Boo! Marketing was introduced to Youbee Media in 2021 by Michael Edwards, Founder of The Northern Affinity. Since then, Youbee Media and Boo! Marketing’s collaborative relationship has gone from strength to strength. We come together to support our businesses, share marketing insights, deliver projects, and provide the best solutions for our clients.
What Youbee is really good at is social media. They share with you in this blog why short-form video is important for social media and your wider marketing activities. You’ll get tips and tricks and delve into the world of TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels in simple terms.
What are short-form videos?
Typically, under 1 minute long, short-form videos provide an impactful snapshot of your business, product or service. Shot in portrait mode, short-form videos should fill the screen when viewed on a mobile. This means viewers engage to watch the full video.
Short-form video content varies depending on the platform. On TikTok it’s 3 minutes. Whereas on Instagram Reels it’s 90 seconds, and YouTube shorts 60 seconds.
TikTok and Reels are’nt only for young people. More and more businesses are now using these platforms. Those businesses that have started to use short-form videos are seeing the results.
With over 50% of the UK workforce being millennial loving video peeps, the video trend will continue. Quick videos shot on a smart-phone show genuine personality AND expertise in lots of different ways. From getting to know the people in a business, to explaining the benefits of products and services. Short videos are super engaging and interesting.
Why you should add short-form video to your strategy for 2023
Bored to tears of hearing about social media algorithms? Accept them, we don’t control social media, never have, never will. The fact is that they are gearing more and more heavily towards short-form video. Why you ask? Well, it’s because they encourage the audience to stay in one place for longer. Plus, social media users get the content that matches their interests to create stronger connections with them. We all want strong connections.
Facts & figures
- 93% of marketers have landed a new customer (for themselves or a client) thanks to a video on social media (source: smallbiztrends)
- 88% of marketers are satisfied with the return on investment (ROI) of their video marketing on social media – which shows it’s giving a good return (source: thesocialshepherd)
- Wow! TikTok now has over 1 billion active users worldwide and the app has been downloaded over 3 billion times (source: dataportal)
- A massive 91% of Instagram users watch videos each week – they’ve gone from browsing images to being avid video viewers the bulk of the time (source: startupbonsai)
- The dreaded Meta (owners of Facebook and Instagram) reports up to 675.3 million users can be reached with ads on Instagram Reels (source: silverpush), so love ‘em or loathe them they’ve certainly got the reach if you’re paying for it.
It’s clear short-form video is effective for small and medium businesses (SMEs, SMBs whatever you want to call them). Short form video on social media provides the reach you want to extended and new target audiences. Lots of small businesses are doing this well, making their mark in the right places. Get personal. Take your audience ‘behind the scenes’ of your business to give them a feel for exactly what they will get.
Consider TikTok and Instagram Reels for your business
TikTok doesn’t just have 1 billion active users; it also has bags of additional traffic. They recently overtook Google as the most used web domain – I mean bloody hell, that takes some doing doesn’t it. This platform presents a golden opportunity. You can get brands in front of the right target audience. An audience that likes to take instant action and wants everything NOW.
Instagram Reels now lead on Instagram and are most likely to be shown to potential new followers. Smart hey! Instagram pushes your content to more people if it’s in Reel format – embrace the opportunity!
3 Top Tips to create engaging short-form videos
Tip 1: Be consistent
Consistently posting to TikTok and Instagram is one of the best things you can do to improve reach and performance. Who knows you might even go viral. The algorithm favours users that are constantly sharing new content. If you want results put out content at least 2-3 times a week. Give it a go!
Tip 2: Create content that is entertaining, inspiring, and educational
TikTok and Instagram are platforms where users come to explore ideas, connect with others, and get a burst of entertainment. That’s why you need to make sure your content does just that. Typically, the videos that go viral are genuine, unpolished and quick. Keep it real!
Tip 3: Jump on trends
Trends are a great way to boost reach and engagement using all kinds of content styles and subjects. Find what aligns with your business and brand. Dance (yuk!), comedy (yes, bring on the giggles), finger pointing (NO!) and music to reach more of the right people.
Just like the weather up North, trends change very quickly (usually within a week). Make sure you keep on top of the latest sounds, videos, and topics! If this fills you with dread, let us do it for you.
Want solid social media foundations and short videos? We provide you with the know-how to do it yourself, or, we can do it for you. You choose.
Start engaging target audiences with TikTok videos, Reels and YouTube shorts. Get 30 content ideas, tips, and tricks bespoke to your business for £350. Get in touch.
