The digital landscape is a battlefield for attention; new trends evolve daily to engage audiences. With ever-shrinking attention spans, brands must cut through the clutter faster and come to the competition more creatively than ever before to beat others and stay ahead of the target audience‘s mind. The trend that gives unbeatable results with the best engagement and reach is short-form videos.
What are Short-Form Videos?
Short-form videos are visual content pieces that typically last around ten seconds to under three minutes. The sole purpose of this form of video is to convey a message, entertain, or share information with the targeted audiences to keep them in the loop. In the current time, when attention spans are shorter, short-form videos are preferred for easily consumable content on mobile devices.
With the explosion of popularity for platforms such as YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels, brands have a very powerful tool for building brand awareness. But how can they wield this short-formatting sword effectively in the ever-changing 2024 landscape? Let’s explore the strategies and data that assist in increasing brand awareness.
The Spellbinding Power of Short-Form Video
Before we delve into specific details and numbers, the first question is “Why” behind the short-form video. Here’s a stat to grab your attention and convince your brand to be part of the stats: according to Vidico, over 50% of marketers already leverage short-form videos, with expenditures on this format expected to hit a staggering $100 billion in 2024. All this happened. Why? Because short videos are:
Attention-Grabbing
The average attention span of an individual is just around 8 seconds (shorter than a goldfish!). To utilize this period, short-form videos hook viewers instantly by providing immediate entertainment within a matter of seconds.
Snackable and Shareable
According to GSMA data, two-thirds of the world’s population spends most of their time on mobile phones. Short-form videos are perfectly sized for mobile consumption and easy to share with your other friends and family across platforms to maximize brand reach.
Cost-Effective
One’s best shot at short-form video will be when presented with the chance to express a big message in a concise text. Short-form demands less time and fewer resources for video production for long-form content, making it more accessible to all brand sizes.
The Big Two: YouTube Shorts vs. Instagram Reels
To keep the dominance of short-form video, two platforms compete in the queue to promote accounts through video content: YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. But it takes time to decide which one is right for your brand. Let’s break it down to understand the metrics of YouTube shorts and Instagram reels for brand continuation:
How are Dominating Platforms (YouTube Shorts vs Instagram Reels) Better for the Target Audience?
YouTube Shorts
YouTube shorts are known for boasting a massive user base (over 2 billion monthly active users) and powerful search integration, making new communities the ideal platform for discoverability. They also leverage YouTube’s existing influencer network for potential brand partnerships. Despite their primary function, YouTube shorts focus primarily on mobile viewing and limiting creative flexibility compared to Instagram Reels. The platform itself is in the process of evolving, with fewer monetization features for brands.
Instagram Reels
Instagram reels offer more comprehensive editing tools and features, like text overlays and interactive elements that make the context more engaging and attention-grabbing than YouTube reels. Known for its trend-driven nature, Instagram is perfect for creating viral content, engaging a younger demographic with the latest trends, and updating features. Tight integration with the Instagram ecosystem allows for easy cross-promotion. The only drawback that makes it down is the smaller user base compared to YouTube Shorts. On Instagram, analytics can be less detailed than on YouTube.
PS: If your brand wants to create awareness about your brand and engage your audience, they must work on YouTube shorts. On the contrary, if their primary focus is to drive sales with the creatives, they must utilize Instagram reels and achieve their targets.
Crafting Content that Converts: A 2024 Short-Form Video Recipe
Now that you know the battlefield of Instagram and YouTube, it’s time to craft your winning short-form video content to beat the competitors and set your market with the trends:
Know Your Audience
It all starts here. To target the audience, first, you need to know the details about your audience and craft content that quickly targets their pain points and brings down the solution as per their needs. The best way to do this is to tailor your content to the platform your audience is targeting and their specific interests. What kind of humor do they respond to? What trends are they following? How actively are they engaging with the content?
Hook ‘Em Fast
In this competitive world, you have seconds to grab your target’s attention. Start with a captivating intro, a thought-provoking question, or a surprising visual that keeps your audience continuing with the reels to have more info about the pain point.
Keep it Short and Sweet
The sweet spot for short-form videos is between 15 and 30 seconds, and that is the time span within which your brand can win the situation or scroll away. Every second counts, so focus on delivering a clear message or sparking an emotion.
Storytelling is King (or Queen)
Content creation is a key, even in short bursts, weaving a narrative into your video. If you prefer to talk about your brand, don’t tell. Use visuals and soundscapes to evoke an emotional response to enhance your brand reach.
Vertical is the New Black
Since most short-form video consumption happens on mobile, film your videos vertically for optimal viewing and keep the updates to engage more.
Encirclement the Power of Sound
The sound that people hear best can hook the audience into wanting more. Leverage trending sounds and music to make your video modern and relatable at the same time and target your audience for brand engagement.
Captions are Key
Only some people watch with sound on; most people engage in short-form content with sound off. To target your audience, add clear captions to ensure your message gets across.
Call to Action
Don’t leave viewers hanging. Tell them what you want them to do next, whether visiting your website, following your page, or engaging with a hashtag challenge. All that is possible only when you add a call to action.
The Untapped Power of User-Generated Content
User generated content (UGC), a secret weapon, is gold in the short-form video world. Businesses looking for growth are encouraged to create videos featuring their brand. This builds brand loyalty and trust and expands business reach organically.
Besides, run contests, provide branded templates, and actively engage with user-created content. This fosters a sense of community and authenticity, which resonates deeply with today’s consumers.
Tracking and Analyzing Your Short-Form Strategy
Short-form video success isn’t about blind creation. You must regularly analyze your video performance to see what’s working and what needs tweaking to engage more.
Here are some key metrics to track:
Views and Completion Rate: How many people see your videos, and how much of each are they watching? Always aim for a high completion rate to determine whether your content is engaging or not.
Engagement: Likes, comments, and shares indicate how well your video resonates with viewers. Monitor them, listen to your audience choices, and bring the next one to have more grip on reels.
Reach: How many unique viewers are seeing your content?
Click-Through Rate (CTR): If you include a call to action with a link, track how many viewers click through.
Use platform-specific analytics tools and experiment with different video formats, lengths, and posting times to see what drives the best results.
The Future of Short-Form Video: Trends to Watch in 2024
The world of short-form video is constantly evolving and becoming a more resourceful platform to crack the deal. Here are some trends to keep your eye on:
AI-powered Creation: Tools that can automatically generate short-form videos from existing content are emerging, making it easier and faster for brands to create high-quality content.
Shoppable Videos: Expect more integration with e-commerce platforms, allowing viewers to seamlessly purchase products directly from within a short-form video.
Live Shopping Events: Live short-form video streams with interactive features will become a powerful tool for brands to connect with audiences and drive real-time sales.
Focus on Community Building: Platforms will prioritize features that encourage interaction and community building around short-form content.
Conclusion
In summary, short-form video platforms will boost brand awareness in 2024. It is within understanding your audience, developing compelling content, making good use of user generated content, and keeping an eye on the performance that paradigm success shall be harnessed out of short-form video in having a loyal following that propels your brand to the next level. So, grab your phone, let your creativity boom, and prepare for an ever-scrolling world with short-form video magic.
