How emerging businesses can harness the power of short videos

In a world where goldfish-like attention spans prevail, businesses that prioritise short-form content and reels are poised to surge ahead of the competition. The key is to recognise the potential of brevity, where seconds matter, and content is king. To many, embracing short video marketing is no longer a choice but a necessity to conquer the digital realm. Let's take a closer look into the intricacies of the short video revolution that has proven to be a highly effective marketing tool for Bangladeshi businesses in recent times.

Are short videos needed for marketing?

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, the role of short videos has gained prominence, especially for Bangladeshi businesses. For instance, well-established companies like bKash used short videos to teach their target audience essential aspects of their core services. Companies like 10 Minute School, foodpanda, Pathao, and Shajgoj have in their initial phase implemented short-video strategies to grab the attention of targeted audiences. 

According to The New York Times, the average human attention span has dwindled to a mere 8 seconds. In this age of fleeting focus, businesses face the daunting task of swiftly captivating their audience. Enter short-form content and reels, the beacons of hope for brands seeking to shine in this cutthroat digital arena. 

The educational power of short videos

Modern research findings paint a vivid picture that short-form content receives a staggering 94% more views than its long-form counterparts. This data underscores the profound impact of brevity, where less is indeed more. Short videos are the vehicles that effortlessly transport viewers through a whirlwind of information, entertaining and educating within the blink of an eye. For example, a Facebook reel about English learning, of no more than 30 seconds, is usually enough to shower aspiring learners with the know-how of basic grammar, public speaking skills, or how to speak in an interview.

Farhan Sami, CEO of the local creative marketing agency Pencil Box, believes that short videos can effectively educate the audience about a startup's offerings, making them especially useful for sectors like healthcare, education, and other services. "Emerging startups can use this form of videos to create brand awareness so that the target group feels the willingness to take the services and to choose them," says Sami. As such, short videos can be used to educate people and make potential customers understand a company's brand value.

However, there are certain unforeseen downsides to using short videos as the primary marketing tool. "Millennials and boomers are not used to these digital platforms. For this reason, short video messages and production play an important role in conveying the messages to them as well," adds Sami. This brings in a rather important question: how engaging are short videos?

The power of engagement

One crucial aspect of the short video's success is the initial hook. Viewers decide within seconds whether they'll continue watching; making creativity and execution paramount. Mithun Das Kabbo, Founder and Chief Storyteller of Trash Box Limited, a local digital marketing firm that makes short video content for their clients, says, "In a world where the attention span of the audience hovers between 5-10 seconds, creating a captivating hook is more than important; it's the difference between holding the viewer's interest and losing them." According to him, proper idealisation and execution are required - factors which demand creativity to produce engaging content.

Short-form videos also tend to be more approachable and compelling than more traditional methods of marketing. With an average video length of 15 to 30 seconds, businesses can get their point through in a relatively short amount of time. This enables viewers to access content on the run with little to no commitment. According to statistics from the international video production company Wyzowl, 73% of customers prefer to watch short videos to understand more about a product or service. 

With short videos, viewers may access and engage with content at any time, whether they are posting Snapchat stories on the subway or viewing YouTube shorts while waiting for their dentist. Users will also be more likely to watch videos and engage with them if it has a vertical feed because they are used to doing so on applications like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Videos that are horizontally oriented, on the other hand, usually appear small and are difficult to view, which decreases interest - adds the report from Wyzowl.

A cost-effective approach

Speaking on budgeting short videos for marketing, Kabbo says, "Even businesses with limited budgets can create engaging short videos using mobile phones and creative ideas. This cost efficiency starkly contrasts traditional advertising methods that often demand significant financial resources." According to Kabbo, the market price also plays a factor in determining the budget behind this unique marketing technique. How a startup approaches short video marketing strategies depends on the implementation and quality of the videos.

"The reach or growth of the businesses through this video content depends on the channels they are using," says Sami. "For example, if Bangladeshi agricultural content is uploaded on Instagram, you wouldn't expect a lot of reach, as most fans and viewers of agricultural content are mainly Facebook users. Thus, the platform where the short video is uploaded plays an important role in reaching the target audience."

Kabbo emphasises, "Even when we are creating OVC (online video commercials), we have to make short versions of these videos as reels." By doing so, the reach is maximised and at the same time, the outreach in digital marketing can be increased. He further adds that the reach more or less depends on the budget, and content like AVC, OVC, and TVC are all included in this budget. For these types of production, it is best to have a separate team, with freelancers even being required at times. 

In the realm of short video marketing, creativity takes centre stage. Ideas and thoughts are of utmost importance, especially when budgets are constrained. The attention economy, with its fleeting moments, challenges businesses to be bold and inventive, as viewers decide in an instant whether to stay or scroll past. 

However, early-stage startups or businesses often do not have the budget to afford high-quality short video content for their marketing needs. Nonetheless, they can still opt to create short videos on their own simply by using a mobile phone and a good idea that capitalises on current trends. "When the technical requirements are minimised automatically it becomes cost effective. Sometimes, clients make videos with their mobile phones and reach out to us for the final touch and editing," says Kabbo. 

Organic growth and high engagement

The attention economy, as it's aptly called, is relentless. However, the growth rate of businesses through short video content is impressive. According to experts, these videos generate 10 times more views organically. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has officially stated that Facebook's policy and algorithm actively promote original video content that is written, shot, edited, and published by oneself or with the support of a production partner. As such, original short videos have a high organic reach compared to other types of social media content.

When well-crafted, short videos can capture the viewers' attention, leading to higher engagement. However, to truly make short videos stand out from the already saturated crowd of content on the internet, new startups should focus on quality content - suggests Kabbo. "They should be prioritising the graphics, thumbnails of the videos, and the texts. The process of posting the content and how to write a good caption should be considered before anything else," he adds.

Emerging startups should also consider posting their business content regularly, which helps maintain the attention of their audience and gives the platform's algorithm a wide enough range of content to choose from when surfacing videos. An effective method of doing this is to collaborate with influencers who have a proven history of creating high-quality content and already have audiences that are comparable to their business values. 

Suggested lengths for short videos

As per experts, suggested lengths for each short-form video platform are: between 11 and 17 seconds for TikTok; between 7 and 15 seconds for Instagram; between 15 and 60 seconds for YouTube; and 5 to 60 seconds for Snapchat Spotlight videos.

When creating short videos for marketing, companies should avoid recycling content. Instagram has officially declared that it has begun giving original content on its platform a higher priority since last year. This implies that repeated content can receive less attention, which would harm the intended audience's reach and engagement levels.

There is a compelling need for Bangladeshi businesses to harness the power of short-form content and reels to stay relevant in the digital marketing landscape. The evidence is clear that short videos are superior in capturing and retaining an audience's attention, resulting in higher engagement rates and conversion rates. These forms of content are not just fleeting trends; they have become foundational pillars in the marketing strategies of businesses. The requirement is to recognise the potential within it. Embracing short video marketing is not just a choice; it is a strategic move that can leave a lasting impact on the journey to thrive in the online world.