A recent survey covering 1,000 smartphone users aged between 13 to 35 years has highlighted very interesting trends that can help you finetune your social marketing strategy and get more value out of your efforts.
Short is Sweet, Long is Stupid!
Eight out of every ten smartphone users watch short-form user-generated videos every day. This means posting a TikTok style video on your feed means that 80% of your audience aged between 13-35 years is likely to see it before the day ends.
Even after providing for uncertainties surrounding surveys, you have to agree this is a staggering number. And it gets better.
Seven out of every ten smartphone users responded that they prefer multiple short videos as compared to one long video. This is something that you too can confirm.
How many times have you begun watching a short video on your social feed only to discover that you have watched a dozen videos and liked multiple pages in a span of just 15 minutes? Sort of binge watching but for not more than a quarter of an hour at a time.
Finally, more than half the respondents indicated that long videos require a time commitment that they just are not willing to give.
So, here are some actionable points for your social marketing strategy.
It’s not just about videos. It’s the attention span that is shrinking. This means images are better than words and tweets are better than long posts. But long-form text content is not done yet. You just will have work harder to make it truly worth your audience’s time.
User-generated content matters, which means people prefer realistic and natural content as opposed to excessively-scripted ideas. So, make it glitzy and glamorous but don’t hesitate to mix it up with content that reflects real life.
Numbers matter. How many 15-second videos can you watch in ten minutes? Quite a lot, which means you cannot go overboard with quality and ignore quality.
Making good content is important but that doesn’t mean you can simply post one video a day and expect to build a huge audience base organically. Be prepared to buy followers and likes to give yourself the breathing space to build traction.
Finally, be prepared for planned obsolescence. Everybody will get on board the short video concept it will feel jaded and people will yearn for long-form content again. This means you should start prepping for the next big thing in the world of social marketing even as you master the short-video route to success.
