On the threat of stating the plain: Quick-form video is a giant deal. Who hasn’t been scrolling by means of TikTok or Instagram Reels solely to comprehend they’ve misplaced an hour?
The quick development of TikTok has influenced practically each different social media platform to turn out to be short-form video platforms themselves. And this shift is placing stress on social media practitioners to placed on their film director hats. In response to the Sprout Social Content material Benchmarks report, 52% of entrepreneurs cite altering content material codecs as a problem when planning and scheduling posts.
The excellent news? The short-form video format is right here to remain, and value investing in for the long run.
On this article, we’ll provide you with a number of suggestions for a profitable short-form video technique, that includes experience from magnificence big Glossier. However first, let’s get into a couple of highlights about short-form video, and methods you may get buy-in.
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Why short-form video is price utilizing (and learn how to safe buy-in)
Whether or not you like short-form video however want buy-in, otherwise you nonetheless want some convincing, we’ve acquired you coated.
Whereas there’s no official size reduce off for short-form movies, they’re usually thought-about to be movies between three seconds and one minute in size. This bite-sized content material can supercharge your social technique and model consciousness. And it’s properly inside your attain to start out utilizing it in your video advertising technique.
Listed here are a couple of stand-out use circumstances for short-form video to persuade you, or your management workforce, that this format is well worth the funding.
Quick-form video statistics communicate for themselves
The info behind short-form video doesn’t lie—it’s a winner.
Listed here are a couple of stats that show the worth of short-form video:
- Shoppers discover quick type video to be 2.5x extra partaking than long-form video (The Sprout Social Index™).
- TikTok, a short-form video platform, is essentially the most partaking social platform by engagement price (Socialinsider).
- 55% of TikTok customers purchased one thing after seeing the model on the app.
- Reels account for nearly 20% of the time individuals spend on Instagram.
- Actually, on Instagram Reels have the very best attain of all media varieties on the platform.
- In 2022, Instagram Reels had a median engagement price that was at the least double that of different submit varieties (Socialinsider).
- As of June 2022, YouTube Shorts topped 5 billion month-to-month energetic customers.
It’s the preferred content material format
Put merely: Folks like short-form video. In response to The Sprout Social Index 66% of shoppers say short-form video is essentially the most partaking sort of social content material in 2022.
Give it some thought: It’s straightforward to binge, straightforward to share with pals and it’s entertaining.
Seize your viewers’s consideration with the content material format they already love.
It’s straightforward to make and repurpose
Developing with a short-form video technique requires work, however producing video content material shouldn’t be as onerous because it was once.
And that’s made a distinction. In response to Wyzowl, 41% of entrepreneurs who used video as a advertising instrument for the primary time in 2022 did so as a result of creating video in-house has gotten simpler.
Because of social platforms like Instagram and YouTube providing their very own short-form video feeds, this content material has turn out to be simpler to repurpose throughout platforms—which saves you time and vitality.
Quick-form video helps you attain extra individuals organically
At present, the digital area is pay-to-play, whereas the financial system is forcing groups to tighten budgets.
Not precisely a dream mixture.
That is the place short-form video is a secret superpower for rising attain with out rising spend. It is sensible: this format’s recognition already makes it extra clickable and shareable. And people stacked engagements imply that social algorithms will discover, and push, your content material.
show ROI of short-form video
Proving the ROI of short-form video will show you how to get buy-in out of your management workforce and acquire their belief. And that, in flip, may also help keep away from prolonged approval occasions and lacking developments.
In response to Wyzowl, 63% of video entrepreneurs use video views as one in every of their metrics to measure ROI. However your video metrics will rely in your overarching social targets and platforms you employ.
Listed here are a couple of to get you began:
- Video views
- Common watch time, or view length
- Full video views vs partial (can also be referred to as “watched full video”)
- Likes/dislikes
- Card clicks (YouTube-specific)
- Hyperlink clicks (for Instagram Tales)
- Engagements
To hurry up approval processes, Sprout’s Senior Social Media Supervisor Olivia Jepson, advises: “Construct belief. Ask what groups and leaders want to offer you so that you might be extra self-sufficient. Use information to again up why inside evaluations must be sooner and why it’s higher to be nimble vs. being slowed down by approval processes and too many inputs.”
Utilizing a instrument streamlines this course of so you’ll be able to show ROI throughout platforms, with one hub. For instance, Sprout’s Analytics and Reporting suite compiles high-impact video stats for all your channels.
