Guide · Marketing
Short Video Marketing: A Starter Plan for Small Firms
Short video marketing means posting clips that run from a few seconds to about a minute on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. A small firm can start with a phone, one idea per clip and a weekly routine. This guide gives you a plan in four steps: pick a goal, plan the clips, film them, and read the numbers.
Why small firms try short video
Three big apps now show short clips. For a small firm, the draw is reach beyond your own followers.
Instagram launched Reels on 5 August 2020. At launch, a reel from a public account could appear in a new space in Explore, so people who did not follow you could see it.
YouTube Shorts is the third option. YouTube's help page says the Shorts creation tools are available to everyone globally in the YouTube app. You need only a smartphone and the Shorts camera.
All three apps are free to use. That makes a test cheap. The real cost is your time, so plan it.
Sources: Meta, Introducing Instagram Reels, 5 August 2020; YouTube Help, Get started with YouTube Shorts
Know the length rules
Each app sets its own limits, and they have changed fast. Check the app before you film.
App Length limit for clips you record Instagram Reels Up to 60 seconds, per the Instagram Help Center YouTube Shorts Up to 60 seconds, per YouTube Help TikTok Up to three minutes, per TikTok's 1 July 2021 announcement of a rollout; TikTok limits keep changing, so check the app One more YouTube detail: if you use music from the YouTube library, or the sound from another video, the clip is limited to 15 seconds.
A long limit is not a goal. Most clips for a small firm work best when they make one point and stop. Aim for 15 to 30 seconds, then test longer ones.
Sources: Instagram Help Center, Reels; YouTube Help, Get started with YouTube Shorts; TikTok Newsroom, Longer videos, 1 July 2021
Step 1: Pick one goal
Choose one result for the first month. Do not chase all of them at once.
- Be found: more people see your firm. Count views and new followers.
- Get questions: people send a message or click a link. Count messages and link clicks.
- Show trust: people see how you work. Count saves and shares.
A firm that sells repairs, food or classes can usually start with "get questions". A firm that sells to other firms often starts with "show trust", because buyers want to see how you work before they call.
Step 2: Plan ten clips, not one
One clip is a coin flip. Ten clips teach you something. Write ten ideas on one page before you film anything.
Good first ideas for a small firm:
- Answer one question a customer asks every week.
- Show one job from start to finish, sped up.
- Fix one common mistake in your trade.
- Show what is in your toolkit, kitchen or bag.
- Introduce one person on your team.
Give each clip one sentence of purpose: "This clip shows people how long a repair takes." If you cannot write that sentence, drop the idea.
Open with the answer or the result in the first two seconds. A viewer who is scrolling decides fast. Put the point first, then the detail.
Step 3: Film with a phone
You do not need new gear. You need light, clean sound and a steady phone.
- Hold it upright. All three apps show clips full screen on a phone, so film in portrait.
- Face a window. Daylight beats a lamp. Do not stand with a window behind you.
- Get close to the mic. A quiet room and a voice a hand's length from the phone sound better than any filter.
- Add captions. Many people watch with the sound off. Words on screen keep them watching.
- Film in batches. Shoot five clips in one hour, then post one a day.
Reels and Shorts both let you record in several short pieces and join them. Instagram described this at launch as multi-clip recording. YouTube calls it a multi-segment camera. Use it to cut mistakes instead of starting over.
If you want to use a song, read the app's music terms first. When in doubt, use your own voice.
Sources: Meta, Introducing Instagram Reels, 5 August 2020; YouTube Help, Get started with YouTube Shorts
Step 4: Measure what happened
After two weeks, look at what each clip did. Instagram has a Help Center page on how to see information about your reel. Each app has its own stats view, and the menus change often, so look for it in the app.
Keep a simple sheet with one row per clip:
Column What to write Clip idea The one-sentence purpose App and date Where and when you posted Views Number after 7 days Action Messages, clicks, saves or shares, matched to your goal Keep or drop Your call Look for the clips that beat the rest on your goal, not only on views. Make more like those. Drop the ideas that got no action. After a month you will have a plan built on your own numbers.
Do not judge a clip in the first hour. Give each one at least a week.
Sources: Instagram Help Center, Reels
A simple weekly routine
The plan only works if it is small enough to keep. Try this:
- Monday: write or pick the week's three ideas.
- Tuesday: film all three, with captions.
- Wednesday to Friday: post one a day and answer every comment.
- Next Monday: add the numbers to your sheet, then repeat.
That is about two hours a week. Run it for six weeks before you decide if short video is right for your firm. If it is not, stop. You have the data to show why.
Sources