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Short-Form Video Trends Marketers Should Keep Watch in 2021

Let’s face reality! Everybody loves videos. Videos of babies’ firsts, cute cats, singing stars – name it, and people will love it. The fact is, people shared video 2x more than any form of online content online. According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, around 84% of consumers buy a product or service after watching a branded video content. Today, with the short attention span of people online, short-form videos are becoming a trend. They are commonly used by a social media agency Hong Kong as marketing strategies on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. Yet, video technologies have significantly evolved – so has marketing. Below are short-form video trends that marketers should keep watch of in 2021.

WHAT ARE SHORT-FORM VIDEOS?

There is no universal number to gauge how long short-form videos are. Most often, short-form video ads are 5 to 10 seconds long. An Instagram Reel is 30 seconds long, a TikTok clip is 60 seconds long, while short-form videos on Twitter are commonly 2 minutes and 20 seconds long. Still, any video that lasts for 2 minutes and 30 seconds is still short-form video content. A video marketing agency Hong Kong listed the most popular ways to share short-form videos among social media platforms nowadays. These are the following.

Facebook Stories

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was quoted saying that “Stories is a big part of the future of video sharing.” This is why Stories have been a relevant feature among Facebook’s family of apps. Facebook Stories allows users to share animations, photos, or videos that disappear within 24 hours. Videos on Facebook Stories last for about 20 seconds. Unlike regular Facebook posts, Facebook Stories doesn’t have the like and comment features. Whenever a viewer comments or reacts to Facebook Stories, the message or reaction will directly be sent as a message to the profile’s Messenger app. Facebook Stories can be seen on top of a news feed. These make them prominently discoverable by around half a billion people viewing them every day.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are like Facebook Stories. They are photos or videos that disappear within a 24-hour time frame after being posted. Yet, there are some features Instagrammers can use to enhance Instagram Stories that Facebook Stories doesn’t have. These include branded content links, stickers, hashtags, Live Stories, mentions, and reshares.

Instagram Reels

Reels are Instagram’s TikTok clone. They are music video clips that last up to 30 seconds. Unlike Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels don’t disappear within 24 hours. They stay permanently on an Instagram profile unless deleted by the owner. Instagrammers can record Reels either one at a time, all at once, or through their phone galleries. They can be shared via DMs, Stories, or on the Explore Page of Instagram. Reels shared via Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours unless the owner adds them to an Instagram Reels tab.

TikTok Clips

TikTok Clips are fun and engaging short music clips that last for 60 seconds. Today, there are around 698 million TikTok users globally. People can find videos of almost all interests on TikTok. They can include categories in dancing, DIY, gaming, sports, tricks, tutorial, etc. Users can pick up new skills to connect and share with the TikTok community. TikTok videos are commonly joyful and upbeat. That is why people are really entertained when viewing them.

SHORT-FORM VIDEO TRENDS IN 2021

Short-form videos are engaging and low-commitment ways for brands to connect to their audiences. Through these short clips, people can get a good laugh or learn something new quickly. Yet, short-form videos require more authentic and creative approaches if used in marketing. As such, brands should find out what’s trending and relate it to the brand’s nature of business. Here are some short-form video trends marketers should keep watch in 2021. The best thing is that they don’t require a big budget and a complex production hoopla.

Behind-the-Scene Videos

Consumers today seek out authenticity and transparency among brands. They are very smart to determine whether a video connects to their emotions or is purely for marketing purposes. Behind-the-scene videos are a short-form video trend that captures the emotions of a large part of online viewers today. Brands can feature the team behind their products or connect their CEOs to their target audience. Around 70% of consumers felt more connected to a brand after seeing their CEOS on short-form video content on social media platforms. So, it can pull back the management curtain and engage the viewers on a more personal level.

Educational Content

Think of DIYs, explainer videos, how-tos, and unboxing. These short-form videos can help people learn new things in a matter of seconds or minutes. Studies showed that viewers prefer seeing educational short-form videos from brands. These added-value contents help people in their day-to-day living. Mot short-form videos start with a popular dance or song to grab the viewer’s attention. The content shows a common problem that the viewers might be facing. In the end, a call to action (CTA) rounds up the video to solve the problem. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

While not exactly a trend, FAQs can be great short-form video content. They can be a significant element of the increasing voice search among consumers today. Brands can write a list of FAQs and create a short-form video for each of them. Then, they can upload these short-form videos on a brand’s website, Google My Business page, or YouTube.  

User-Generated Content

UGC short-form videos are created by consumers rather than brands. They are a big trend among brands today because they greatly influence buying decisions. Most people prefer recommendations and referrals from colleagues, family, and friends. Short-form videos of user ratings, reviews, and testimonials are as effective as word-of-mouth advertising. They evoke emotions and promote trust.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Marketers should keep a close watch on short-form video trends. The digital world is changing fast, and the key to marketing success is being up to date.

Reference: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/short-form-video-trends