People today have the attention span of gnats. The use of short videos in content marketing allows you to give your audience what they want while also effectively conveying your message.
If you are going to produce videos they need to be short, digestible, and preferably under 3 minutes.
But is long-form content completely dead? Not entirely. It still has a place in blogging, product marketing, and education. But for argument’s sake let’s assume you have written a fantastic blog post about a specific website feature or product. Even if a segment of your audience is intrigued by the article’s content, they may not read it completely. This can be caused by a variety of factors not completely due to your content.
The fact is your carefully crafted content may not be reaching a portion of your intended audience. If you summarize the same article into a short video, the viewer is more likely to stay engaged.
Short Video Defined
Short video content is usually under 60 seconds. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Snapchat made short videos popular. People enjoy its pace and emotion. It’s easy to distribute and the content is addictive due to its short length.
Humans have always liked short films without cuts, and as technology advances, options expand. Short videos also take less time and resources to create than long-form content.
Across industries, top brands have embraced short, easy-to-make social media content while gradually phasing out long-form content with high production values.
Where Should You Post Short Videos?
Short videos have become a visual marketing trend that has captivated all major social media platforms in recent years. The ability to create and share short videos is available on almost every social media platform. Some platforms are easier to set up than others, and some will give you more exposure to your target market.
Understanding your target audience demographics is of key importance before you start using short video platforms. E.g. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts spawned from their mature parent platforms, thus they attract an older audience.
Here is a quick guide to the most popular platforms.
#1: TikTok
TikTok has swept the globe since its debut in 2016. This social media sensation allows users to create and share short videos up to ten minutes long. TikTok has more than 2 billion downloads, outpacing Facebook and Twitter.
The platform’s new features have enticed more businesses to promote their goods. Despite the explosion of brand presence on TikTok, there is still room for brands to gain market share. Joining the platform now allows your company to be an early adopter of a tool that drives insane organic engagement and impressions.
#2: Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels allows the sharing of short, memorable videos. Unlike Instagram Stories, Reels do not expire. While Instagram Stories are the original short-video format on Instagram, Reels offer far more functionality and opportunity for users.
Since its inception, the format has gained popularity due to its ability to drive massive amounts of organic traffic. Big brands use Reels, so why can’t you?
Instagram Reels are a great content option for brands because they are addictive. Creating visually inspiring content that is relevant can boost your traffic. Instagram’s platform maturity makes it one of the best social media platforms for video marketing.
Instagram not only has a larger user base than its competitors, but it also has tons of tools to help you create and publish content on the platform. TikTok is the newbie on the block, but it doesn’t offer the breadth of marketing tools that make posting and promoting easier.
So, is Reels like TikTok? Kinda. Reels are usually much shorter, but does it matter for content that is already brief? Doubtful.
The platforms themselves differentiate TikTok and Instagram Reels. Instagram content needs to be visually appealing on your grid. However, TikTok is more tolerant of the wild and crazy and allows you to explore content that wouldn’t work on Instagram.
To be successful on both platforms, you need separate strategies.
#3: YouTube Shorts
YouTube is the most popular video platform. No other platform can compare. YouTube has 1.9 billion users, more than twice the number of Facebook. It is the world’s second-largest search engine. Almost half of all internet traffic is generated by this video platform. Although Facebook has nearly three times the number of users, its engagement rate is a fraction of YouTube’s daily watch time of 100 minutes.
YouTube shorts surpassed 6.5 billion daily views just months after their launch in India in September 2020. YouTube Shorts also has an advantage over Instagram and TikTok, which cater to a younger demographic. YouTube is used by people of all ages, countries, industries, and niches. With YouTube Shorts, your brand can reach a broader audience.
For example, a B2B brand may struggle on TikTok but may succeed on Shorts with professionals seeking industry-related content. Similarly, if you want to target older audiences (Gen X), YouTube is a better option than TikTok or Instagram.
#4: Snapchat Spotlight
Because it’s viewed as a media-sharing app where you text with friends, it’s easy to underestimate Snapchat’s video marketing strategy power. Like TikTok, Snapchat has a
“Spotlight ” feature where popular videos are curated and featured in a dedicated tab.
