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TikTok Takeover
Short form videos have rewired the consumer brain. We’ve traded deep thinking for dopamine hits. The statistics I found when researching for this blog were mind boggling:
1. TikTok has 1 billion users, 90% of users use the app daily, with the average user spending 95 minutes on the app every day. [1][2][3]
- That’s over one billion hours of TikTok content consumed daily.
2. In 2024, users spent an average of 143 minutes per day on social media [4].
- That’s over 869 hours per year OR 36 days and nights watching social media content.
3. Instagram Reels, launched in 2020, now accounts for more than 20% of the time people spend on Instagram [5].
4. YouTube Shorts, introduced in 2020, generates over 50 billion daily views [6].
Interested in learning more about Social Media and its effect on your brain's dopamine? Check out this video clip of Stanford Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman explaining how it works:
Short form content isn’t the future of social media marketing, it’s the present reality.
In 2023 66% of marketers planned to increase their investment in short-form video. 30% of social media marketers consider short-form video the most effective trend for achieving their marketing goals [7][8].
Because brands are seeing 2-3x higher engagement rates with short-form video content than with traditional posts, every business needs to understand how and where to leverage their short-form content.
We're here to help business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers understand how to do that.
Each platform and app have a unique demographic and algorithm favoring specific video styles.
Let's break down the social media sites to find out what's right for your company. We'll look at target demographics, viral video trends, and common trending content.
Before you dive in, ask:
- Who's your target demographic?
- What do you want them to learn from your content?
- What do you want them to do with this knowledge?
INSTAGRAM:
Total Users: Approximately 2 billion monthly active users as of 2023.
Demographics:
- 59% of users are between 18-34 years old
- Gender split: 51% female, 49% male
- 31% of global users are 25-34 years old, the largest age group
Viral Content: Short-form reels (15-30 seconds) receive 22% more engagement than standard video posts. Advertisements that leverage Instagram's aesthetic visual nature, share tips/hacks/recipes, and follow recent trends tend to perform well. Instagram is a great place for artisanal small businesses to advertise.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/oreo/
Example: Oreo is an incredible case study of success on instagram reels. The screenshot above is from a viral Oreo video posted by the company in March, that reached over 1 million views. What made it successful? It's only 12 seconds long, very aesthetic, the music is uplifting, and it shares a new recipe - a popular Instagram trend.
Before you make your reel ask yourself;
- What's my aesthetic?
- What's uplifting/engaging?
- What's trending?
FACEBOOK:
Total Users: 2.96 billion monthly active users as of Q3 2022.
Demographics:
- 63% of users are between 25-54 years old
- Gender split: 43% female, 57% male
- 18.4% of users are in the 25-34 age bracket, the largest group
Viral Content: Videos shorter than 3 minutes get the highest engagement rates. Emotionally resonant and educational content often goes viral on Facebook. Facebook is good for non-profits, government agencies, or companies with new product launches - to advertise.
Example: The "Dumb Ways to Die" safety campaign for Metro Trains Melbourne went viral on Facebook in 2012. Originally a YouTube video, it became a sensation across social media platforms, with Facebook propelling it to viral status. The original video has gained over 300 million views on YouTube and became one of the most shared public service announcement campaigns on Facebook. The campaign's success was based on it's emotional and humorous appeal as well as it's moderate length (3 minutes) this created the perfect storm for the video to go viral on Facebook.
Before you post, ask:
- What is my emotional appeal?
- Why would someone share this video?
- Is it touching, funny, or educational?
TIKTOK:
Total Users: Over 1 billion monthly active users globally as of 2023.
Demographics:
- 60% of users are Gen Z (born between 1997-2012)
- Gender split: 57% female, 43% male
- 43.7% of users are between 18-24 years old
Viral Content: Hashtag challenges can increase engagement by up to 15%. TikTok's algorithm favors content that quickly captures attention and is rewatched multiple times by viewers. If you want to advertise to Gen-Z or Gen-Alpha, advertise here.
Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@chewy/video/7239768472513711406?lang=en
Example: Chewy has KILLED the TikTok game. This video garnered over 100 Million views. It's a clip of a dog in cute pajamas snoring loudly while they sleep. The video works because it's only 6 seconds long, is very funny, uses hashtags, and the video captures attention quickly and holds it to the end. More importantly, it highlights why people use Cheqy. To make our furry friends happy! Viewers watched the video multiple times and sent it to friends to propel it to such a high view count.
When creating for TikTok ask:
- What's my hook? Is it strong?
- Can we shorten the video?
- What will make viewers watch it over and over and share it?
- What's the entertainment appeal?
YOUTUBE:
Total Users: Over 2.5 billion monthly active users as of 2023.
Demographics:
- 95% of 18-29 year olds in the US use YouTube
- Gender split: 46% female, 54% male
- 81% of US adults use YouTube
Viral Content: Ads that go viral on Youtube typically have an educational element, strong sense of humor, or an emotionally resonant message. Our advice? Switch to Youtubeshorts. Attention spans are down and so are video run times.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JB6SBb6x-2I
Example: Nerd Wallet found success with the educational videos this year (see link above). In this campaign Nerd Wallet explained simple banking principles like inflation, CDs, savings vs. checkings accounts, etc. Nerd Wallet creates a good hook by announcing their concept they'll fully explain right at the beginning so interested viewers will stick around. Helpful information from credible sources in bite-sized format caused these videos to go viral; One of them gaining 1.5 Million views and the other 950K.
When creating for Youtube Shorts, ask:
- Is it educational?
- Is it entertaining?
- Does it have a good hook?
- Why are you posting?
LINKEDIN:
Total Users: 875 million members in over 200 countries as of 2023.
Demographics:
- 60% of users are between 25-34 years old
- Gender split: 48% female, 52% male
- 40% of users visit the site daily
Viral Content: Posts with images get 2 times higher engagement. LinkedIn just added a video carousel where users can scroll through videos similar to TikTok. Video is the fastest-growing content type on LinkedIn, with 5 times more engagement than other content. Professional development, new technology, and industry insights tend to perform well. --> If you are advertising to professionals or businesses don't miss out on the opportunities LinkedIn provides.
Example: AMD posted this video to LinkedIn in November of 2023. It's a great example of introducing new technology to viewers on LinkedIn in a way that grabs attention, educates, and entertains. The 30 second ad hits all of the new capabilities their new product has with simple text, engaging video, and upbeat music.
When posting videos on LinkedIn, ask
- Is my target market on LinkedIn?
- How can I grab attention in the first few seconds?
- How can I quickly educate viewers on my product/brand/company in an engaging manner?
Conclusion
Short-form video's on the rise, reshaping marketing landscapes globally. With billions of connected users, businesses must adapt or risk becoming obsolete.
Success in this new era demands more than just participation; it requires a nuanced understanding of each platform's unique demographics, content preferences, and algorithms.
Moving forward, the challenge for brands will be to maintain authenticity while embracing the creativity, agility, and experimentation to thrive in this rapidly evolving digital space. The short-form video revolution isn't just a trend—it's our new reality.
If you are interested in creating professional short form videos quickly and easily, sign up for a call with us at this link!
Sources:
- [1] Statista, 2023 [2] Data.ai, 2023 [3] Wallaroo Media, 2023 [4] DataReportal, 2023 [5] Meta, 2022 [6] YouTube Official Blog, 2023 [7] HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2023 [8] Sprout Social Index, 2023 [9] Hootsuite Social Media Trends Report, 2023
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