Short form video marketing: how a business can start

The short answer

Short form video marketing suits a business whose customers watch video feeds and whose work can be shown or explained quickly. Start with a phone, daylight and clear sound, film a few simple clips from your normal week, such as answers to common questions, and judge them by messages and enquiries rather than views.

Is short form video marketing right for your business?

Short form video marketing suits a business when customers watch video feeds and you have work that can be shown or explained in a few moments. Bakers, landscapers, repair shops, clinics and accountants can all qualify, because each has a process, a before and after, or a common question with a clear answer. It suits a business less well when the offer is hard to show and nobody on the team can spare time to film regularly.

Short form video means vertical clips made for feeds such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Each platform sets its own rules on length, music, captions and features, and those rules change, so check the current help pages before you plan around any limit.

Think about what the format is for. A video feed shows your work to people who may never have heard of you. Email reaches people who asked to hear from you. They do different jobs, and the comparison of email marketing and social media marketing shows how to weigh them. If you can only keep up one, decide which job matters more right now.

Ask a handful of customers where they watch video and what they would like to see. Their answers will help you pick one platform to begin with.

What to film first

Start with clips that come straight from work you already do, because a filmed example is easier to make and more convincing than an invented one. The table gives ideas with an example for three different businesses.

Pick three or four ideas and film one of each. After a few posts, look at which got replies or messages and make more of those. A customer story can also work well, but ask for permission first and get it in writing where you can.

Equipment: what you need and what you can skip

A recent phone is enough to begin. The things that make a visible difference cost little: a clean lens, daylight, a steady surface and clear sound.

• Wipe the lens. A smeared lens is the most common reason a clip looks dull.
• Film near a window and face the light, not away from it.
• Prop the phone against something solid, or use an inexpensive stand, so the picture does not shake.
• Record in a quiet place and hold the phone close when you speak. Poor sound is harder for viewers to forgive than a plain background.
• Add captions. Some viewers watch with the sound off, and captions also help people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

You can skip studio lights, gimbals and drones at the start. A clip filmed on a phone in good light often looks more natural than a polished one. If you later decide a better microphone is worth it, it is usually the first upgrade to consider.

Many editing apps now offer automatic captions and clean-up tools that use machine learning. They save time but make errors, so read every caption before posting. The guide on how AI has changed development and marketing gives wider context on what such tools can and cannot do.

A simple shape for each video

Most good short clips make one point and end with one next step. A shape that works for many businesses:

1. Open with the point or the question in the first line, spoken or on screen.
2. Show the thing rather than describing it.
3. Keep to one idea. If you have two, make two clips.
4. Finish with a single action, such as following the account, visiting a page or sending a message.

Make the clip as long as the idea needs and no longer. Cut pauses and repeated words, and show the result early. For the closing line, plain wording beats a slogan; the guide to writing a call to action covers how to ask for one thing clearly.

Put the same link everywhere you can. A profile with a working link to a page that matches the video turns interest into enquiries. If the link goes to a general home page, many viewers will not find what the video promised.

Batch filming without burning out

A steady pace you can keep for months beats a burst of daily posts followed by silence. Batching makes that pace possible.

• Keep a running list of questions customers ask, jobs you complete and small tips you give. Each one is a clip.
• Film several clips in one session, changing your top or the background between takes if you like.
• Edit and schedule them in one sitting, then leave the rest of the week for the business.
• Reuse a clip on more than one platform where the rules allow it, after checking each platform's current terms.

Decide in advance who films. If it is always the owner, plan for busy weeks by banking clips beforehand. If a team member will do it, agree what they may show and say, so nothing awkward appears on screen.

Permission, music and people on camera

Before you post, check that you have the right to show everyone and everything in the clip. Get permission from customers and staff who appear, take extra care around children, and avoid filming anything private such as screens, paperwork and delivery addresses.

Music is a common trap. Each platform has its own rules on using songs in business content, and those rules change. Check the current terms, or use music you made or have a licence for. Rules on filming people and on recorded audio differ by country, so ask a lawyer if you are unsure.

Comments are public and invite replies, including unfriendly ones. Reply politely and quickly to genuine questions, and decide in advance how you will handle complaints. The guide to online reputation management sets out a calm way to respond.

What to measure

Views are a weak signal on their own, because a video can be watched by many people who never need what you sell. Look at actions that sit closer to a sale.

• Messages and replies that mention a video
• Clicks on the link in your profile or description
• Visits to the page the link points to
• Enquiries or bookings where the customer says a video led them to you
• Saves and shares, as a sign that a topic was useful

Ask "how did you hear about us?" on forms and at the start of calls, because many viewers will not click anything. If videos send people to an email sign-up, check that your welcome message reaches the inbox. The guide to email deliverability explains the sending settings involved.

Review the clips once a month. Keep the ideas that brought replies, drop those that did not and try one new idea. If you want help fitting video into a wider plan, the digital marketing service page explains what Liftup Technologies offers.

Common mistakes

The same few mistakes appear on most business accounts that stall after a few weeks.

• Starting on every platform at once and posting nothing consistently on any of them.
• Making clips about the business instead of about the customer's problem.
• Long introductions before the point.
• No next step, so viewers have nowhere to go.
• Judging success by a single clip that did badly.

One platform, one idea per clip and a monthly review are enough for a first quarter. Add more only when the first routine runs without effort.

Related guides

• Digital marketing
• Email marketing vs social media marketing
• Has ai changed traditional development and marketing in 2024
• How to write a call to action that gets clicks
• Online Reputation Management: A Practical Guide for Owners
• Email Deliverability: SPF, DKIM and DMARC Basics

Questions and answers

Should my business make short videos?

It is worth trying if your customers watch video feeds and you have work that can be shown or explained quickly. It is less suitable if you cannot film regularly or the offer is hard to show. Run a small trial on one platform for a few weeks before deciding.

What should I film first?

Film clips taken from work you already do: an answer to a question customers ask, a short process, a before and after, or a common mistake to avoid. Make one clip of each and see which gets replies or messages.

Do I need equipment to make short videos?

No special equipment is needed at the start. A recent phone, a clean lens, daylight, a steady surface and clear sound will do. Captions help viewers who watch without sound. If you upgrade anything later, a microphone is usually the first thing to consider.

How often should a business post short videos?

Choose a rhythm you can keep for months, not a burst you cannot sustain. A steady pace set by batch filming usually works better than daily posts that stop after a few weeks.

Which platform should I use first?

Use the one where your customers already spend time. Ask a few of them, or look at where competitors' customers leave comments. Each platform has its own rules, so check the current help pages before you plan around length or features.

Can I post the same video on several platforms?

Often you can, but each platform has its own rules on format, length, music and branding. Check them before you post, and make sure any music is cleared for business use on each.

Do I need to appear on camera myself?

No. Many useful clips show hands at work, a product or a screen with a voiceover or captions. Appearing on camera helps build familiarity, but it is a choice, not a requirement.

How do I know whether short videos are working?

Look at messages, link clicks, enquiries and bookings that mention a video, instead of relying on views alone. Ask new customers how they found you and review the results monthly.