Short-form videos are powerful marketing tools that can significantly increase your business's visibility and lead generation. This article provides effective strategies for using short-form videos correctly in your social media advertising campaigns.

According to a study, 85% of marketers believe short-form videos are the most effective lead-generation tools. As such, it’s unsurprising that every major social media platform, including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, offers dedicated services for this tool. However, it is important to mention that short-form videos are only effective when used correctly.

In this article, you’ll discover the best approaches to helping your business stay ahead using short-form videos. Let’s dive right in.

Short-form videos are content designed to be brief, easily digested, and highly engaging. These videos generally range from a few seconds to a couple of minutes and often include trending sounds and creative effects.

Short-form videos are invaluable marketing and business outreach tools. As such, it isn’t surprising that they are enjoying so much attention right now. According to Statista, over 200 million downloads of the TikTok app (a dedicated short-form video platform) were made in the second quarter of 2024 alone.

number of tiktok downloads from 2018-2024

Source: Statista

However, the appeal of short-form videos isn’t limited to TikTok alone. A study shows that over 2 billion people actively use Instagram reels, and about 300 million use Facebook Stories daily. This clearly shows that lots of people find short-form video content highly attractive.

As a business owner, your marketing goal will be to increase your brand visibility, reach, and lead acquisition and conversion rates. Evidently, short-form video content is just the tool you need to effect this. The best part is gaining insights into how to place ads with short-form videos isn’t hard; you just need access to the right information and insights.

One excellent way to obtain the detailed insights you need is through ad libraries. These tools provide comprehensive data on ads within the platform, including their metrics, budgets, and target audiences. For instance, you can gather valuable information, insights, and analytics such as top-performing ad campaigns, real-time engagement metrics, and detailed targeting criteria from the TikTok Ads Library.

Statistics show that more than 70% of consumers currently prefer short-form videos to learn about new products and services. Of course, when it comes to sales and marketing in business, you have to go where your target audience is likely to be, and right now, that’s short-form video content.

It is essential to mention that not only are short-form videos preferred by the majority of consumers, but they have also been proven to be quite effective. For example, Miller High Life used this tactic during the 2009 Super Bowl and achieved an 8.6% increase in sales while avoiding the $3 million price tag for advertisement.

Also, TheSoul Publishing achieved a massive 275% increase in visibility within one year just by utilizing TikTok. In summary, short-form videos are cost-effective, offer better results, and have a track record of being effective.

Statistics mentioned earlier show that short-form videos are very powerful marketing tools. However, their full potential can also be unleashed when they’re used the right way. Here are five effective tips for short-form video content creation that will transform your marketing results:

Choose the right platform

Integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) software

Follow Trends

Set Clear Objectives

Incorporate Storytelling

Short-form video content has rapidly gained a lot of acceptance among the general populace. As such, quite a number of social media platforms have had to adjust their offerings to include dedicated features for short-form video content creation and viewing.

Instagram reels showing interior decor

Source: Instagram

For instance, Instagram added Reels to showcase more short-form video content. The one included above shows interior design of a living room. Some of the most notable platforms that feature short-form video include the following:

Tiktok

Snapchat Spotlight

Instagram Reel

YouTube Shorts

Triller

Twitter (X Corp)

Pinterest

LinkedIn

Facebook Stories and Reels.

However, not all of these platforms are ideal for your marketing needs. So, how do you choose the right one? There are a lot of ways to do this, but one of the most effective is examining the platform’s ad library. This makes it much easier to see if a particular ad type is suitable for a platform and the possibilities of success.

Additionally, you’ll want to consider the nature of the app's community. For example, an ad campaign targeted towards professionals and companies is more likely to do well on LinkedIn and X than Instagram reels or YouTube Shorts. Also, if your target audience involves more creatives, then Instagram Reels and Pinterest are the ideal choices.

But if you’re looking to appeal to the everyday user or run informative campaigns, placing your ad campaigns on TikTok, Facebook Stories and Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Triller will prove to be the most effective.

Many businesses are unaware of the benefits of integrating their short-form video marketing platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, with CRM systems. This integration can significantly enhance your marketing and advertising efforts. The best part about this is that it’s easy to set up. There are several merits that comes with CRM software integration. Some of these include:

Lead Tracking: CRMs can facilitate the process of obtaining and monitoring leads derived from your short-form video advertisements. Consequently, this makes it possible to manage and follow up with prospective clients far more effectively.

Audience Segmentation: You can use CRM software to classify your viewers or audience according to how engaged they are with your videos. This lets you develop ad campaigns that are more individualized and targeted.

Automated Follow-ups: CRMs will help you keep the conversation going with your new leads with automated emails or messages, potentially increasing your lead conversion rates.

Lead Scoring: CRMs have a unique lead-scoring feature that helps you sort out your prospects based on the potential they hold. This, in turn, means you’ll be able to channel your efforts and focus on high-value targets.Performance Analytics: CRMs can give you detailed insights into how well your video ads are performing. With this data, you’ll be able to refine your strategy and approach for the best results.

It’s also interesting to note that it’s possible to reorganize your CRM layout and data feed to your taste. However, it is important to mention that you have to choose the right CRM software to be able to enjoy all the benefits this integration offers.

Short-form video content that performs most impressively is usually those that follow trends. As such, it is important that you stay updated with current social media trends so you’ll be able to leverage them effectively. One way to do that is by looking for trenging content on platforms like YouTube.

Trengins content hasthags on YouTube

Source: YouTube

However, you should be careful when choosing trends to hop on because not all will be suitable for your brand image and identity. Additionally, getting on trends early significantly boosts the chances of your content going viral, thereby granting you more visibility.

Every short-form video you shoot and upload must have a clear end goal or target. This is important because it will inform what metrics you will track when evaluating the campaign’s success. For example, if you’re trying to drive traffic, you’ll be monitoring click-through rates (CTR) or referral traffic from the video. But if your focus is on brand awareness and engagement, then your to-go metrics will be views, shares, and comments.

Learning the art of storytelling is important for anyone intending to create effective ad campaigns. For short-form videos, it’s even more important because you have very little time to connect with your audience on an emotional level and leave them with lasting impressions.

Storytelling will help you humanize your brand, offer value, and keep your viewers hooked from the beginning to the end. Combine this with a well-structured funnel, and your campaigns become even more effective.

One other great thing about using short-form videos for marketing is that they are highly adaptable. As such, they can also be included in blog content or email marketing strategies for better outcomes.

Short-form videos assist businesses in reaching out and enhancing engagement with their audience. Using the tips offered here will ensure that you are in the best position to leverage this active content format.

Remember, success lies in choosing the right platform, following trends wisely, and aligning videos with clear objectives. Start experimenting today, and watch your brand’s visibility soar.

James Diko is a dedicated physiotherapist and experienced content writer with over five years of diverse writing experience. My specialties include tech writing, crafting engaging crypto/trading and business articles, health-related pieces, SEO-friendly web content, technical automobile reviews, and captivating product descriptions.