Short Form Video Production
Short form video production is becoming increasingly popular. Videos (short form and long form) make up 80% of all internet traffic. That statistic has continued to climb for many years, now, and shows no signs of slowing down. Plus, viewers are 5-10 times more likely to retain a message delivered by video, as opposed to text – which makes videos a great strategy to implement for any business or brand. Short form video production is an easy way to reach an audience, and can be done without taking up a lot of time or budget.
Why Are Videos So Popular?
Videos are popular because they entice and entrance so many more senses than just words can ever allow. Sure, people pleasure-read, and enter into entire worlds of sensation they create in their minds. But that’s for something really engaging. When people do internet searches, they’re typically not looking for the sort of experience a novel can provide.
Videos allow people to not only see, but hear, feel emotion, engage with colors, and feel more present with what’s happening. That, and in our modern culture, people like entertainment, news, and education (as much as possible) to come to them. Reading can take more effort than people are sometimes interested in giving. But adding video can make a big difference. Especially short form video production, as it doesn’t “ask” very much time or investment from your audience, but delivers entertainment, news, and education very quickly.
Short Form Video Production for Social Media
One of the best places for any company or brand to start is with short form video production for social media. Almost all social media platforms are beginning to prioritize video posts in their algorithms. The reason, of course, being that videos are more popular than other posts. So, if you post a short form video production, it will get more views than your other posts.
So much can be portrayed in 15-60 seconds of video. A company or brand can explain their entire summarized purpose for existing. You can show a heartfelt experience or interaction you’ve had with a customer or client. Go live stream to show off a typical day at the office, or on the job. Perhaps you can show what life is like for you now, working remotely. There are literal tons of ideas for content. Here’s a few ideas:
1. Create a Behind-the-Scenes Video
People are very interested in the ways others live their lives. To someone who isn’t familiar with the specifics of your work, even mundane details can be fascinating. Consider that there are people who clean carpets on YouTube and get 1million+ views for their videos and you’ll have a starting point. Keep it simple. Just show people your work life.
2. Post a Multi-Promotion Video
Create a video that promotes your company helping out the community. It promotes you and your brand, the cause(s) or organization(s) you’re helping out, and overall makes people feel like they’re not watching a commercial. But, they will remember you when the need what you offer! Short videos about helping out the community can also easily go viral.
3. Try Out a Tutorial Video
When selling your product or service you may already be taking steps with customers or clients to make sure they get full use from their purchase. A tutorial video essentially provides that “how to use this” knowledge to prospects. Sometimes, people feel more comfortable with a company or brand if they can see upfront how things are supposed to work. Which can lead to more sales.
How to Create a Short Form Video Production
The how to of short form video production is relatively simple. The fact is, audiences prefer videos that look more professional. However, a little lighting, a decent video camera, simple editing software, and some basic knowledge of the process can go a long way. It’s also not very expensive to hire a professional company to do the work for you. Plus, it can save you a lot of time learning the process, and the professionals can even give you more in-depth ideas on how to make use the video, post-production.
If doing short form video production yourself, however, start small. There’s nothing wrong with joining the many others who create videos or live streams from their smartphone. Not that any video is better than no video, but starting is better than not starting.
Here are the absolute basic things we recommend you get if you plan on handling your own short form video production. This list is just to get you started:
1. Tripod
2. Video Camera
3. Camera Light
4. Extra Batteries (you’ll thank us later)
5. Memory Card
6. Video Camera Bag
7. Video Editing Software
Just enough to have a portable bundle you can carry with you that will make your videos stand out a little more.
Short Form Video Production is not Time-Consuming
It’s true. Short form video production is not time-consuming. If you’re new to the idea, like anything else, there’s a learning curve involved. However, the curve for short form videos is manageable, and the payoff can be big. Just remember that each video only has to be 15-60 seconds long. The idea can be very basic. The setup can be very basic, as well.
Once you record your video, upload it to your video editing software, and add music. If you’re really fancy, try implementing multiple shots, work on cuts, transitions, and really try to pull on some heartstrings. Or, remember that you don’t have to be a professional to get solid content out to your audience. No one’s expecting perfection.
As we mentioned above, you can also hire a professional. At Lightbulb Media, we have all the equipment, training, and experience necessary to help with your short form videos. We can even work with you to create a handful of them in just a day or half day of work. Contact us today if you’d like a complimentary consultation on your project!