Fetch Communications

Why businesses and nonprofits need to master this: Short-form video ranks #1 for ROI and outperforms every other marketing method. *mic drop*

To be completely honest, when I rolled up my sleeves to research this topic (as I do before I write anything), I found an excellent blog on short-form video published recently at Hubspot. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. The blog is quite comprehensive and I don’t see the point in reinventing the wheel, so I will steer you there — but before you run off, I will add value.

I rearranged the order of the strategic steps to prioritize establishing content pillars, as it’s the foundation of your content marketing strategy. I will also synopsize the key takeaways, and add explanations for small business owners that might better equip them to implement these ideas. So let’s dig in.

The popularity of short-form video content

Due to multiple factors including shrinking attention spans and the fact that social media platforms continue to prioritize video in their algorithms, the general consensus among marketers is that the best format for brands is short-form video.

Definitions

Any video under 60 seconds is considered short-form, with the optimal length between 31 and 60 seconds.

It’s important to note that the definition of ‘short-form’ can vary by platform, but the duration is getting shorter. For example, the 10-minute mark used to be the “sweet spot” for YouTube content, but now, you’re limited to 60 seconds if you want to be featured in Shorts.

According to Hubspot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report, opinions on the optimal length for marketing videos vary: 36% of video marketers believe the sweet spot is one to three minutes, 27% prefer four to six minutes, and 15% think seven to nine minutes is best.

Regardless of the duration, one thing’s clear: shorter videos really are the star of 2024 marketing trends.

Benefits

The advantages of producing short-form video content include:

• High Engagement Rates
• Enhanced Brand Recall
• Increased Reach and Visibility
• Higher ROI

Aside from length, one thing that sets short-form videos apart is the trend culture. For example, on TikTok, viral songs, trends, and brand challenges dominate. To get on the “For You” page, brands must participate in these trends. TikTok and similar apps are also influenced by AI, offering tools like AI-narrated voices and Creative Assistant for you to try.

As with any new trend or platform, HubSpot recommends that you always consider your audience first: Which channels are your audiences using and for what? For which channels does it make the most sense for your business to create this short-form content?

While short-form video is known for its entertainment value, you can adapt it to align with your brand. There are plenty of examples on Hubspot’s post, but the key point is to not simply jump on a trend bandwagon, but consider your audience when you create short-form videos and formulate a robust content strategy.

Strategy

A short-form video content strategy is a well-thought-out plan aimed at leveraging the power of brief, engaging videos (typically under 60 seconds) to achieve specific marketing goals. It covers creating, distributing, and analyzing video content to make the most impact. Here is an overview followed by a brief description of each of the 10 steps:

1. Define your objectives
2. Understand your audience
3. Establish content pillars
4. Research competitors and trends
5. Plan your content calendar
6. Video storyboard/script
7. Video production/optimize for different platforms
8. Promote your videos
9. Analyze and Adjust
10. Monitor Trends

(1) Define your objectives

Determine what you want to achieve, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, boosting engagement, generating leads, or enhancing sales.

Set SMART Goals: Ensure your objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely (has a timeline). For example, your goal might be “increase Instagram engagement by 20% over the next three months.”

(2) Understand your audience

You can’t create relevant content without knowing your audience. Personally, I think target audience knowledge is the key to marketing success. I have seen many businesses falter by relying on outdated and unsupported assumptions about their customers’ wants and needs, instead of collecting actual data through customer surveys, sales conversation debriefing, and client feedback sessions.

In addition to data collected through real-time customer interactions, use Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and Instagram Analytics to gather demographic data — age, gender, location, and interests. To gain deeper insights, seek psychographic factors — values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles — by gathering feedback through reviews, comments, and direct messages.

You can also use social listening tools to monitor conversations and sentiments about your brand, identifying common themes and interests.

Social listening tools help you monitor several social media platforms in one place by aggregating brand mentions, posts with relevant keywords, and direct feedback you receive through tags or direct messages (DMs). For more information, here’s a link to a post that explores the best social listening tools of 2024, from free tools to comprehensive social media management platforms.

(3) Establish Content Pillars

We [Fetch] believe effective marketing is the result of successfully connecting a brand to its audience’s desires, so it’s essential that you establish content pillars at the outset of your content marketing strategy to keep need fulfillment as your focus.

Content pillars represent your core topics, so choose topics your audience values most, and develop ways to reinforce your brand’s ability to fulfill and reflect your audience’s needs/wants/values.

