Winning Methods For Your Short-Form Content Videos
Short-form content videos are no longer the wave of the future — they’re becoming the norm. There’s no social channel valued over an inconceivable amount of money that’s not propagating and exploiting short-form content. Even the “BeReal” social channel is now being copied for its audience’s pull towards [perceived] authentic content and lack of profiteering. Yes, humanity is that gross.
But how do you ensure that your short-form content video captures attention? In this article, we will discuss winning methods for your short-form content videos. I'll explore strategies that can help you capture viewers' attention and keep them engaged with your video. I also have some tips on what to avoid when creating a short-form content video, so you know to stay away from common pitfalls. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced content creator, read on to find out how to make sure your short-form content videos stand out! Queue music, and let’s light this f-ing candle. That was not short-form ironically.
What is short-form content?
Short-form content videos are videos that are typically under one minute in length. These types of videos are usually used to promote a product or service or to deliver a quick message. Short-form content videos can be very effective in getting your point across quickly and concisely.
While not all short-form videos are the same (at all), in this day and age of iPhone videography, they also share an array of common characteristics.
They're vertical in orientation: this still blows my mind that we all readily adopted this as default — yeah, I get it, I’m old…
Jump cuts: are a way to edit videos so that they appear to jump from one scene to another, without any intervening footage. This can give the videos a choppy or fast-paced look.
Creative camera tricks: videographers often push the boundaries of smaller, lighter equipment to get impossible angles, swipes, and camera effects.
Music: Most short-form videos hi-jack unwarranted praise for pulling in licensed music clips that the media channels [supposedly] pay for. Who am I, their mother?
Hot people: I can candy-coat this point, but why? Call it what it is, hot, provocative fashion and innuendo-fraught body language are typical. If you are selling medical equipment or machine guns, maybe not, or perhaps it’s your best move. Who am I, their mother?
Titles: titles are often used in TikTok videos to introduce the clip or provide additional information about the content.
Basic effects: filters and funky transitions are also commonly used in these videos.
The benefits of short-form content for digital marketing
As we all know, digital marketing is constantly evolving. What worked yesterday may not work today, which is why it's so important to stay on top of the latest trends. One trend that seems to be here to stay is short-form content. There are a number of benefits to creating short-form content for your digital marketing efforts, including:
It's more digestible: In today's attention-span-challenged world, it's important to create content that can be easily consumed. Short-form content is the perfect solution as it can be quickly consumed and understood.
It’s easier to create/test: When you create these videos, unlike a formal “for broadcast” or film shoot, it’s relatively quick and easy to make variations for testing and varying channel/audience types.
It's shareable: We all know that social media is a powerful tool for promoting your brand and driving traffic to your website. Short-form content is highly shareable, which means it has the potential to reach a larger audience than other types of content.
It's versatile: Short-form content can be used in a number of ways, such as on your website, in email marketing campaigns, and on social media. This makes it a very versatile tool that can be used to achieve a variety of marketing goals.
It's cost-effective: Creating high-quality video content can be costly, but with short-form content, you can get great results without breaking the bank.
It’s interactive: In many cases, you can hyperlink your videos with buttons and “swipes”, add close-captioning, overlay the videos with animated gifs, and more. Video purists think it’s a nightmare, which I can appreciate, but we must learn from history and change with the times.
A cheatsheet punch list to make sure your short form is a winner
To ensure your short-form content videos are winners, follow this cheat sheet punch list:
Keep it short and sweet: keep your videos under 2 minutes for optimal engagement.
Keep it focused: Your video should be laser-focused on a single topic or task. Trying to cover too much ground will only confuse your viewers and turn them off.
Make it visually appealing: use high-quality visuals and graphics to make your video pop.
Use an engaging voiceover: use a voiceover artist that can keep viewers engaged throughout the video.
Write a compelling script: craft a script that is interesting and informative, without being too long-winded. And for the love of stupid people everywhere please run it by some people outside of your inner circle to ensure that it’s easy to understand and you’re not unintentionally telling someone from another country that their mother’s promiscuous.
Choose a catchy title: choose a title that accurately reflects the content of your video, but also catches viewers' attention.
