In 2016 there are two things we can be absolutely certain of when it comes to online marketing. That is, attention spans are getting shorter and video is reining supreme.
With that comes new and developed social platforms to capitalise on and keep up to grips with these new trends. We only have to look to Vine, Snapchat and Instagram to see how visual, short form content is capturing our audience’s attention. Indeed brands and platforms not jumping on the video bandwagon are inevitably going to be left behind.
Still not convinced? By 2018, experts believe that video will take up to 79% of consumer internet traffic [HighQ, 2015]. Specifically looking at the length of online content, 45% of viewers will stop watching a video after 1 minute [Visible Measures, 2016] so getting it down to an enviable 15 – 30 seconds is becoming ever more important. Shorter spots also enjoy higher completion rates, with 15 second ads enjoying a 79% completion rate [Vindico, 2014].
Types of Content?
How can we use these trends to our advantage? Here’s our Top 5 ideas for short form video content.
#1 How To Videos
Sharing how to do something with your audience is arguably one of the easiest ways to get started with short form video. Do it right and you can gain views, loyalty and shares all in one.
From recipes to DIY, fundraising tips to how to fix a toilet – there is a How To video out there for every business, brand and organisation to engage with their audience. As an example, here is just one of a series of ‘Perfect Serve’ videos that we created for Remy Martin. The aim here was to catch attention and teach their Instagram audience how to make the perfect, mouth-watering cocktail with their product.
#2 Product Launch
Do you have a new product hitting the market? Short, captivating video content is a great way to get the exposure your new line deserves.
The visual nature of this format means that you can tease out the best features and services in a way that makes your audience want to find out more. Alternatively, if you have never tried video before and are looking at a way to breathe life into existing products - there is no need to wait for something to be ‘new’ to shout about it.
To give you an idea of what a successful product launch could look like, this is a recent video we created for Godfrey Syrett to showcase their new zip configurable furniture range on Instagram, alongside a longer Promotional Video.
#3 Promote an Event
Events are always going to be an exciting thing to promote. Advertise your event in a visual way to the right person, showcased in the right place and it is bound to get their attention.
The conundrum comes from what footage to use. If the event hasn’t happened yet, how do you show something that is happening in the future? There are a couple of ways to get around this. Either you can use footage from a previous event, you can capture the set-up or highlights from acts, speakers or equipment (curating content is also an option here, with the right permissions) or you can do something entirely different and dip into the world of animation, as we did for the Life Science Centre to promote their Game On 2.0 exhibition. Part of a series, marking each decade of gaming, the 3D animations give just enough away to make the audience want to go away and find out more.
#4 Behind The Scenes
Are your offices and interior the stuff Pinterest boards are made of? Do you have an especially dashing team?
Video can be a great way to introduce the team behind your organisation, brand or business. These films can be as creative as you can think of, or if the team would rather not take a full face role you could try apps like Hyperlapse to make a timelapse of your morning in the office.
#5 Promotional Video
This one is very much an advert, keeping it short and snappy. What do you want to promote or shout about within your business?
Bearing in mind that most social media sites will autoplay a video without sound (until it is clicked on), it’s important to think about how your video would fare without audio. In this example of a 30 second long advert we created for The High Street Group, for their housing development, graphic text plays an important part in telling the story and showcasing the features of the development.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. When it comes to video, if you think there is a purpose for it and that there is an audience out there that will enjoy, use or share your content then there is scope to make it.
Article by Becki Lloyd of Three Motion.
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