Each pillar should cover different aspects of your brand to provide variety and provide value to your audience. Think about how you will format content within each pillar. For instance, you may have a pillar that focuses on providing educational content, while another pillar highlights customer success stories.

(4) Research competitors and trends

Knowing what need-fulfillment attribute your competitors are prioritizing in their marketing (particularly if you share the same target audience) essential. It helps you to differentiate your marketing messaging, or compete head-on with a stronger incentive.

Make sure your brand offering stands up against your competitors’. Monitor the market regularly and stay informed about your competitors and current trends. This will help you to keep your brand relevant while helping you capitalize on popular content formats.

Here’s a recommended approach:

• Competitive analysis: Start by identifying key competitors and analyzing their video content strategy, observing what works well and where they may be falling short.
  
• Trend monitoring: Stay updated with trends on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. You can use a combination of BuzzSumo and Google Trends to identify trending topics and hashtags relevant to your industry.

(5) Plan your video content calendar

Drawing on your content pillars, determine the themes your videos will cover, such as educational tutorials, behind-the-scenes peeks, or product demos.

Brainstorm specific video concepts for each theme, ensuring they align with your brand voice and objectives.

Next, plan the resources needed for video production, including time, budget, and personnel to get a realistic view of what can be published without compromising quality.

Determine the video posting schedule — how often you will post. Remember, consistency is key to keeping your audience engaged.

(6) Video storyboard/script

Pre-planning content can save you time and frustration as you go into production. Personally, I find Miro’s Storyboard for Video Production template really helpful.

https://miro.com/miroverse/storyboard-video-production/

For Hubspot’s advice on how to make compelling videos, scroll down to 5. Make compelling videos.

(7) Optimize videos for different platforms

Each social media platform has its own unique style and user habits. To make the most impact, tailor videos to fit each platform’s format and aspect ratio, and use platform-specific features like polls, questions, and stickers to boost interactivity and engagement.

Here’s Hubspot’s quick guide:

• TikTok: Keep your TikTok videos fun and casual. Use popular sounds to boost your views. You must also stay updated with the latest trends and try weaving them into your content.
  
• Instagram Reels: Go for visually appealing content with short, punchy captions and smart hashtags. Consistency is key on Reels — regularly posting and engaging with other users can really pay off. Join in on trends, but always stay true to your brand’s vibe.
  
• YouTube Shorts: Aim for high-quality production with clear, searchable titles and eye-catching thumbnails. Properly tagged videos with compelling thumbnails can drive traffic to your longer videos.

(8) Promote your videos

Once your video posts are live, share the links in email newsletters and on other channels, and cross-promote your videos by including snippets in blog posts and podcasts, guiding your audience to watch the full content.

Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and share user-generated content to build a loyal community around your brand.

If you have the budget, don’t forget paid advertising. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can help your videos reach the right people, especially for new campaigns or key promotions.

(9) Analyze and adjust

The last step is continuous analysis, where you refine short-form video content strategy to ensure ongoing improvement and relevance. Use analytics tools — Google Analytics, TikTok Analytics, and Instagram Insights — to track performance metrics such as views, engagement, shares, and conversions. Regular performance reviews also help you identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

Conduct A/B testing with different video formats, lengths, and styles to see what resonates most with your audience. This provides valuable insights into their preferences and behaviors.

Encourage viewers to leave comments and suggestions. This feedback will help you adjust the content strategy, and/or ask for feedback directly. Doing so can improve content quality and increase engagement.

(10) Monitor Short-Form Video Trends

Here are the most effective social media trends of 2024 according to Hubspot research. You can download the full report here, but the follow is a list of current trends it covers so you can decide what you want to dive into:

• Brands with an engaged social media community will win in 2024.
• Social media is the future of e-commerce.
• Consumers slide into brands’ DMs for customer service.
• Search engines lose steam as consumers turn to social search.
• Influencer marketers ditch celebrities for micro-influencers.
• Short-form video is the highest ROI format and will see the most growth of any trend in 2024.
• Relatable and authentic content will stand out all 2024.
• Instagram is the highest ROI platform and will see the most growth of any social app in 2024.
• Data will drive social media marketing budgets.
• Re-sharing the same content across platforms won’t fly in 2024
• AI will become an increasingly integral part of social media marketing strategies in 2024.

Final Note

I hope this overview helps you to get started on creating some videos to successfully promote and grow your organization. If you need a creative partner to walk through the process beside you, we would be happy to assist you in whatever capacity you need.

Anything to add? Feel free to comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts!