The Rise of Short-Form Video Content: Transforming User Engagement in 2024

Short-form video platforms have significantly reshaped user behavior. This is especially true when it comes to influencing purchase decisions and brand interactions. Furthermore, credible studies highlight their powerful impact on consumer habits, making them essential for modern marketing strategies. To leverage this potential effectively, brands must structure their influencer campaigns thoughtfully, adopting a diversified approach akin to managing a balanced financial portfolio.

To reach diverse audiences, brands should curate a mix of nano, micro, and mega/celebrity influencers based on target demographics and campaign goals. Each influencer type offers distinct benefits: nano and micro-influencers often generate higher engagement and foster authentic connections, while mega and celebrity influencers provide extensive reach. Strategically blending these segments can maximize both impact and audience resonance.

For instance, leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Myntra have recognized short-form content's value by launching creator programs. These initiatives incentivize creators to share videos across social platforms and within e-commerce sites; thereby  enhancing user experience and directly influencing purchasing decisions. Dedicated pages featuring short-form product recommendations are now common, especially pertaining towards driving engagement and sales.

Recently, e-commerce companies have further embraced this trend by hosting large-scale creator summits during peak sales periods - showcasing a shift from traditional social media-led events. This underscores the critical role of short-form videos in shaping consumer behavior. Therefore, brands that adopt well-diversified, innovative strategies will be best positioned to thrive in the dynamic short-form video marketing landscape.

To suffice it, integrating short-form video content into a marketing strategy offers significant opportunities but presents key challenges that businesses must navigate for success.

Here below are some of the noteworthy aspects to be aware of:

Creator Selection 

Choosing the right creators is crucial for any campaign. Businesses need to identify influencers based on factors like follower count, genre, region, and engagement rates. While tools and agencies can help, relying on pre-packaged influencer deals may not deliver the best results. Curating a customized set of creators ensures better alignment with the brand’s goals and audience.

Content Strategy

Crafting engaging content with consistent messaging is essential. Whether for a sales push or brand awareness, ensuring coherence across all touchpoints is vital. This is especially important in 360-degree campaigns, where influencer content must align with the overall brand message for a unified impact.

Optimal Number of Creators

There is no fixed rule for how many creators a campaign needs. Success depends on objectives and audience reach. Some campaigns thrive with 50 influencers, while others, like Lay’s, have used over 750. Experimentation and ongoing evaluation help determine the right number, allowing brands to adjust based on performance.

By addressing these challenges - selecting the right creators, developing a consistent content strategy, and optimizing the influencer pool - businesses can effectively leverage short-form videos to engage audiences and drive growth.

Ensuring Originality and Authenticity

Maintaining originality and authenticity amid the rapid rise of short-form video content is a significant challenge for creators. The fast-paced nature of short video platforms encourage trends where creators often draw inspiration from popular themes and hashtags that have proven successful. While this can boost visibility, it also leads to repetitive content and makes it difficult to determine who initiated a viral trend. For instance, numerous videos may circulate featuring the same office joke, making it hard to attribute the original idea.

Another, but more serious issue arises when individuals impersonate popular creators or repost downloaded videos as their own. This not only undermines the efforts of genuine content creators but also creates confusion for audiences. In such cases, creators should report the impersonation to the social media platforms and, if necessary, file a complaint with cyber police. Unfortunately, until fake accounts are identified and addressed, options for recourse remain limited.

Despite these challenges, authentic creators should remain committed to their unique voice and originality. Consistently producing quality content and promptly reporting impersonation or copied work helps protect their brand and maintains trust with their audience.

Short-form videos drive higher engagement than traditional long-form content due to their brief, entertaining nature, which promotes higher completion rates and captures attention effectively in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. 

Key metrics for success

Marketers should define clear campaign objectives and relevant KPIs. For instance:

Brand Awareness and Recall: To boost visibility or top-of-mind (TOM) recall, collaborate with a diverse range of creators. Track metrics like reach, impressions, video views, hashtag usage, and engagement rates at both individual and aggregate levels.

Traffic and Conversions: For driving website traffic or conversions, focus on click-through rates (CTR) and conversion metrics.

Performance Marketing Insights

Consumer tech and e-commerce brands can enhance ROI by using creator videos in performance marketing. These campaigns, optimized for traffic and conversion metrics, reveal which creators deliver the best results. Interestingly, high-performing creators aren’t always the most obvious choices. By analyzing performance data, brands can identify influencers who genuinely drive purchase behavior. This data-driven strategy ensures that short-form video campaigns remain engaging and impactful across different marketing goals.

Devising Personalized Content

Personalization is crucial to the success of short-form video campaigns, as it enhances audience connection and drives engagement. Videos should feel organic, engaging, and either entertaining or informative. Rather than overtly promoting a product, creators and brands should focus on seamlessly integrating it into the content to subtly influence purchasing decisions. Many brands now prefer creating tailored scripts for each influencer, allowing room for improvisation rather than distributing a standardized script. This approach ensures that the content resonates more authentically with each influencer's audience, enhancing its impact.

However, even with highly personalized integration, it’s important to recognize that branded content typically sees lower engagement rates compared to a creator’s average. Brands should adjust their success metrics accordingly, setting realistic expectations based on this trend.

About the Author

Prajna brings over 13 years of marketing experience, including 6.5 years in the entertainment sector, focusing on gaming and short-video apps. An IIM Shillong graduate (2011), she currently heads marketing at Hipi (a Zee Entertainment short-video app). Her previous roles include positions at Zynga, Amazon, and Quikr.