Content marketing is getting shorter than ever. Explainer videos at 90-120 seconds were considered short until the 6-second Vine and 15-second Instagram video arrived on the scene. If it was difficult to present a value proposition in 2 minutes, getting it down to 6-15 seconds can be downright tricky. What story can you tell in so little time? Despite the tight time constraints these super short videos are a great way to engage your audience with new product and service introductions, convey your value proposition, showcase your identity and share your message – not to mention increase followers of your brand and increase sales.
Here are the primary stories being told in 6-15 second videos:
- Brand story: Use a few seconds to showcase your personality. It can be a cute animated character like the Energizer Bunny or it could be your CEO telling your company story. It should be memorable and engaging if you are going to increase brand recognition. Fortunately, the combination of picture, sound and text increases retention up to 50% more than text alone.
- How-to: The short video form is perfect for showing your viewers how to use your product. The hashtag #howto is one of the top trending tags on all of Vine. Cadbury presents a short Vine video of how to open up their chocolate egg and spoon out the creamy middle. Genius.
- Describe products/services: Got a new product or service? Create a quick 6-15 second promotional video to let everyone know. Car maker Opel showcases all the colors of its vehicles in a short Vine video. Seeing it is the first step to buying it.
- Introduce an employee/leader: A humorous skit or a direct message from the CEO lets your audience know who you are and what you represent. Marketing today is about transparency and honesty. People don’t want glossy images of leaders anymore. They want to get to know the real you (especially if the real you is interesting and engaging).
- A behind the scenes look: Would you like to go into the pilot’s cockpit or the kitchen of a busy McDonald’s? Back stage is fascinating stuff, so don’t be afraid to take your audience to where the real action is. In just a few seconds, they can get a vision of quality, professionalism, excellence, and humor.
- Logo animation or just a quick glance of your brand: An animated logo may be enough to keep your viewers remembering you. Another option is to present your brand in fun way. Dunkin’ Donut’s created a 6-second Vine clip of a latte that flips a coin to signify the start of Monday Night’s football game.
Short videos are today’s dominant marketing strategy. The cost of the video is small compared to the payoff. A 6-15 second video will help build your brand especially if it is a part of a larger marketing strategy of content-rich blogs, pod casts and lengthier video marketing clips.
– Video Caddy
