Even for our own clients at IronGlove Studio®, we’ve seen strong social gains for engagement, followers, and website traffic when implementing short-form video into our social media strategy.
Why does short-form, “snackable” video content rule the social game?
90% of consumers say they watch short-form videos on their phones daily, and with so many brands jumping on board to prioritize this form of content, it’s hard to ignore the impact. Many platforms are increasingly focusing on short, engaging, quick content.
Consumers’ attention spans are shrinking and mobile-first habits are increasing. Algorithms reward rapid engagement and completion rates (when users watch the entirety of a video) so with quick, attention-grabbing videos, brands can hook and reach wider audiences with story-driven, visual snippets.
How can you create snappy, authentic short social videos?
Here are some best practices that you can implement across channels, whether you’re prioritizing Reels, TikTok, or Shorts:
- Hook viewers immediately. The first few seconds are crucial to get them to stay locked in!
- Prioritize authenticity over polish; gone are the days of overly-polished, professional content. Audiences now prefer real, natural moments and relatability.
- Use storytelling, humor, and relatable themes instead of hard selling. Keep it light, fun, and engaging for viewers.
- Keep videos under ~45 seconds for optimal retention. For TikTok, the sweet spot is actually around 15-60 seconds, Reels is 10-30 seconds, and Shorts are up to 60 seconds.
We also recommend ensuring your platform SEO optimizations are up to date and that you’re following best practices per channel there. Optimize captions, keywords, and hashtags for discoverability and to boost algorithm performance.
Why does content repurposing matter to your overall strategy?
Adapting long-form content into multiple short clips can save you time, stretch your budget, and maximize your content and efforts even more across channels.
Some tips for repurposing include batch recording long-form content then editing into multiple snackable clips for each platform you’re active on, customizing each clip to match the native platform styles (cuts, subtitles, background music, etc), and using video highlights for Stories, static images from clips for posts, or podcast/audio formats when possible.
Our Snackable Approach with LeDoux Insurance Agency
Earlier this year, we onboarded LeDoux Insurance Agency, a local Oregon-based insurance agency based out of Eugene, to support their social media strategy and efforts.
We immediately started incorporating more short-form video content into our social strategy, prioritizing content that focused on the team, educating audiences about insurance in a fun and approachable way, and adding more color to their social channels with video content.
In the first month alone, our approach and content brought a +7k% increase in accounts reached on Facebook, +106.6% increase in page visits to Facebook, +2.4k% increase in impressions on Facebook, +7.8k% increase in link clicks on Facebook, +5.7k% increase in accounts reached on Instagram, and +100% increase in engagements on Instagram, all in comparison to the previous month.
We focused on authenticity, showcasing the team and unique stories of team members, repurposing footage across active social channels, and testing out what resonates with audiences, and what doesn’t.
Where to go from here?
Short-form, snackable video is now becoming the foundation of a successful social strategy, and marketers simply can’t ignore the opportunities it brings.
By embracing authenticity and maximizing assets across platforms through smart repurposing, you can unlock new audiences, increased visibility and engagement, and more thoughtful tests and messaging.
Don’t be afraid to try new things, break out of your comfort zone, and listen to what your audience desires!
