Why is short form video becoming increasingly popular? In short, it’s because it suits our ever increasingly busy lifestyle.
According to The Drum magazine, 65% of viewers now watch video on their android phone. And with viewers deciding whether to click off a video in its first 3-5 secs, it’s no surprise that Adweek reports that 73% of viewers watch video in short form all the way through.
Short form videos – those generally under 30 secs – appeals to our “snackable” attention span when we are on the move. And the rise of short form video platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter means we can access videos in more places than ever before.
But what does this mean for video production? Creatively, what differences are there when approaching video concepting and storyboarding vs long form video? Below are my top 4 creative tips when approaching short form video.
1: Respond to micro-moments
Micro-moments are those moments when you turn to your smartphone to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something, or buy something. A recent Google survey reported that 60% of smartphone users stop in the middle of a conversation to look up something they just heard.
Short form video allows you to respond to these moments in succinct ways. Understanding the micro-moments of your customer is creatively the first consideration for short form video. What problem can you help them solve? What information would be valuable to them? Be sure to only respond to one moment per video to keep the creative simple, focused and easily digestable.
For example, the short form videos we produce for Kenwood uses video snapshots overlaid with simple, written step-by-step instructions to demonstrate how to bake a delicious cake. These quick “how-to” videos not only help Kenwood’s customer bake a cake but they also drive traffic to the Kenwood website and product pages, as well as to the relevant long form video.
Read more on the different types of short form video you can create to respond to your customer’s micro-moments.
2: Front load excitement
With short form video, there isn’t much time to get your message across or hold your viewer’s attention. The first 3-5 seconds is critical. Creatively, this means that for short form video the core of your message needs to be early on in the first frames to earn and keep your customers attention.
A product should be revealed straight away. Any top talent, such as an influential blogger you may be collaborating with, should be upfront. If people are featuring, have them in the opening moments (a recent study by Dentsu Aegis Network found that videos who feature people in the opening moments are up to two times as likely to drive consumers to view.)
Creatively, short form video is about excitement not slow reveal.
3: Makes sense when silent
Today, video plays automatically on many social platforms. Videos play without sound until a user initiates it, and this silent format is something that should be considered creatively when producing short form video.
Music is important, so eliminating it altogether would be a mistake. But, it’s important to consider visual cues or text overlays to aid video recall and brand awareness. For example, in the short form videos we produce for Kenwood, the simple text overlays make them understood without the need for the music to play.
4: Include a call to action
Short form video content is great for driving traffic to your website, specific product landing pages, blog posts, store locators or hashtag. Creatively, adding a call to action in short form videos is key to increasing engagement.
Show relevant hashtags throughout. End on a clearly actionable branded end frame so viewers know exactly what their next step is to continue engaging with you.
In short, there are different creative considerations when producing short form vs long form video. Having a mix of short form and long form video means you can use each video type accordingly to drive both traffic and engagement as well as build long term relationships with your customers.
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