You can set it up to pull in users who have posted videos about a brand or an event. You can then decide whether or not to re-post the video to your story, based on your audience’s interest.
Snapchat’s user base allows brands to do highly targeted promotions, allowing them to reach people they wouldn’t otherwise reach.
How Can Short Videos Help Businesses?
Because platforms compete for short video content, organic impressions and engagement are skyrocketing for those who post it. Brands can use this to increase traffic and sales.
Let’s look at some ways to increase your business’s traffic and sales with short videos.
1. Hire Influencers To Make Short Videos
Hiring influencers to promote your brand has many advantages. People are visual learners, and video allows for powerful communication.
Influencers allow you to humanize your brand, which is important because people trust people more than brands.
Things to remember when using influencers:
- They should make informative videos to promote your product. Natural, non-promotional content is preferred.
- Permission to redistribute content from influencers should be granted. This may cost a little extra, but it’s worth it.
- You should be able to track the influencer content’s ROI in terms of sales, website visits, signups, and more.
- Provide them with an influencer campaign brief so that they are aware of the campaign’s objectives.
- The videos should combine your brand’s and the influencer’s identities.
If you have trouble finding the right influencer for your brand, you can use an influencer marketplace to speed up the process.
2. Use Short Video Ads
Using short videos for your ads is a great way to increase website traffic. Paying for traffic has many advantages, and video is excellent at grabbing users’ attention.
Unlike static photos, short videos have a better chance of being viewed. Using a catchy hook, a clear message and the right short video ad format can help.
Short video ad formats include skippable, interactive, and in-stream. Choosing the right video ad format for your business will help you create an effective video ad, track its effectiveness, and convert viewers into customers.
Today, natural content seems to work best, so don’t oversell. Instead, let the product sell itself by highlighting its most valuable features. Keep your ad interesting to your target audience and relevant to your business.
Captions and fast cuts are two great ways to keep the viewer’s attention and watch the whole ad. Luckily, there are plenty of online ad makers for those who don’t know how to use (or don’t want to use) traditional video editing software.
Short video ads can help you gain more organic traffic and improve your ROI. Using video ads can increase your click-through rate (CTR) getting your targets directly to the pages on your website.
3. Have Your Customers Make Short Videos
Asking your customers to create short video testimonials for your product is perhaps the most powerful tool you have to achieve your video marketing goals. Customers can easily create testimonials by using a video recording device and sending the footage to you.
Customers are willing to pay up to 30% more for a product after reading positive reviews, according to MarketingSherpa.
Another study found that customers were willing to spend 43% more after hearing positive reviews. The power of video testimonials to get customers to speak for you. Customers trust word-of-mouth referrals 94% and local businesses with reviews 92%.
A recent study found that customers trust reviews from strangers as much as friends. The most important benefit of video testimonials is trust and credibility.
4. Include Product And Testimonial Videos On Your Website
Adding your short videos to your website is an essential video marketing strategy.
Customers who visit your website have a million questions about your products. With a TikTok video, you can easily answer most questions or objections in under 60 seconds.
The TikTok or Instagram Reel format works well because consumers are familiar with it from browsing content on those social media platforms. This type of content on your website is familiar to most users.
Use explainer videos on your homepage to educate customers without having to navigate through your website. Make it simple for potential customers to learn about your product.
With objections and conversion rates in mind, short video content can be added to your website. Even a short video on your “about us” page can help build trust.
5. Share Your Short Videos On All Social Media Platforms
It doesn’t make sense to make content and then do nothing with it. The ROI of your video marketing program will go up if you reuse content.
Not re-distributing your short videos is wasteful. It’s like buying an expensive car and leaving it in the garage. It’s important to repurpose content.
TikTok videos can be posted on YouTube and Instagram Reels if the original is downloaded. Cut it up and use it as an ad creative. Always look for new uses for your short video content.
Final Thoughts
On social media, the use of short videos is an excellent way to boost traffic, engagement, and potential sales regardless of your business targets. Even potential B2B buyers are human and take breaks watching videos. Why can’t it be yours?
There is no one way to use short videos to increase traffic to your website. By constantly iterating and introducing new strategies, you can make this an effective channel for your business.