Short-form video continues to grow in popularity with platforms like TikTok taking the world by storm. The increase in technology and constant stimulation of social media means people’s attention spans have decreased, resulting in today’s consumers being more likely to engage with content that gets its message across quickly.

As the most popular video hosting website in the world, it made sense for Youtube to want in on the action and create their own experience with YouTube Shorts. Its massive user base makes it a great way to reach more people through name recognition alone—and by allowing users to create intriguing, bite-sized videos, YouTube can keep users on its platform longer and keep them coming back for more.

But how much does Shorts measure up to more established short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels? Let’s jump into some key features before we discuss ways brands can leverage Shorts to expand their video marketing strategy.

YouTube Shorts Key Features

Edit After Publishing

Have you ever noticed an error in your YouTube video after it’s already been uploaded and shared by you and others to social media? Many people’s thought process would be to panic, delete, and reupload—but this would mean losing key statistics and comments on your video, along with turning all of your embedded shared links into dead ends.

Luckily, the YouTube editor allows users to make changes to already published videos, including Shorts. You can trim, add titles and annotations, and even add effects to your most popular content to potentially give them a boost. This is important because it allows you to make sure your videos are exactly how you want them even if those wants change over time. It’s also a great way to protect your brand’s identity. By removing any offensive or less engaging elements of your content, your brand can avoid any negative associations that could come with them.

The Scheduling Tool

This tool is a great way to ensure that your videos are being seen by the right people at the right time. You can schedule Shorts to publish at specific times and dates, which can help you reach your target audience more effectively. You can also use the scheduling tool to publish videos on a recurring basis. Additionally, scheduling will optimize your video marketing strategy by allowing you to plan ahead and make sure your videos are well-coordinated with other marketing initiatives.

Top-Tier Music Functionality

YouTube Shorts offers a great way for marketers to add music to their videos. Not only does it make the videos more enjoyable to watch, but it can also help convey the message or mood of the video more effectively. The YouTube Shorts creator allows users to add music from 250 music labels and publishers, more than other competing short-form video tools. This way, you can make lip sync and dance videos just like some of the most viral videos on TikTok.

Tapping the “Add Music” tab will not only bring up a library of songs by popular artists, it also gives you the ability to see which songs are currently most popular among other Shorts creators. Smart marketers should use this as a gauge of which songs could boost engagement of their videos and proceed accordingly.

3 Ways to Leverage Shorts For Your Business

Product Teases

Think of Shorts as an h’orderve for your overall video content strategy, using it to give potential leads a sneak peek of the “bigger dish” that’s coming soon. If you’re planning to release a new product, you can create a YouTube Short that introduces it to your audience and create a CTA that drives them to a longer YouTube video about it. This will help generate interest and excitement for the product before it’s even released. 

You can also use Shorts to highlight new features of existing products.This is key for keeping momentum around your most popular offerings and keeping the attention of existing customers who have already been loyal to your brand.

Enhance Your UGC Content

Shorts are a great way to take advantage of user-generated content (UGC). This is because short-form videos can be created by anyone, anywhere, with all that’s needed being a smartphone. So, for example, if you have a new product, you could send it to some of your brand advocates and ask them to create a YouTube Short in the form of an unboxing experience. This would help expand your brand reach while costing you very little marketing spend given the ease in which UGC is created.

Showcase Behind the Scenes Footage

Many brands make the mistake of thinking all of their video content needs to be a polished, highly-produced masterpiece. But given what we just went over with UGC, it shows that this is simply not the case. Today’s consumers, especially younger generations like Millenials and Gen Zs, often prefer less polished content because it has a way of humanizing a brand and making it more relatable.

This is where behind the scenes (BTS) content comes in. BTS footage has a way of deepening brand trust by giving existing and potential customers a closer look at what your company is really like. Build trust on a more personal level by illustrating not only what your brand does, but how you do it. 

Wrapping Up

YouTube Shorts is a great way for brands to experiment with short-form video and add an additional layer to their video marketing strategy. The popularity of micro video content means there’s a large potential audience for brands to reach, and Shorts is a great way to test out new ideas and see what works well with viewers. Additionally, Shorts can be ideal for showing off your brand’s personality with ideas like BTS and other engaging content that viewers will want to share.

Still need help on where to start? Our experts at Lemonlight have helped plenty of clients build out their YouTube presence and exceed their goals with performance-driven video creative. We’ve got you covered.

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