One of the best short-form video platforms to make use of
In an try to sustain with TikTok’s meteoric rise and success, many platforms have created their very own vertical, short-form video instruments and feeds.
Maintaining with these modifications generally is a chore, so right here’s a shortlist of the preferred short-form video platforms to prioritize and the best video size for every:
- TikTok: You’ll be able to’t speak about short-form video with out speaking about TikTok. Having surpassed one billion month-to-month energetic customers, the platform continues to deserve consideration. On TikTok, movies might be as quick as a couple of seconds, and so long as 10 minutes.
- Instagram Reels: Whereas Instagram isn’t prioritizing Reels as a lot as in 2022, they’re nonetheless a strong attain instrument. Reels might be from 15 seconds to 90 seconds lengthy (learn extra about how Instagram Reels examine to TikTok).
- Instagram Tales: This ephemeral content material disappears in 24 hours, so it’s short-lived (except you save them in Instagram highlights.) However with 50% of ‘gram customers visiting a web site after seeing a services or products in Tales, they’re price utilizing for promos, or to direct individuals to newly posted Reels. Particular person Tales might be as much as a minute lengthy, however you’ll be able to string a number of Tales collectively.
- Fb Tales: Fb Tales are similar to Instagram Tales. And with over half 1,000,000 day by day customers, they may very well be a beneficial useful resource for model consciousness.
- YouTube Shorts: Since launching in 2021, YouTube Shorts formally surpassed 50 billion day by day views. Shorts might be as much as 60 seconds lengthy.
8 methods to get extra out of your short-form video technique
Whether or not you’re tackling short-form video for the primary time or upping your output, it pays to have a technique. To assist, we introduced in some steering from the workforce at Glossier.
Listed here are 8 methods to get extra out of your short-form video technique, plus tips about how Sprout may also help.
1. Begin by doing all your analysis
Take a look at how your opponents are utilizing short-form video. How usually do they use video (if in any respect)? What’s their tone? How do they deal with developments, and what gaps have they left? Use this data to face out in your trade.
A instrument like Sprout turns weeks of guide evaluation into a couple of minutes’ work. Sprout’s Aggressive Evaluation Studies slim down how usually opponents submit movies, their top-performing posts and engagements throughout Instagram, Twitter and Fb—no scrolling or spreadsheets required.
But it surely’s not simply in regards to the competitors: Take a look at the info behind movies you’ve posted, too. Realizing which movies have carried out properly for you prior to now may also help information your future technique.
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment
To search out the themes, developments and tone that be just right for you, it’s important to experiment rather a lot—as an example, by making an attempt completely different Instagram Reel concepts and TikTok developments.
Even social media giants had a studying curve once they shifted to short-form video. Jamie Dinar, Senior Supervisor of Social Media and Digital for Glossier, remembered that “It was lots of testing and studying, and lots of time scrolling by means of my very own For You Feed.”
Jamie Dinar
Senior Supervisor of Social Media and Digital at Glossier
Almost half 1,000,000 followers and over eight million video likes later, Jamie discovered Glossier’s TikTok id. But it surely took experimentation. That is one in every of their first movies on the platform vs. a more moderen one.
To copy Glossier’s success, get inventive and check varied video content material concepts. Suppose: behind the scenes content material, FAQ solutions, how-tos, product hacks, user-generated content material, trend-based movies and academic movies.
When you’ve revealed a wide range of short-form movies, have a look at your information. Which drove the very best engagement? Essentially the most views?
Degree up through the use of a instrument like Sprout’s submit and channel efficiency experiences to check your movies’ efficiency side-by-side, throughout channels—and to see if short-form video is having a optimistic impression in your channel development.
3. Schedule your movies
Making short-form movies could also be simpler these days, however social groups are nonetheless stretched skinny—in reality, bandwidth is one in every of their prime challenges (The Sprout Social Index).
Many social platforms have rolled out their very own scheduling instruments. However that also requires you to go from platform to platform to schedule posts.
That’s all wasted time you may get again through the use of the suitable instrument. With Sprout, you’ll be able to schedule a video to publish on completely different platforms, like TikTok and Instagram Reels, on the identical time.
4. Reuse movies throughout platforms
With practically each social platform rolling out their very own short-form video instruments and capabilities, repurposing has gotten simpler—so that you get a number of posts for the effort and time of 1.
You’ll be able to even begin doing this now: Repurpose longer movies you presently should get the ball rolling, with out ranging from scratch. For instance, here’s a YouTube clip our workforce become an Instagram Reel.
