Short-Form Video Content Trends that Win Viewer’s Attention
Bumper ads and other short-form video content have been trending for the past few years.
Accelerated more rapidly in recent months, by a “new normal,” online video has proven to be a powerful medium for boosting brand awareness and reach.
Because video allows brands the ability to adapt quickly to viewer's needs, whatever that may be today and whatever that may become tomorrow.
Advertisers are in constant competition to earn viewer’s attention. That’s why Colormatics developed this article to share what we have learned in light of this new wave of storytelling.
New Wave of Storytelling
To connect with your audience, you need to understand their unique intent. Intent meaning, why are they watching videos and what are they expecting when your brand’s ad pops up on their screen.
If you miss this crucial mark, you risk damaging the brand as the ad may come across as overly “sales-y” and not empathetic to current day.
In other words, read the room.
September 2020, Google published a new report on consumer trends and pandemic video behaviour. The study found that the top reasons people turn to online video have changed.
There are currently 3 main reasons people turn to video: to learn a new skill, to view product reviews and demos and as a positive pick-me-up.
How advertisers are using video content to tell a brand’s story needs to evolve alongside video consumption and viewer behavior.
Maximize Effectiveness
Attention is a gift, knowing this, Colormatics developed 3 tips to win viewer’s attention.
Capture Attention Quickly
Mobile consumption is fast and time spent with interacting with content is typically short. At Facebook we know that 47% of the value in a video campaign is delivered in the first 3 seconds because of this it is critical to capture attention right away and consolidate your message to 15 seconds or less.
Simplified Message
People move through content quickly, it’s essential to ensure the most important message is delivered within the first 3 seconds.
If your objective is brand, you need to ensure your message delivers that clearly, quickly and with impact
If your objective is conversion, you need to focus on your product or service you provide
Design for Sound On/Off
Think of the many different ways you take in video.
Sometimes you are plugged in, audio on, and your attention is turned away from the screen for one reason (children) or another. A narrated audio with the brand’s message is necessary.
Other times, audio is not on. Text and graphics need to make the brand message easy to understand in a sound off environment.
Distribution and Sequencing Trends
Short-form video content offers advertisers a unique way to distribute and sequence ads without viewers perceiving the ads as annoying.
There are a multitude of different video content trends and how you choose to distribute and sequence may determine whether or not you hit company marketing goals.
Tease, Amplify, Echo
Tease, amplify and echo is a trend in delivering a combination of short and long-form video in a rise and fall style sequence:
- Short-form video to seed an idea and intrigue the audience
- Long-form video to amplify viewer's interest by offering a deeper experience
- Short-form video to echo or remind your audience and encourage an action.
Each ad sequence is triggered by impressions. Viewers are only served the next ad after they have been exposed to the previous video in the sequence.
It is best to develop multiple versions of tease, amplify and echo tailored to each of your specific target markets. Using data analytics you can identify the top-performing sequence to shift ad spend behind it.
By simply lifting snippets from a long-form video, using the tease, amplify and echo content trends you can build multiple highly effective video marketing campaigns that engage your audience without being repetitive and annoying.
Conditional Mini-Series
Do you remember the “choose your own adventure” books we all loved as kids?
The conditional mini-series trend is a very similar concept to the “choose your own adventure” books. These stories are written with YOU as the main protagonist in a story with multiple possible story lines.
The video content sequence begins with a short-form, skippable ad, think of this as “chapter 1.”
The second “chapter” in the sequence would reward viewers who had played the entire ad with a long-form video that offers a deeper experience.
Users who skipped “chapter 1” would be served a second short-video, directly referencing their decision to skip.
In the final chapter, “chapter three,” people who watched chapter two’s long-form video are served a quick call-to-action, while viewers who chose to skip the long-form ad are served a short-video, directly referencing their decision to skip.
The conditional mini-series offers the ability to foster viewer engagement, as it provides a personalized ad experience.
Singular Concept
The singular concept trend is a lot more of a “straight shot.” This trend refers to setting a sequence of six-second, non-skippable bumper ads.
Sticking to a singular concept delivered sequentially to viewers where each video ad conveys a clear call-to-action.
Serving bumper ads sequentially is effective for grabbing audience attention and driving higher purchase intent when compared to skippable ads.
Learn more about what makes bumper ads such a powerful marketing tool in today’s world by reading the Colormatics article, “Bumper Ads Boost Brand Reach.”
Short-Form Video Content Trends Key Notes
- Bumper Ads are trending.
- 3 main reasons people turn to video: to learn a new skill, to pick-me-up and to view product demos.
- Tease, amplify and echo builds a highly effective video marketing campaign that engages your audience without being repetitive and annoying.
- The conditional mini-series offers the ability to foster viewer engagement, as it provides a personalized ad experience.
- Serving bumper ads sequentially is particularly effective for grabbing audience attention and driving higher purchase intent in comparison to skippable ads.
