What is Short Form Video and Why Should We Care?
There’s a good chance that you have consumed a piece of short form video content within the past 24 hours. If not, then someone you know has. It’s no secret that video has become a crucial part of a business’s strategy. With apps like TikTok surging in popularity, short form video has become increasingly popular on just about every social platform.
But why should we care about it?
There is a huge wave of opportunity right now with short-form content. All social media platforms are competing for attention, and right now the attention is on short-form content. On Facebook and Instagram they call them Reels. On YouTube, they call them Shorts and TikTok calls them TikToks. It's never been easier to share your short form videos across all platforms.
Utilizing short form video on social media is the best way to gain reach and grow your brand awareness. We have seen short form video content get over a million views for our clients and at the time of writing this, one client has gained almost 40,000 followers on Instagram from just one reel that’s gotten 919,000 views.
But I’m not a good dancer.
Short form videos aren't just the trendy songs and goofy dances I’m sure you have seen. It’s a great way to share quick bits of value to your audience. They allow for you to get in front of your audience on a consistent basis and stay top of mind with them.
So how do we succeed with short form videos and micro-content?
Take time to share valuable information that lets your audience feel like they got something from watching. DO NOT constantly post about your business or your sales/promotions. This is the fastest way to get people to keep scrolling. Always ask yourself “Why would someone watch this?” or “What does the viewer stand to get from watching?” before you start to plan out your content.
Answer commonly asked questions in your industry or dispel common myths you hear often. Give people tips that can improve their lives REGARDLESS if they are a client of yours. Be a beacon of knowledge and insight for your industry and solidify yourself as the expert in your area.
It’s all about consistency!
A key to seeing success with short form content is to be consistent. It’s not enough to post once or twice a week. Businesses should be posting at least once a day on multiple social media platforms. You don’t have to meet this “new normal” but you should do your best to post as much as you can. It takes consistency over time to see traction. It takes time for the algorithms to learn that your profile is putting out quality content that keeps users on their app. It also takes time for your audience to associate you with consistent, helpful content. And it takes time for people who don’t follow you to trust you enough to follow you.
Short form video is not a quick road to sales. Sometimes it is, but more often than not, it takes a while to convince someone to buy from you on social media. We recently signed a client who said they have been following us on Instagram. I asked him how long he had been following us and he said 1 year. It takes time to forge true trust with people. Your focus shouldn’t be on converting customers right away (even though it’s great when it happens) but rather on building valuable social profiles that people know they can come to to get information so that when they do become in need of your product or service, you’re the first one they think of.
This is your sign to start creating high-quality, consistent short form video content. Don’t get caught up in worrying about views and followers. Focus on creating social profiles you are proud to proactively tell people to visit for valuable information. Profiles that nurture the relationship with your potential customers and solidifies you as the expert.
If you know you need to do this, but don’t want to take the time to learn equipment/editing, don’t know what to say or how to create effective short form videos, or don’t have the time, contact us and we’d be happy to talk about how we can do all the heavy lifting for you.