Short-Form Video Secrets: Crack the Code on TikTok, Reels, and Shorts

Successful social media marketing requires you to be constantly aware of new trends, how they’re perceived by your audience, and the implications of the latest algorithm updates. With audience attention spans getting shorter, engaging people within the first 5 seconds of your brand’s short videos is vital for standing out - especially since more content is being churned out on social media than ever before. 

The silver lining is - most of the content your audience views on social media platforms is pretty average. Marketing managers need to take the time to understand what different platforms and audiences expect social media platforms, today, to make a positive impact on their brand.

Organic reach on social media platforms has been on a decline year-on-year. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok increasingly want marketers to spend on ads to push their content to relevant audiences. More so, brands have to fight for attention with not just competitors, but other unrelated brands, influencers and content creators.

The exciting part for marketers is that, with great content, they can use still platforms like TikTok to reach a wide audience that may not follow their brand. This is because marketing managers don’t have to rely on followers, hashtags or shares for good content to go viral.

TikTok has long held the stance that it is an entertainment platform, not a social media platform where you catch up with your friends. Other platforms like Instagram soon followed suit by introducing features like Instagram Reels, where you see content from accounts you don’t follow.. Marketers and brands need to change their mindset about how they play on social media. This means that brands must now produce content that focuses on entertaining and engaging their audience, rather than just focusing on product promotion and nudging them towards a sale. This also presents an opportunity to reach new audiences by creating content that is not only promotional but also genuinely engaging and enjoyable.

Audiences have a different mindset while using different platforms. On LinkedIn, audiences typically have a professional hat on, where they want to learn, read good stories about people in their network, to be inspired. This is different from what audiences expect from TikTok, where one goes to see some fun videos and light-hearted content. This is similar to what should be posted on Instagram Reels. In terms of Facebook, some businesses still see success with more traditional content, however, the nature of the platform allows for more ‘casual’ content than LinkedIn.

To get traction on TikTok and Reels, marketers need to create short-form video content that aims to entertain, educate, or inspire audiences. The content that leans into these areas tends to perform better because it resonates more with audiences looking for quick, engaging, and entertaining experiences on social platforms. That’s what people are on social media for. Rarely is the point of using TikTok to buy something, and trying to get people to buy rather than feel engaged is a recipe for getting scrolled away.

Another important thing to bear in mind is that quality is much more important than quantity - the authenticity and creativity of your videos would trump high production values any day. 

The success of brands on social media is now less about polished content and more about real, relatable moments. A Reel recorded on an iPhone with the speaker holding the phone in their hand and talking into it would probably get more reach than a well-edited Photoshopped video shot with a high-quality camera. This approach not only makes content creation more accessible but also more appealing to the modern social media user.

To create short-form video content that comes across as real and authentic, brands will likely have to compromise on their brand guidelines to find success in their social strategy. The lifespan of a post is typically short, and content is likely to fall off the radar in a couple of weeks from posting. Marketers have to have to operate fairly quickly in this space, leaving a tighter timeframe for approvals and edits. This also means negotiating with the leadership team on compromises that have to be made to find any success on social platforms. Short-form video content is unlikely to look and sound like TVCs, YouTube video ads, and website content. 

Successful organic social media content is typically not polished, fun, and rough around the edges. It’s used differently and hence needs to have different production standards to that of other video content.

Edwin recommends reviewing Brittany Saunders from the B2C fashion industry on TikTok and Instagram for inspiration for raw and authentic content strategy. Another brand is Frase Skincare, that showcases the founders in a highly personalised and relatable fashion. 

Duolingo and HubSpot are good examples that have successfully created short-form content that is true to the nature of the platforms they are playing in. 

Another example of a brand that has been able to get organic cut-through on TikTok and Instagram is RyanAir. The airline initally operateded exclusively in Europe, but because their slapstick, self-sabotaging comedy Reels are characterised by humour that goes viral, people globally know about their unique value - cheap flights with absolutely no redeeming qualities.

Here are some practical tips for marketers and content creators looking to navigate the new form of social media:

• Camera quality: Your latest smartphone camera should be good enough to film videos. 
• Length of posts: 5 - 20 second videos get more cut-through than longer videos at this stage. This is likely to increase to 60 - 90 seconds in the near future.
• Reuse content across platforms: Post the same content across TikTok, Reels and Facebook as long as the content doesn’t use a specific trending audio. Avoid using the same content for LinkedIn.
• Hashtags: Use hashtags, but they are not as important as they once were. They won’t make or break your social strategy.
• Consistency over frequency: Focus on posting consistently engaging content rather than adhering to a strict posting schedule with average content. Two great posts a week is better than one average post a day.
• Leverage trending audio sparingly: While trending sounds can boost visibility, they should not dominate your content strategy. Relevance is more important than jumping on to every audio that’s going viral. If your identity doesn’t align with a trend,  simply skip it.
• Test and learn with content: Don't be afraid to experiment new content and see what resonates with your audience. Social media is an ever-evolving space, and flexibility can help you discover what truly engages your followers.

Focus on your audience's interests: Create content that reflects not just what you want to say, but also what your audience wants to hear or see.As we look ahead, evolving social media marketing continues to favour those willing to adapt and innovate - finding new, creative ways to connect with audiences. Whether through short-form videos, engaging storytelling, or by simply being more authentic, focusing on engagement is the key to driving not just reach and followers, but also conversions and sales.