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June 13, 2021

Are you using short form video in your content strategy?

This week within The Digital Circus we have been talking lots about utilising short form video and addressing the obvious blockers that people seem to be facing when it comes to creating content. Some of the key comments have included not wanting to create cringe worthy Reels and TikToks. And. you know the ones, the ones where you seemingly point to random spaces in the air, or the ones where you lip sync or dance to a random piece of trending music for the sake of engagement and nothing more.

We also addressed the other core blocker which was seemingly the technical ability to create high quality short form content with fancy transitions and special effects. They look great when they are well executed but if the editing isn't in your zone of genius can you ever compete with those accounts where they are changing outfits at the click of a finger?? Businesses are time poor at the best of times, do they really have the time to make reams of content for several different platforms?

Well in todays blog we're going to smash those blockers and explain quite simply why you shouldn't be discounting short form video content from your overall content strategy. It is a strong medium that has the ability to be a game changer for your business when done right.

Short form video is here to stay...

So...some clear facts about short form video to start....

  • Audiences are consuming more and more video content than ever in 2021.
  • Video posts on social media get 48% more views than static content
  • A study from HubSpot showed 78% that audiences want to see more entertaining content
  • According to Vidyard 53% of videos created that are 90 seconds or less are watched to completion.
  • TikTok is the 7th most used social media platform with 689 Million global users [ as of January 2021] and guess what?! ITS NOT JUST FOR THE KIDS!!!

Short form video is a great opportunity for any business or brand and the great thing is you do not have to compromise your brand values to do so. There are so many incredible businesses doing wonderful things right now that don't include wiggling and jiggling on screen.

So what exactly is short form video?

Very simply, short form video is classed as any video less than two minutes and thirty seconds. This could be a pre-recorded video or a live. Short form video can sit on most social media platforms for example an Instagram post/ story or Reel, a Facebook video, a Pinterest video pin, a TikTok video, a YouTube short or even a 30 second video on Google my Business.

What length video suits each platform?

Instagram grid- Up to 1 minute

Instagram Stories- 15 seconds per slide

Instagram Reel-Up to 30 seconds

Facebook Stories- Up to 20 seconds

Facebook feed- Up to 240 minutes

Pinterest video pin-4 seconds to 15 minutes

Twitter feed- Up to 2 minutes 20 seconds

YouTube Shorts- Up to 1 minute

TikTok- Currently 1 minute but as of May 2021 some accounts are being trialled with 3 minute videos.

Google My Business- 30 seconds

How can you use short form video without compromising your brand?

The worry of creating meaningless content for the sake of an algorithm is a real worry for many but it doesn't have to be that way. Video content is an opportunity for you to share your story and a snapshot of your business with your audience and they will love you for it. And with real thought about the content you are already creating, short form only needs to be an extension of it.

Be it a trailer, a teaser, a thought for the day, a testimonial or a behind the scenes look in your office the opportunities really are endless. TikTok sensation Tim Hayden from Hagley West Watches has based his entire marketing campaign for his watch business based on showing up with short form content on TikTok and Instagram documenting his entire business journey. Tim doesn't worry about fancy transitions or gimmicks, he simply picks up his smart phone every single day and speaks to his followers. From discussing the design process for his time pieces to showing his workroom [ his kitchen] and packing boxes, to scratching off a world map to show people where is worldwide sales are coming from, Tim consistently interacts with his audience and creates fresh content CONSISTENTLY without fear of looking like a plonker and dancing to the latest Justin Bieber track..Its just not necessary!

Make your life easier, repurpose your content...

Going back to the blocker we mentioned at the beginning about being time poor....We get it, we really do. So we hereby give you full permission to not create reams of content! At Yellow Tuxedo we have fully embraced repurposing content and believe that it can be a game changer for content creators.

The social media marketing experts amongst us will be shaking their heads in disagreement I'm sure. You "should" be creating fresh content suited to each platform based on your ideal client...blah blah blah.

And if thats your bag and you are inclined to do so then absolutely. Please go ahead and create six separate videos for six separate platforms, the algorithm will love you.

But for the time poor, technophobes amongst us you are not alone. In the time, money, health triangle you need to do what works best for you and what you can execute efficiently and more importantly, consistently. Repurposing your content in this case is a smart move. There will always be an element of engagement drop off when you share a TikTok video as an instagram Reel but do you know what? You have to balance this with your ability to create content more simply and the time you will save yourself. Showing up regularly on a consistent basis will pay dividends in the long term over you getting overwhelmed and giving up because six pieces of unique content is too much.

Think about what you can do with your short form video content and where you can put it. It deserves to be seen and you need to give your content legs. So if you're creating a thirty second Instagram Reel? Make sure you download it onto your device. If you're recording a useful and informative LIVE? Download it onto your device!! Even if you're not ready to use it elsewhere. Start saving your video collateral.

That Instagram Reel can become a TikTok, a Pinterest pin, a YouTube short...and excitingly especially with the likes of Pinterest, YouTube and GMB, it has the ability to be optimised evergreen content. Your quick 30 second video you made on a whim on Instagram all of a sudden becomes searchable and that is not to be sniffed at.

GET YOUR CONTENT WORKING FOR YOU!

If you haven't yet thought about what you can do to create short form video for your business then get your thinking cap on, its too powerful a medium NOT to include in your content strategy.

Do you want help with where to start? Come and have a chat with the Yellow Tuxedo team, we're here to help. Or better still join our community The Digital Circus which includes monthly training on how to get your business more visible!

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