According to a survey by Wyzowl conducted in 2023, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and 96% of marketers say that video is an important part of their marketing strategy. Additionally, 89% of people say that they have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
sourceMoreover, a 2023 video marketing playbook by HubSpot reveals 36% of marketers agree that short videos (less than three minutes in length) perform better than their longer counterparts. This means SMBs can get the best bang for their buck by investing in short videos that deliver instant value (entertainment and/or education) rather than longer, elaborate ones.
In this article, let’s look at some advice for SMBs seeking to create short video content that stands out and captures audience attention.
1. Set Measurable Goals
To effectively engage your audience with short video content, it is essential to act swiftly as trends change and your audience’s attention shifts quickly. This requires tracking relevant metrics and setting measurable goals to ensure that your content is making the desired impact.
For instance, setting a goal to increase brand awareness through short video content can be measured by tracking the number of views, likes, and shares on the video. This will make it easier for your team to find areas of improvement and discover new opportunities.
SMBs may find it difficult to identify the right metrics to track, find where they stand in the market based on those metrics, and monitor them throughout their campaign due to resource limitations.
sourceKeyhole is an analytics tool that helps small businesses set goals for their video content campaigns by tracking social media metrics such as engagement, reach, and impressions. Furthermore, you can set measurable goals that align with your marketing objectives and track relevant metrics to recalibrate your video content creation strategy as needed.
2. Use Special Effects to Increase Engagement
Special effects, such as outlines, flickers, shakes, clones, etc. can add a fun and creative touch to your videos and make them more memorable for your viewers, leading to higher engagement rates and brand affinity.
sourceHowever, doing so requires specialized tools and experts who have experience using those tools to their fullest potential, something that SMBs might not have.
Videoleap is a powerful video editing tool that helps anyone add these special effects and other creative elements to video content within minutes. Furthermore, Videoleap’s user community posts their video edits as templates, enabling you to easily generate professional-looking content that captivates your audience.
3. Keep an Eye on Industry Trends
SMBs need to stay on top of industry trends to create video content that is timely, relevant and resonates with their audience. For instance, if there’s a popular meme or trend that’s making the rounds on social media, SMBs can create short video content that incorporates that trend to attract the attention of their audience.
A great example of this is edutainment content created by Casper, a mattress company, that strikes a balance between humor and advice, making the most of increased demand for this type of content.
sourceFeedly aggregates content from various sources, allowing users to easily access relevant posts related to their industry, which can help SMBs keep track of the latest trends. You can use it to build a personalized newsfeed that includes the latest published content in your niche, helping you to generate ideas for short video content for your audience.
source4. Enable Social Media Shopping
You can show your viewers your brand’s offerings and allow them to make a purchase right from the platform they watch by integrating social commerce into your short video marketing strategy. A 2022 Shopper Experience Index report reveals that 54% of social media users are more likely to make a purchase on social media if they can view the product’s details when they tap on the post.
It can get challenging for SMBs to integrate their social media posts with their ecommerce stores, due to limitations on outbound links allowed by social platforms.
sourceBazaarvoice is a social commerce platform that helps businesses to enable social media shopping by allowing customers to purchase products directly through social media posts, to provide followers with a convenient and seamless shopping experience, leading to increased conversion rates for your video content.
Summing Up
Creating short video content that stands out can be challenging, but by using the right tools and strategies, SMBs can make their videos more engaging and effective.
By setting measurable goals with Keyhole, using special effects to increase engagement with the Videoleap app, keeping an eye on industry trends with Feedly, and enabling social media shopping with Bazaarvoice, SMBs can create compelling video content that captures their audience’s attention and drives results.
Ashley Kemper is an Assistant Editor at Commerce Mentors. She has 5+ years of experience in writing about Marketing, SEO, and Technology. She also helps with the end-to-end execution of content strategy. When not writing, Ashley spends most of her time reading and cooking. As a sports enthusiast, she spends her weekends running and watching badminton tournaments.
