Let's talk about short form video

What’s different about short-form video?

YouTube, TikTok, Insta, and Facebook are all leaning into short-form video.  So are companies.  Why is short-form video is eating the world?  Here’s our best answer:

• They’re fun-sized!  No need to make popcorn because this thing is only 30 seconds long.  The stakes are so low, it won’t even matter if I click on a bad video.  
• Authentic content > polished content.  It’s about authenticity.  Let’s say that again.  Authentic content wins every time over polished content.  Short-form video is the athleisure version of video.  
• Short-form video is frequently surprising.  A plot twist in a 30-second video is a recipe for a million views.  
• Something about our attention spans…

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What is microlearning?

I’m busy.  I just dropped by this website because I was curious.  I didn’t ask for your whole life story (and I won’t stick around to hear it).   Just give me what I want…but make it snappy and engaging.  This is where short-form video thrives.  

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Breaking up big topics is a big part of microlearning.  Give a quick intro to the most important, misunderstood, or dense ideas quickly.  Sometimes this involves giving the view a few steps to take.  

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Teasers are more important than ever

Set up the reason a visitor to your site should be interested with a great teaser.  Why should they read through all your carefully prepared (but long) marketing copy?  The teaser doesn’t answer the question, it introduces it.  

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Fun-sized videos take big concepts and break them down into bite-size pieces.

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Let’s get the value prop upfront

Do you have a nuanced product?  Or offer a number of services?  Reduce friction for your would-be buyers by communicating the thousand-foot overview upfront.  A short video is an ideal way to introduce your product (and attach a persona to your marketing).  You can use quick cuts from your video to introduce or highlight various aspects of your product.  All of this should be fully integrated with call to action.  This lets customers act immediately and make that all-important transition from traffic on your website to a (potential) customer.

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