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How reels, shorts and stories can help your brand thrive

In today’s digital world, we’ve seen a jump from the filtered photos of latte art, a goofy dog face filter and a pouty, highly exposed selfie, and moved to an endless scrolling of dance moves, daily challenges and “What I eat in a day” videos. It started off with YouTube as the primary source of your daily video content, from the humorous Charlie biting his brother’s finger, to the likes of influencers showing you 30 minutes of their perfected daily lives.

In the past couple of years however, we’ve seen Instagram Stories, Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts follow in the footsteps of the recent social mega app TikTok, showcasing up to 3-minute clips that you can easily flick through for hours on end. What makes these captivating videos so appealing to the audience and how can your brand make use of them?

Captivating and unforgettable content

One of the key focuses of videos, reels and shorts that have become integral to a brand’s marketing strategy is the ability to deliver engaging and memorable content. In contrast to a text-based or still image, videos have the power to be more engaging to the viewer and leave a longer-lasting impression – improving brand awareness and increasing reach. Creating engaging content that tells a story through animation and compelling visuals helps a brand form a stronger emotional and personal connection when compared to other forms of content.

In a survey, 86% of marketers reported that they used video as a marketing tool. 78% of those marketers felt videos directly increased sales.

Source: thesocialshepherd.com

Following the trend

Tracking social trends is a great way for a video to reach a wider audience and generate higher engagement. Bear in mind, there is a difference between what works for B2C & B2B audiences. And your brand should never reluctantly post video content – if it doesn’t fit with your brand values or personality, don’t do it! There are a handful of ways to make your video relevant and trend worthy whilst taking an approach that feels like ‘your brand’. Here are just a few examples:

  • If you’re making a video with audio, try looking for the latest trending tracks to use. That doesn’t mean using the latest rap track, there are plenty of trending instrumentals that can help with boosting your reel to the top of the #fyp (For You Page).
  • Hashtags! They are integral to any social content. Using the right hashtag can help with channelling your video to the right audience.
  • Don’t always follow the trend – instead create your own new and exciting content. Most of the time, trends become repetitive and once you’ve seen a few you’ve seen it all. The key is to make your brand stand out from the crowd with meaningful content.
  • Adapt a trend to suit your brand – “day-in-the-life” videos work well as you can tailor them to any workplace or beyond. These glimpses into one day are humanising, engaging to the viewer and allow the audience to have a wider sense of your working environment and what you can offer. Be sure to adapt the trend to align with your brand and effectively target your audience.

It’s not all about the views

Not every video you create will reach 100k plus views and 1.2 million likes but if that’s what you’re going for make sure you tailor your video content strategy, and ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are you trying to achieve with the video?
  • Is it for entertainment purposes only?
  • Are you highlighting a product or service, or teaching something new?

But it’s not always about the views and engagement. It only takes one view, like, retweet or share for someone to follow your brand, take interest and engage. Alternatively, you could get a raft of likes and views but still not get anything off the back of it. According to data collected by Statista, “there were an estimated 3.37 billion internet users consuming video content in 2022”. So, if that scale of audience doesn’t make you want to create a video, I’m not sure what will.

Cost-effective

With the cost of living at a record sky-high, individuals and brands alike are under pressure to deliver substantial value for money, and the ROI on a social video can be highly worthwhile. With the potential to reach large and new audiences, if you can play the algorithm to your strengths, social media can drive high levels of engagement and generate leads for your brand, for very low cost per acquisition.

Conclusion

Social video is the digital phenomenon that’s not going away any time soon, and the power it holds can help a business thrive in the age of the digital consumer. Video is captivating and engaging, it can build brand personality, and showcase services and products, all whilst meaning a brand stays on top of digital trends. Simply put, with the help of video, brands can create compelling and memorable content that resonates with their target market and ultimately drives growth and success.

Do you need help making your brand’s story stand out through video?

Get in touch – we’d love to help. Alternatively, for the latest social media marketing news, take a look at our Articles page.