7 Reasons Why You Should Be Mastering Short-Form Content for Impactful Marketing

Short-form content is an impactful marketing tool that makes it easy for consumers to absorb the information in just minutes or seconds, keeping them engaged in the topic.

The content can come in many forms, including blog posts or videos, but always offers a condensed and concise insight into a specific topic area rather than giving too much detail, which can result in a loss of attention from the consumer.

Instead of long-form blogs and case studies that take more time to produce and can hinder reader engagement, businesses are expected to get on board with creating short-form content such as TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and social media posts in 2023.

Generally, if a piece of text is less than 1,000 words and a video is under three minutes, it’s considered short-form content. 

However, Brandon Sanders – Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialist at Sprout Social – believes the length of short-form content can depend on the platform on which it is posted. He said: “With the rise of platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Vine, short-form video is actually getting shorter and lending itself more to 60-second to two-minute videos.

“I think the perception of short-form content on platforms like YouTube is actually around that 10-minute sweet spot because content on YouTube tends to be more comprehensive and longer.”

Advantages of Short-Form Content

• Quick production time. It doesn’t take as long to produce short-form content as long-form content. This frees up time to focus on other marketing efforts like promotion and distribution and allows businesses to publish a greater volume of content which keeps the brand in a consumer’s mind.
• Easy to absorb. Shorter pieces lower commitment levels and encourage consumers to stick around till the end. Limiting length could be a simple way to increase readership and engagement metrics.
• Demand is high. Short-form video content is the future of digital marketing. The popularity surge is attributed to a faster media cycle, more smartphone users, short attention spans, younger generations, and platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.
• Quick conversions. Short-form content can be consumed quicker, so consumers will reach your call-to-action and internal links faster.

Examples of Short-Form Content

• Blog posts. Short blog posts can bring in as much traffic as longer blog posts if the writer uses the appropriate keywords for SEO.
• Social media posts. Almost all social media content is short-form because you’re looking to immediately hook consumers with a single line or two in a crowded feed.
• Print and digital advertisements. Using snappy facts and figures alongside visuals puts a product or service in the spotlight and ultimately draws attention from consumers.
• Short videos and podcasts. A business can produce a short-form video for its social media channels to repurpose a longer video, such as a podcast or webinar. Additionally, social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram encourage more people to use short-form videos to expand their social reach.
• Infographics. Eye-catching infographics can generate consumer interest, provide quick updates about products or services, or summarize essential information about a business.
• Email campaigns. Easy-to-read sentences, bullet points, short paragraphs, white space, and subheadings make an email easy to scan. 
• Landing pages. Landing pages rely on precise and digestible content, such as images and visuals, to convince visitors to act on the desired goal and influence conversion. 
• Chatbot scripts. Well-written and engaging chatbot scripts are always concise and conversational. A consumer can not as easily find an answer to their query in a larger piece of text.

Seven reasons why short-form content is impactful for marketing 

1. Ideal length

Short-form content is the ideal length for the Gen Z attention span, which is around 2.7 minutes on average. This is why TikTok is mainly used by those aged 18 to 24.

(Image Source: Oberlo)

Short-form content delivers a message quickly and efficiently. This makes shorter content ideal for social media platforms like Instagram, where users scroll through their feeds quickly.

People are also impatient and likely to scan the content for the good bits rather than reading a long post, so naturally, short-form content can be more appealing and instantly offer consumers value.

2. Engaging 

Short-form content ranks number one for lead generation and engagement, which increases brand awareness and future sales.

It may be hard for consumers to stay engaged by a long piece of content if they are reading or watching from their mobile phone whilst on the train to work, on their lunch break, or while having a quick coffee. 

3. Shareable

Short-form content is highly shareable, which means it can reach a broader audience and potentially go viral.

People love to share content online that they find interesting or entertaining or that provides value to their friends and acquaintances. 

Remember, not all content is produced for SEO; even something as simple as a funny image can get plenty of shares and increase brand awareness.

4. Creates trends

Short-form content allows businesses to capitalize on trends by creating content that consumers can easily jump on, which keeps them engaged.

TikTok is full of dance routines, challenges, and trends, so, a brand must get involved to find themselves on the “For You” page and increase brand awareness. 

5. It accompanies the rise of social media

Short-form content is often created for social media, which was the most popular digital marketing channel in 2022, followed by marketing through a website or blog.

6. It sees a high ROI 

Short-form video content sees the highest return on investment (ROI) for social media marketing, which is a massive benefit for businesses using this method.

63% of video marketers say that the number of views is one of the metrics they use to measure the ROI on their video content.

(Image Source: Wyzowl)

7. It can be embedded everywhere

Short-form content can be embedded as links to websites and other long-form content, meaning it is not limited to social media.

Embedded videos or infographics can give readers an insight into the most essential information on the page.

Final Thoughts

Short-form content can positively impact a business’s marketing strategy, particularly if they adopt the use of short, visually appealing videos that can connect businesses with their audiences cost-effectively.

Creating short videos as part of your marketing strategy can draw attention to your business, increase consumer engagement, and help your business go viral with shareable and trending content.