It’s rare these days for Refinery to deliver an integrated campaign that doesn’t include short form video. In an increasingly crowded marketplace where audiences are precious with their attention spans, our Creative and Social teams are dreaming up and delivering bite-size content that cuts through. Whether across Facebook or Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok or Video on Demand.

Less is More

In the last decade, marketing has fundamentally shifted towards short form content, with 90% of video marketers now using it to get their message across. The rise in personal screen time has made audiences more guarded with their attention, yet short form content is able to buck this trend by hooking its audience in the first few seconds. B2B audiences are often time poor, and short videos (specifically those under 90 seconds) get to the value proposition quickly and deliver comms effectively.

Short form video generates more views – audiences are more inclined to watch the full video than scroll – more shares, better engagement and improved organic reach. B2B brands using short form video report better performance across platforms.

The Secret of Short Form’s Success

Short form’s success lies in the way we now consume media: 90% of us watch videos in our free time, and we spend an average of 1 hour 16 minutes daily watching short form content.

In our hectic world, short form represents a quick blast of knowledge, insight or entertainment – a digestible way to understand complex or technical topics. It’s become the way we learn (through how-to tutorials), build relationships (through sharing) and stay up to date.

Often, short form video content is deliberately un-corporate and unpolished; UGC or behind-the-scenes footage using employees of customers – real people over actors. Where once this might have seemed amateurish, in the current climate of AI, Fake News and filters, ‘authenticity’ gains traction. Audiences respond more favourably to relatable and ‘human’ content over perfect production.

Embrace the Form

Short form now makes up 82% of global internet traffic. Audiences retain 95% of a message relayed through video, and video content marketing generates 49% faster revenue growth compared with non-video strategies.

But as with all content creation, there are watch outs. So, what are the pros and cons for B2B short form video?

A major plus is that platforms are favouring short videos in their algorithms, and short form is being amplified making it easier to find. For B2B audiences, short form works particularly well for thought leadership, educational content and customer testimonials. It builds trust and credibility, allowing brand personalities to shine. Additionally, the same core content can be used across different platforms by adapting the format e.g. vertical cuts or shorter versions.

However, overextending content across platforms can dilute a communications’ effectiveness. And quality or meaning should never be sacrificed for speed or volume. Video content – like all creative – should be aligned to strategic, business outcomes, and not simply to current trends.

When measuring short form video, it’s important to ensure that results don’t simply include viewing figures. For best marketing outcomes, watch-time, retention, conversion, and full watch vs partial watch should also be taken into account.

How we can help

With 72% of audiences preferring video to learn about products or services, short film video is an incredibly powerful way to reach your audience. But there are lots of things to first consider: strategy, targeting/channel(s), messaging and measurement.

At Refinery, we partner with B2B companies to create bespoke short form content that builds brands and delivers growth. Our specialists ensure that each content offering is personalised, targeted and super memorable.

For expert help with your short form content, get in touch with us today.