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Starting Simple with Short-Form Video Marketing Strategies

We are in the golden age of short-form videos: YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok and the like.

According to the 2022 Short-Form Content Marketing Report published by Mezzo Media, TikTok has exceeded 1.5 billion global users, while YouTube and Instagram are enhancing their short-form video content.

However, the successful stories we see often feel distant, as they involve mainstream brands or famous influencers with substantial resources.

Can small and medium-sized enterprises find feasible short-form content strategies within their limited resources? And why even use short-form? Let's dive in and see.

What is a Short-Form Video?

Short-form videos are brief, less than a minute long, can be easily consumed, and typically come in a vertical format. The emerging format gained popularity along with the rise of TikTok, becoming relatively standardized as YouTube and Instagram join the trend.

Although TikTok has recently relaxed its restrictions extending video length from 1 to 3, and now 10 minutes, in terms of a three-way structure between TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, short-form videos can still be defined as "1 minute vertical format videos that can be quickly consumed".

Advantages of Short-Form Videos

Why are companies so keen about short-form marketing? Just like reacting when users flood a new channel, a similar situation is happening with short-form content.

Short-form videos have a significant advantage: they can be exposed regardless of subscription status. Even a channel with zero subscribers can have its content seen based on user interests. Thus, short-form videos are widely used in branding strategies.

Another advantage often mentioned is its accessibility: you can just take out your smartphone and easily shoot a video, edit it using built-in features and upload it. While this was true at the outset, it's now more challenging to stand out with amateur videos amidst the influx of professional producers and big influencers.

Short-Form Video Marketing Strategy for Small and Medium Enterprises

Let's cut to the chase and get straight to the point. We'll examine what types of formats can be effective in the short-form video market, what expectations we should have for short-form videos, and how we should produce and distribute them.

Types of Short-Form Videos

Below, we have organized some commonly used formats in short-form content.

1) Creator Content

The most common ones involve creators based on shooting. In particular, the 'challenge' culture has spread further as a marketing element, centered around TikTok.

2) Storytelling Content

We also see content that delivers information/knowledge. Viewers who use short-form content pursue enjoyment or seek to acquire information. Therefore, any content that can convey information lightly within 1 minute can look forward to good results.

3) Clip Content

Short-form videos are often utilized as a taste of the main channel's content. Since the content can be exposed regardless of whether it matches with potential reader's interest, this excerpt editing format is common.

Mindset When Starting Short-Form Videos

Short-form videos are not a format from which one can expect active participation from viewers, as they do not accept links. Hence, it’s better to eliminate commercials entirely, aiming to elicit responses like 'Oh, this channel is fun (useful), I should subscribe'.

Once the conversion to a subscriber happens, opportunities will arise to place outbound links in the main feed, connect to direct sales, etc. Simply put, it's best to see short-form content as a starting point for introducing us to customers in the marketing funnel and persistently operate it from there. After all, it's a channel that can introduce us without spending a dime, and it's worth trying if we have quality content.

Most Efficient Content Creation Method

How then can limited resource SMEs venture into short-form videos? I do not recommend methods that require direct shooting. The moment shooting and editing are needed, the production time could drag into weeks, raising the likelihood of quick surrender, particularly since this is not linked directly to sales.

I recommend using storytelling content from the formats mentioned above. Since it’s non-shooting based content demonstrating our expertise, planning time is minimal.

The VideoStew team provides news related to video marketing through video. Whenever new content comes up, we first write a script suitable for short-form videos, quickly convert it into video using AI voices and a stock library. If needed, we flesh it out further for blog or newsletter articles.

We can produce a 1-minute video in just about 20 minutes.

OSMU Strategy

The best point about short-form videos is that one video can be used to attack all three major short-form platforms.

Since all three platforms support the same specs, working on a 1080x1920(FHD) 1-minute long video can be uploaded on all three channels. Of course, because merely uploading doesn't conclude channel operation, you need to focus on one channel based on our target business.

Recently, platforms like Daum's Today's Shot and Naver are preparing for short-form, especially targeting informational content. The appearance of short-form platforms specialized for each vertical area prompts us to start accumulating content from now on, gradually.

Three-line Summary

If there is a constraint on human resources, storytelling content that can share our expertise without shooting is an excellent choice.
Short-form platforms are not channels directly linked to sales and should be viewed from the perspective of improving brand awareness.
The stage for short-form content is expanding.

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