Keeping Social Media Entertaining with Short Form Video

By Katelyn Lugo

2020 was arguably one of the most difficult, uncertain years in recent history. 2020’s bad vibes spilled over into our social media feeds, and we were bombarded with negative articles, posts, and videos. In order to escape the negativity but still engage with social mediums, users began to turn to short-form videos as entertainment.

As TikTok became more widely-used across the U.S., users flocked to the app to consume short user-generated content that was educational, engaging, and, most importantly, entertaining! Other apps have popped up recently to mimic the success of short-form videos, which has increased time spent metrics for most social mediums:

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Currently, the only app that supports ads is TikTok. However, unless you live in India, TikTok ads can only be targeted by state and larger, not cities. If your business can advertise state-wide, you should highly consider utilizing TikTok. Users of all ages live on this platform, and the targeting capabilities are fully comprehensive. Businesses can target users based on the type of content users are consuming, providing the potential to reach exact target audiences.

Though the other short-form video apps don’t have advertising available, platforms such as Snapchat Spotlight and Instagram Reels are working to make it happen. In the meantime, businesses should consider utilizing the other features offered by these mediums. Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube all have in-depth targeting capabilities that work well for short-form videos that show up on other placements throughout their apps. If you start advertising on these platforms, your business will be ready for Instagram Reels and Snapchat Spotlight once they solidify ad placements!

From 2019 to 2020, video watching on all platforms has increased. If your business doesn’t have a video strategy in place now, both organic and paid, you’re missing out on brand awareness opportunities and potential customers.

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