Try as you might, if you own a smartphone or engage in any form of social media then escaping short-form videos in the latest iteration of the digital age is a near-on impossible task. How has something so short blown up to become something so big and how can it be beneficial to your business?
What is short-form video?
For the most-part, any video under 60 seconds is considered by marketers to be short-form, with the optimal length sitting between the 30 to 60 second mark. This of course is also platform-dependent, with TikTok revolving solely around the media style and other media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube adapting to stay relevant with Reels and YouTube Shorts. Short-form, however, is inherently mobile-first content which caters for the upwards trend in video being watched on mobile devices.
The rise of smartphones becoming handheld multimedia devices means that short-form video is the perfect content style to watch from the palm of your hand. These videos move beyond traditional media methods to deliver quick and easy-to-consume information, whether that be educational, humorous or sales-targeted. The short-form format opens up a way of communicating that can excite and inspire whilst being super easily accessible to a range of viewers.
“The world has evolved to become so fast-paced and this has trickled down into our daily behaviours, things such as how we work, socialise and consume information are all changing. There’s no denying that we now live in an age of instant gratification and the content that we consume simply has to reflect that - in fact, a recent Microsoft study showed that the average person’s attention span has dropped by 25% in only a few years, which equates to a loss of 8 seconds viewing time!"
- Charlie Wood, Brand and Content Specialist @ ROOTS.
Why is mobile video content crucial to businesses and creators?
To put it simply, it's where people are. It follows the same reasoning behind why some businesses have shut up shop and moved to online-only, people can find content from anywhere in the world at any time, which means that not only do you need to show up but you also need to stand out.
Short-form is #1 for growing community engagement and lead generation
Mobile video consumption doubles annually
Up to 75% of all global video is played on mobile devices
Viewers are 150% more likely to watch a video ad on a mobile device
Over 90% of videos viewed on mobile are in some way shared with others
Tiktok now has almost 50 million active daily users across Android and iOS
By 2025 it is predicted there will be 15 million TikTok users in the UK (Statista)
87% of Gen Z view TikTok and Instagram Reels as "the same"
Instagram Reels generally perform better for brands than TikTok although both generally increase brand engagement
Relevant hashtags make your videos easy for new audiences to find
Key characteristics of short-form video
Generally, short-form video will be made up in portrait 9:16 format to match the screen dimensions and formatting of most smartphones. The aesthetic and quality of a 9:16 portrait video will be much better as will the performance across the likes of Instagram reels and TikTok with the platforms pushing videos that fit their preferred format.
90% of TikTok users believe that audio is crucial to their experience, which means it’s important to have engaging sound, whether that be a trending song, voiceover or text-to-speech option. However, the clips will also include text in order to guide and engage the viewer to cater to the 69% of people who watch a video muted when in public, and the 80% that are more likely to watch a video if it includes captions.
If done well, short-form content is the way to go to make a splash online and have your message seen by the right people. Speak to us today about short-form video for your business!