by Kris Van Hout -

Blog #1 – Topics thesis question

Recap:
Last semester I ended my design and research with the topic ‘’short form video’’ And with this topic I created thesis questions. Which could help me finding a clearer view of what I want to do in the 4th semester. Which are:

  • Exploring the storytelling potential of short form video content on social media platforms.
  • The impact of editing techniques in creating engaging narratives in short form videos.
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of different video formats (e.g., vertical, square, horizontal) for short form video platforms.
  • The aesthetics of composition and framing in short form videos: Techniques for capturing attention.

For the design and research course this semester I would like to dive deeper in these questions and see how much potential they have and how I can make them worthy as a thesis topic.

To make it already clearer by forehand what short form video is and other terms in these questions. I made a glossary for terms that I think will be very handy to know.

Glossary:

Short form video:
Short form video is to a type of video content that typically has a shorter duration compared to traditional long-form videos. These videos are often created for social media. Short form videos are made to capture viewers’ attention quickly and deliver content in engaging way, they usually are between a few seconds to a few minutes.

Social Media Storytelling:
Social media storytelling uses content on social media, such as posts, pictures, videos or interactive content, to tell a story about your company, product or brand.

Short-term storytelling:
Story telling which lasts for one piece of content.

Long-term storytelling:
Story telling which takes place over multiple pieces of content and over a period of time.

User participation interaction:
The engagement and involvement of users in the content or experience. It provides the chance for users to actively participate, contribute, or interact with the content or the overall experience.

Content Trends:
Content trends refer to the popular and prevailing themes, topics, formats, or styles that are prominent in a particular period.

by Kris Van Hout -

Short form Video and the Goldfish Effect

In the 00’s the human attention span was measured at 12 seconds. And fast forward to today out attention span has markedly decreased. As a consequence, short form video is now more popular than before.
The average human attention span is now shorter than a goldfish’s, it is estimate to be just around 8 seconds (one second below a goldfish).
TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels among many other similar applications are now trending and showing no sign to slow down that decrease.
For marketer, this has opened up new avenues to reach the consumer. As a result, that short-form videos are one of the most in-demand social media marketing tools in 2022.

In 2021 Google was the most popular website worldwide. However, towards the end of 2021 TikTok surpassed Google. I now even use TikTok as a search engine rather than I use google.

These videos have higher retention rates, making them more likely to capture the viewers’ attention and for longer in comparison to long-form videos’, notes and graphics.
It is difficult to define how short a short video is. As this variates form platform to platform. It differs from 15 seconds long to 60 seconds to 3 minutes. But on YouTube they talk about short-form video when a video is 5-10 minutes long. Research suggest that the length at which engagement is highest is just under 60 seconds.

TikTok
There is a possibility to upload 3-minute videos but all indicators show that shorter videos are still dominant. TikTok’s algorithms compute the average watch time.

Facebook
Facebook is more a sharing platform rather than a place to build original content. But now competing with Instagram, YouTube shorts and TikTok. With possibility of interacting with websites, this has been seen as a viable medium for marketers to reach the consumers.

YouTube Shorts
YouTube has come with a ‘’Short fund” to pay creators for making content for YouTube Shorts. The advantage that YouTube has over other platforms: an extremely wide target group.
Shorts’ content has already yielded success in commercial advertising, with brands receiving a high volume in reach and engagement with their intended audiences.

Instagram Reels
Following the success of TikTok and YouTube also Instagram also moved towards video. With first IGTV but now changed to Reels. And have plans to focus primarily on growing Reels.

Content Trends
User Generated Content
Capturing content from followers and fans gives them to have a voice and speak on their behalf of the brand.

Behind the Scenes
Consumers are seeking personalization and authenticity from brands. A short video of a normal day in a company could provide insights that would otherwise more often be over looked at.

Educational and informational
Tutorials and DIY videos are the key things to consider when passing out educational videos. Short video can provide quick and doable solutions to normal day-to day situations and problems

FAQ’s
Commonly asked questions and various commonly misunderstood industry related issues can be easily cleared up with a short video

New product Teasers
By announcing a new products and service brand can pull more traffic presenting an opportunity to sell the products and or services.

Starting a Challenge
A fun and engaging form of short video. And connects the consumers on a personal level.

Conclusion Short form Videos are all about quick, snackable, digestible content. We are constant learning, and staying on level of improvements, marketing trends and updates to keep the clients ahead of the game.

Resource:
Mwandango, G. (2023). Short Form Video: The Most Powerful Marketing Tool Today. Digital Marketing Content Services | Training Data | Data Management – Reactionpower. https://reactionpower.com/why-short-form-video-is-the-most-powerful-marketing-tool-today/