does not mean they’re going to purchase just yet. A powerful short-form video always comes with a call to action. So at the very end, include a decisive to click on a link, go to a website or learn more about the product.
This is how short-form video content is made. And all this could come from a 10-second ad. As long as every section of A.I.D.A. is met, you’re sure to entice some people to click.
When To Use Short-Form Video Content
Although it’s a great tool for increasing website visitors and conversion rates, short-form video content should not be exclusively used for marketing a brand. Long-form videos can be just as useful but in a different aspect.
If your goal is to promote a product or service and sell it quickly, then short-form is the way to go. Use this type of video for cold audiences as these people have no clue nor interest in a 20-minute video of a brand they know nothing about.
Short-form videos are great for:
1. Instagram Reels
2. Facebook Ads
3. Youtube Ads
4. Tiktok Ads
5. Snapchat Ads
6. LinkedIn Ads
Long-form videos are better suited for the eyes of your recurring customers. This type of video works best for warm to hot audiences. Those who already know your brand and still, wants to know more.
Long-form videos are great for:
1. Explaining a product or service in detail
2. Encouraging existing customers to purchase again
3. Establishing credibility as a brand
4. Engaging your existing audience
Final Thoughts
Short-Form Video Content is on the rise as both a form of consumption media and a consumer marketing tool. For the past years, 5-second to 2-minute long videos have dominated social platforms with their snackable content and enjoyable nature.
As marketers are beginning to harness this power, businesses have boomed their profit margin from taking advantage of the trend that’s not about to die soon.
To fully utilise the potential of short-form video content, brands should place them in strategic locations for specific purposes. A short-form video works extremely well for cold audiences as their attention span is satiated with a quick and exciting form of content.
Work with A Trusted Digital Agency Today
Contevo is an Australian-made digital agency that’s been catering to local businesses for the past 15 years. Since then, we’ve helped SME’s turn from Seeds to IPOs and large entities like Disney, Goodyear and Youi Insurance establish their online presence.