And professional tip: pre-made video templates are a useful technique to streamline your course of. Merely plug your movies right into a template, and the remaining is finished for you.
On TikTok, discover template choices by tapping the plus signal on the backside of the display screen. When the editor opens, faucet “templates” on the backside of the display screen.
And on Instagram Reels, you’ll be able to flip any Reel with three clips or extra right into a template—together with your individual, when you begin publishing movies. Merely discover a Reel you want, faucet the three dots on the backside proper of the display screen and faucet “Use as template.”
Or, faucet the plus signal to create a submit, faucet Reel and faucet Templates on the backside of the display screen to decide on one you want.
5. Discover the suitable content material combine
Experimenting with various kinds of content material to search out what works is the first step.
Step two is taking the content material buckets you recognized and deciding how usually to submit every sort.
Jamie from Glossier shared a tip she heard straight from the TikTok platform reps—the 80/20 rule. For Glossier’s TikTok channel, which means making 20% of their movies trend-based, and 80% unique programming.
Leaning on trend-based content material was nice for constructing a following, however as their channel grew Jamie wanted a technique to stand aside.
“We acknowledged that we would have liked to construct an id on the platform and provides individuals a cause to come back to our channel over all of the others posting the identical developments. That’s once we began constructing a technique based mostly on product hacks, Glossier associates and behind-the-scenes content material.”
Utilizing developments continues to be an necessary piece of Glossier’s TikTok technique. However emphasizing unique and community-first content material has given their short-form video content material an id—on TikTok and past.
6. Lean into your group
Good social content material is created along with your model’s group in thoughts.
Look to your group for user-generated content material to re-post by yourself channels, and to encourage extra movies. In any case, 39% of shoppers wish to see actual buyer testimonials or demos (The Sprout Social Index). Faucet your group for this content material, and create a relationship with them as you do.
Jamie Dinar
Senior Supervisor of Social Media and Digital at Glossier
That is how Glossier’s “Dew it Your self” sequence got here to be. “What makes this sequence so particular is that it was spurred organically from our group—it was one thing they had been already posting about,” Jamie tells us. “So it was an excellent alternative to construct on it and make it our personal.”
She continued, “We tried to reframe the dialog round magnificence, providing our platform to the individuals utilizing our merchandise to inform their tales, quite than having it come from the model. In the end, we didn’t wish to inform them learn how to use their merchandise—it was their story to inform.”
7. Leverage content material that humanizes your model
From embracing lo-fi authenticity to that includes actual workers, short-form video is a strong instrument for humanizing your model.
A method Glossier does this of their TikTok and Reels content material is by that includes workers and their HQ. As Jamie instructed us, “Now we have a meet the workforce sequence the place we ask our retailer associates, who we name editors, to say their title and share their favourite Glossier product, which has been actually helpful in reinforcing product discovery.”
One other approach they do that is by leaning into humor. “Typically we’ll do foolish dances if it is sensible. We’ll quiz individuals in line throughout our retailer openings.”
Glossier has even humanized promotional content material: “If we’re working a bigger marketing campaign, we’d present bloopers from set, or behind-the-scenes footage like merchandise being made within the manufacturing unit.”
8. Interact, have interaction, have interaction
It’s referred to as “social” media for a cause—double down on engagement within the feedback part of your short-form movies.
Glossier is thought for going above and past to create relationships with their viewers. As Jamie put it, “We actually stood out through the use of social as a instrument for two-way communication and to domesticate a group by responding to feedback and DMs, and interesting with our viewers in a very genuine, human approach.”
A method the model stands out is through the use of a shock and delight technique with on a regular basis customers who submit about Glossier—not solely mega-influencers. “We ship them merchandise, we submit friends-only content material, we talk with them straight in DMs,” Jamie instructed us. “In return, we see them submit much more with out us asking for it. It’s an incredible alternative to construct model loyalty.”
And model loyalty issues. In response to Sprout’s #BrandsGetReal Report, 68% of shoppers say who really feel extra linked to a model usually tend to purchase from them vs. a competitor.
Use short-form video to construct a long-term technique
Platforms could come and go (RIP, Vine), and codecs could shift, however short-form video is presently right here to remain.
Investing on this format is price it for the long term. So scroll by means of your feed (it’s analysis—not procrastination). Get impressed. Construct your case. And rating buy-in. Your management workforce and model will thanks—even when they don’t realize it but.
With a extra strong video technique comes the necessity for a extra strong social media administration system. Think about this your cue to attempt Sprout totally free for 30-days and see what we will do on your short-form video technique, workforce bandwidth and past.
