5 ways short videos can help you build your brand online

From telling interactive stories to running campaigns and driving conversions, there is a lot a brand stands to win with short videos, we explain how.

With Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, the scope of short videos on global platforms is increasing by the day. While creators are first in line to make the most of such opportunities, brands too have a lot to gain if they were to start leveraging such touchpoints.

In an earlier Samosa Talks session, Saket Jha Saurabh, Head – Entertainment Partnerships, Facebook India had explained how Reels are short videos that are snackable in nature but shouldn't be considered in strategies as one would their ephemeral counterpart, Stories.

"While Stories are used for more spontaneous storytelling, Reels are slightly on the curation side of the content creation process. It’s snackable but not ephemeral, making it a very different experience/product from Facebook," he had explained, adding how they are seeing a lot of content around music/lip-sync, comedy sketches, food and tutorials.

When asked to brainstorm a couple of probable use-case scenarios for YouTube Shorts, Digidart’s CEO & Founder, Siddhartha Vanvani had told us that it could be best used to put up educational content, which explains real-life problems that can be solved by the brand in question.

Announcements, giveaways, contents and brand engagement activities could also be planned with the help of such short videos. "Shorts can be used to make swift changes to brand voice and persona," he had explained.

We take a look at how brands can make the most of short videos to tell stories and engage with people online.

Show your human side

Your brand is made up of people, who each has a story and a reason to be a part of your company. Some of these stories are bound to be such that they help your consumers/customers feel close to your brand's ethos. You can give space to your people to tell their tales and engage with your followers.

In order to portray a slightly candid and yet strong presence on Instagram, Mumbai Police had put up a Reel depicting a masked police officer wearing spectacles against the backdrop of a Singham song. It helped add a layer of infotainment to the communication while ensuring the message got through in a palatable way. The imagery of a real cop was key to it.

Collaborate for content

Getting influencers on board to create short videos can work well, especially if you have a specific reason at the time. It could be about a product offering or an advocacy campaign where you invite relevant persons to be your voice. In case they are going to share content on their personal profiles as well, make sure you create two separate pieces to maximise the impact.

Also Read: 7 Things you must do when you go live on social media

Educate your followers

Almost every business comes into existence trying to solve a problem. In some cases, people have to even be told about the problem's existence in the first place. This is where short videos can help a brand assert their importance without being overbearing about the topic at hand. You can add a subtle CTA to drive conversions.

Quite a few brands have been going the DIY way to hold the attention of their users. Such videos usually have soft background music and depict a task being completed in an effortless fashion. They either feature hands or use the stop-motion technique to highlight the steps of the said task. Recently, Byju's had shared a Reel to show an easy way to make marbled milk paper.

Campaigns and contests

Announcing and running campaigns and contests via short videos can help brands hike up the probability of users engaging with them online. This can work very well in the case of topical conversations where people are already interested in knowing more and are probably searching for the same. So despite technically being a push, it can work as a pull.

Get discovered

Short videos have the potential to drive engagement without the person on the receiving end investing too much time or effort. The communication is swift and easy to consume. On their part, platforms are pushing for more and more people to create and consume such pieces, thus potentially helping brands get discovered via short videos.