Design to be serialized: Craft your content in such a way that (if it’s well-received) you can replicate the success of the content by making it part of a larger set of content.
Make it engaging: People are more likely to watch and enjoy your video if it is entertaining and engaging. Use humor, stories, or whatever else you can think of to keep your viewers engaged from start to finish
Pick your persona: Create content as specific to your key consumer as possible.
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN LIFE: Buy a lav’ mic or get your audio to sound great. Bad audio = crap content.
Hyper-niche aUDIENCES
If you have a hyper-niche audience, then you need to create hyper-niche short-form content for them. This content should be specific to their interests and needs, and it should be delivered in a format that they will appreciate.
One great way to reach your hyper-niche audience is through short-form video content. This can be anything from a quick tips video to a more in-depth tutorial. Whatever you choose to create, make sure it is relevant to your audience and that it provides value.
“HOLY SHIT IDNKT!!!” content
Providing value is a moving target that many contact readers do not understand. Often, contact creators and educational designers. That value will stem from translating standard resource videos into short-form contact. Boooooooring! That's exactly what resource videos are, a resource, but they're not entertaining, nor will they gain traction the way that you intend your content marketing should. You want the “Holy Shit, I Did Not Know That!” moment when you discover a nugget of interest or cool that will allow you to be in the know.
For example, did you know (DYK) that if you ask, “Hey Siri, take a selfie,” iOS16 will open your iPhone, open the camera app, flip it to the user-facing (back) camera, and await for you to hit the button and make a ‘duck face.’
I didn’t previously know
Quick-to-learn/replicate
Useful in your life/profession
This, my friends, is the golden trinity of content.
What type of short-form content is best for your brand?
There are a few factors to consider when determining what type of short-form content is best for your brand. The first is the overall tone and style of your brand. If you have a fun, lighthearted brand, choosing a more serious or educational approach for your short-form content might not be the best fit. Conversely, if your brand is more serious or staid, incorporating levity and humor into your videos could help them stand out and better engage with viewers.
Another important factor is what content will best resonate with your target audience. If you're targeting millennials, for example, shorter videos that are heavy on Social Media integration are likely to perform well. On the other hand, if you're targeting an older demographic, longer-form videos that focus on product features or industry news may be more successful.
Finally, you'll need to think about what format will work best for the type of content you want to create. If you're looking to create quick, attention-grabbing videos, animation or GIFs may be your best bet. For instructional or explanatory videos, screencasts or live footage may be more effective. And for interviews or customer testimonials, traditional talking head videos are usually the way to go.
By taking all of these factors into account, you can ensure that the short-form content you create is the right fit for your brand and audience, and stands a better chance of achieving your desired results.
How to measure the success of your short-form content
There are a number of metrics you can use to measure the success of your short-form content videos. Perhaps the most important metric is view count. How many people have viewed your video? This number gives you an idea of how popular your video is and how well it performs. Other important metrics include:
Engagement: How long are viewers watching your video? Are they watching the whole thing, or do they drop off after a few seconds?
Shares: Are people sharing your video with their friends and followers? This is a great way to gauge the reach of your video.
Virality: This is a phenomenon that spreads rapidly through communication, especially on the internet: We're looking for ways to make our web content more viral. Also, if you're a marketing professional working with an agency and you add “make it go viral” to the creative brief, we will loath your very existence.
Comments and likes: What are people saying about your video? Are they leaving positive or negative comments? Do they like it? This feedback can be valuable in improving future videos.
Completion rate: How long did a user watch your video? 10, 20, 50, 100% of the way through? This matters and can give you clues why your video is working or when it begins to fail.
Conversion: In the case of the short-form videos we’re discussing, social shopping integrations, and actionable conversion triggers are truly the pinnacle of success metrics.
Conclusion
Short-form content videos are an excellent way to get your message out quickly and effectively. With the right approach, you can create powerful videos that will engage your audience and drive them to take action. By following our one winning method outlined here today, you should be well on your way to creating short-form content videos that convert viewers into customers or subscribers. And remember test, retest, then rinse and repeat.