Have a plan for using short-form videos on your social media
The trend of social media users to watch videos continues to increase, especially as more of the platforms allow for and promote them. Ninety-one percent of Instagram users report watching videos daily and videos on Facebook receive 10 times more shares than other types of posts.
However, when you check your platform statistics, you may notice that viewers tend to watch the beginnings of most videos then drop off. While there are good reasons to post “longer” videos, there are many benefits to posting “short-form videos” so that there is a better chance of the full content being watched.
Hootsuite defines short-form videos as “video content that is between five seconds and ninety seconds long. Short videos are intended to be quick, easily digestible content for viewers scrolling through social media feeds or other outlets.” Many social media sources state that 15 – 30 seconds is the target in general, and 7 – 15 seconds on Instagram (along with a link to more information for those interested.) At the diocese, we tried to keep most videos to two-minutes, and even that has proven to be too long for some viewers.
The most popular venues for short-form video are:
+ Instagram Reels
+ Instagram Stories
+ Facebook Reels
+ Facebook Stories
+ TikTok
+ YouTube Shorts
Did you know that viewers can retain up to 95% of the information conveyed through video, whereas text-based information retains only a mere 10%? (https://www.insivia.com/2023-saas-marketing-report/) Therefore, if you are not currently using short-form videos, it might be something to consider. Here are a few tips for planning for your short-form videos:
- Who is the target audience? (Current members of your parish/school/agency? The general community?)
- What is the goal of your video? ( i.e. Will you use it for program or event awareness, connecting with your existing followers on a more personal level, or utilize it to engage new people?)
- Where will you post it? Different platforms have different requirements for optimal sharing (i.e., recording on your phone vertically or horizontally? Length less than 15 seconds, less than one minute, etc.)
- How will you repurpose it? (i.e., consider using it on various platforms; possibly remix a couple shorts together to place on YouTube or Facebook, looks at taking segments from longer-form videos.)
- Have fun with it!
Take some time to watch short form videos and note what you like about certain ones (and what you dislike) to help you think up ideas for your parish, school, or agency!
