Short, authentic videos are the fastest-rising online content format.
Sometimes, when everyone is zigging, the most effective move is to zag. That is what’s happening with online videos, especially when it comes to marketing. According to Statista, the average length of a YouTube video is 11.7 minutes. But platforms like TikTok and Triller and new features such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are bucking the trend with creative, entertaining, educational videos that last less than 1 minute and are filmed in a vertical layout as opposed to the traditional horizontal format. TikTok recently surpassed Facebook in average time spent per user and was on pace to surpass 1.2 billion active users in 2021.
“The growth of social media is causing the human attention span to become shorter and shorter,” says Brandon Sanders, a digital marketer for HubSpot Academy. “So, leveraging the power of short-form content will give you a leg up on your competition and help engage your audience.”
A core of what makes these short videos so effective for corporate brands is leveraging user-generated content. In addition, many viral videos feature a company’s target audience, which also helps build relationships with customers who feel like they are part of building the overall brand.
Relatability and authenticity are critical. How do you create authenticity? Connect quickly, and be genuine, a Hubspot report says. A Sprout Social study showed that 70 percent of consumers feel more connected to brands whose CEO is active on social media platforms. That comes down to transparency. Hubspot also revealed that users want short videos that contain how-to, DIY and educational content, such as recipes and workout tips.
CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Stackla surveyed 1,600 customers and 150 B2C marketers from the U.S., U.K. and Australia about perspectives on content in the digital age.
- 90% OF CONSUMERS say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support.
- 92% OF MARKETERS believe most or all of the content they create resonates as authentic with consumers, 51% of consumers say less than half of brands create content that resonates as authentic.
- CONSUMERS ARE 2.4x more likely to say user-generated content (UGC) is authentic compared to brand-created content. Yet, marketers are 2.1x more likely to say brand created content is authentic compared to UGC.
- 79% OF PEOPLE say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions, yet only 13% said content from a brand is impactful, and a mere 8% said influencer-created content would highly impact their purchasing decisions.
- CONSUMERS FIND USER-GENERATED CONTENT 9.8x more impactful than influencer content when making purchasing decisions.
- 67% OF MARKETERS say they plan to increase their use of brand-created visuals, but only 15% of consumers say that’s the type of content they most want to see from brands.
- 67% OF CONSUMERS say it’s important for brands to provide them with personalized experiences, yet 55% of people either disagree or are ambivalent about whether the majority of brands today actually provide them with a personalized experience.
Source: Stackla.com
From the August 2021 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
