YouTube Shorts: What Is It and How do I Effectively Use It?

Want to know the secret that can help you reach a wider audience and grow your brand awareness?

The secret: YouTube Shorts videos.

What are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts are videos between 15-60 seconds similar to Instagram reels and TikToks. These short videos are designed to entertain your audience through snappy animations, music video parodies, documentary shorts, and brand content.

Compared to Instagram and TikTok, YouTube Shorts, the length is much shorter as you only have 15 seconds while Instagram Reels has a 1-minute time limit and TikTok has 3 minutes.

In YouTube Shorts you can:

  • Automatically add captions
  • Include features like speed controls
  • Choose the part of the song you want
  • Use color correction options
  • Access to a wide range of music tracks
  • And many more!

Benefits of YouTube Shorts

Depending on your audience, Shorts can be extremely effective at building brand awareness.

      1. It reaches a wider audience

YouTube Shorts is the most recent addition to the platform and it’s already receiving more than 15 billion views per day. It has also generated 7 billion in revenue so far.

Because they’re shorter, they are easier to share and more likely to attract a wider audience.

There’s a huge audience on YouTube with 774.6 million active mobile users. All you need is your smartphone.

These videos can also keep your audience updated with other topics. You can also use the platform to post videos on a regular basis. The YouTube Shorts platform is a valuable tool to market your brand and its products.

       2. Brands are using Shorts to tell stories

They can be made for 60 seconds or less, and are much easier to view than a 20-minute video. 

If you love storytelling, then you can take advantage of shorts to reach a dedicated audience on YouTube.

YouTube Shorts allow brands to use the platform’s video features to highlight unique products or services. 

       3. Provides long-term benefits for brands

It can promote and grow your regular channel. Every time you post a Short, it’s an opportunity for your content to get a view, and that view could turn into a channel subscriber or someone who engages with your main channel content.

Shorts also help you to navigate YouTube’s algorithm because your channel will see an increase in engagement, one of the key ranking factors for how YouTube prioritizes content. This should increase the number of people who are exposed to your channel.

Shorts are more likely to be watched than other types of content. The reason for this is that they are more engaging to younger audiences. 

YouTube Shorts videos have less competition, so the chances of you getting noticed are greater. As a result, you can expect your brand’s content to get more views and attract more subscribers.

How to Make and Upload YouTube Shorts

  1. Download the YouTube app
  2. Tap the + icon on the homepage, then tap “Create a Short”
  3. To record, the red record button or tap it to start recording
  4. If you want to record a 60-second video, tap the number 15 to change the video length
  5. To add special effects, use the toolbar on the right side of the screen
    1. Speed up or slow down by tapping the 1x button
    2. Add filters by tapping the 3 circles
    3. Retouching your video by tapping the magic wand
    4. Tap the person icon to switch the background or add a green screen
    5. Tap the ghost icon to help align transitions between clips
  6. Once you finished editing, tap Next in the top right corner
  7. Upload details of your short including who can view it and if it needs an age restriction
  8. Tap Upload Short to publish your video

Strategies for effective YouTube Shorts

In order to optimize your success, you need to have the plan to attract your viewers to engage in your content.

     1. Keep your video short and sweet

People have very short attention spans. This means you have a limited time to convey your message.

Get straight to the point. Break longer topics into sections and create a series.

Make sure the content works for your specific audience. Start with an attention-grabbing line to keep the viewer interested.

Avoid too many people talking in one video, limit on-screen clutter, and create thumbnails.

      2. Understand the tone to appeal to your target audience

YouTube appeals to the 15-25-year-old demographic as well as 26-35-year-olds. For example, that’s why some channels are so popular including CollegeHumor or Funny Or Die because it’s comedic.

Once you find your target audience, you can then begin creating a video content strategy, including SEO, optimization, content promotion, and analyzing performance.

Viral YouTube Shorts can be about anything; dancing videos, pets, funny skits, how-to videos, tutorials, announcements, and the list goes on. 

      3. Use Title Optimization

Title optimization is the process of creating the best possible title for your videos. It’s an integral part of how your visitors find you in the YouTube search engine and helps the site’s algorithm discover your content.  

Research keywords. The Ubersuggest tool is great for this.

Use hashtags to recommend them to viewers.

Limit characters to 50-70 and overlay titles onto captions.

       4. Jump on trends

Trends are the easiest way to go viral and grab attention. 

We’re not saying that you need to commit to every dance challenge that does the rounds on social media, but keeping on top of video trends will position your brand as current and up-to-date and improve your chances of going viral.

       5. Repurpose your content

Video content has become an increasingly popular medium to share stories and connect with a broader audience. For example, you could:

  • Develop your video into a longer blog post.
  • Create an infographic and share it on social media.
  • Share YouTube Shorts content on sites like Facebook or Twitter.
  • Add your content on Instagram Reels.

In Summary

YouTube Shorts is a great way to gain more subscribers and is super easy to use and produce.

Businesses can have fun with it and find interactive ways to grab viewers!

Is it now time to incorporate Shorts into your channel?

For more tips, advice, and strategies of all things marketing and branding, check out the rest of Power Move Marketing blogs.

 

 

Author: Emily B.

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