Posted by If video killed the radio star, video is continuing its march to dominate other forms of advertising in today’s market as well. With platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and the ubiquitous TikTok clips, video is rapidly stealing the show.
More than 9 out of 10 US consumers between the ages of 12 and 44 consider themselves to be digital viewers, as do nearly 98% of those aged 18 to 24, according to Oberlo. In the demographic of 12 to 17 year olds, 96% say they watch online videos. And in 2023, HubSpot says online video is anticipated to comprise 82.5% of all web traffic.
Marketers are paying attention. According to HubSpot, a full third of social marketers aim to invest the majority of their ad dollars in short form video this year compared to other outlets, with short form representing videos of 60 seconds or less. But it comes with a caveat: with so much content out there competing for viewers’ attention, how do advertisers ensure their video makes an impact?
Michael Woolsey is a co-founder of the social creative agency Gassed, which focuses on TikTok ads. He has curated what he calls a “recipe for short form video success.” Important elements include a compelling introduction, quick sequences, and a clear call-to-action. Says Woolsey, “you have about two seconds to get them to stop scrolling” and grab their attention to draw in the viewer.
Woolsey says it’s all about “making sure that we have some stopping-and-engaging content …. with the main objective of still getting people to the site and converting.”
CEO of the social marketing agency, Socialty Pro, emphasized the importance of inciting shares. “The share button is one of the highest-weighted metrics in the TikTok algorithm,” he noted. “If you can get somebody to share a video … it turns one view into two (or more).”
He also advises sharing across all four video platforms. “I’ll create one video and post it across all four and that has worked exceptionally well,” he said, adding “the vast majority of businesses and clients we’ve worked with are seeing results across the board with the same videos.”
Reels that share educational content in an entertaining way are also showing high success rates. Max Gomez Montejo, CMO at The Hoth, says their agency has been creating short form videos that combine education and entertainment. “We call it edutainment,” he says.
If all eyes are on video, it’s clear marketers will need to navigate this visual frontier to stay at the head of the pack. For additional recommendations on creating showstopping short form videos, keep reading from industry leaders here.