YouTube Shorts to Increase Audience Engagement: How Does It Work?

YouTube Shorts is an addition to the trend of quick and quirky videos. You might consider adding Shorts to your marketing strategy to increase audience engagement on your channel.

These days, the preference for short and quick videos is growing over long ones. For example, Social Insider revealed that TikTok was the most engaging social media platform until February 2022 with an average engagement rate of 5.96%. 

Joining the bandwagon, YouTube released YouTube Shorts in 2021. According to Social Media Today, around 75% of YouTube users are engaging with Shorts in some form. YouTube has roughly 122 million active users daily, which means that using YouTube Shorts as a marketing platform for your business might be a wise choice. 

The Engaging Power of YouTube Shorts

Aside from the name indicating the video length, what makes Shorts different from the usual YouTube videos is its vertical form. It’s popular among smartphone users because they don’t have to flip their phones to watch. In fact, short-form videos are 2.5 times more engaging than long-form videos, according to the Sprout Social’s survey. On the other hand, only 26% of consumers think that long-form videos are engaging.

That being said, making Shorts is a good marketing tool to reach a wider audience. Sprout Social survey also says that 51% of respondents are turning their attention to YouTube now. 

When your business already has a YouTube channel, adding Shorts will lead to a longer overall watch time and greater subscriber growth than only uploading long-form videos.

Things to Consider About YouTube Shorts

Besides the positive statistics mentioned previously, there are some more specific reasons why you should include Shorts in your marketing strategy, Scion Social states. 

• Because of the video length, Shorts is easier to produce than long-form video. You can simply use your phone to create interesting content. For example, simply clip out interviews, or make an easy Q&A session of your brand.
• Shorts increase brand awareness. The short video length means it is easier for the viewer to associate with your brand. They don’t have to watch a full 10-minute video. Moreover, YouTube provides a section dedicated to Shorts, so it increases your channel’s visibility and gains more audience.

However, there are downsides to Shorts, too. 

• YouTube Shorts algorithm is not geo-targeted, which means it might not be the most effective tool for promoting local business.
• Also, with the shorter video span, it’s highly possible that a person will swipe through hundreds of Shorts, and not click on your channel. However, it doesn’t mean that your Shorts are useless; the audience will still know your brand a little bit better.

Create Your Own YouTube Shorts

Since you only have 60 seconds, you need to make a compelling video to captivate your audience. The Korean Vegan via Think With Google mentioned that the first one to two seconds are the most important because it is the equivalent of a thumbnail in a long-form video.

Furthermore, the same article mentions connecting with gen Z. Currently, gen Z dominates the digital space, so targeting younger audiences makes sense. Gen Z today is attracted to fast, quirky, and high-quality content, so it’s time to reevaluate your Shorts.

Lastly, TubeBuddy suggested using the replay feature. Understand that Shorts are not the shortened version of long videos. Shorts are played on a loop, so aside from the compelling intro and quirky content, you want to consider how your video will appear if it is repeated.

As a marketer, keeping up with the latest trends is extremely important. Using YouTube Shorts as one of your marketing strategies might increase your business statistics and audience engagement. The key is to keep experimenting and don’t get easily discouraged when the results are under your expectations.

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