NEW DELHI: In a recent blog on ‘Think For Google’ written by Naveen Prashant and Piyush Jha, the tech giant detailed how brands can leverage the YouTube short video trend and why it is important for brands to be part of such conversations.
Why should marketers jump on the shorts bandwagon?
1. “Pop Culture” Journey
By joining a short video trend, creators and brands can engage with a large community looking for a fresh perspective, and their pop culture relevance allows them to capitalize on the momentum generated by the trend.
2. Diverse audiences that connect and engage across distances
The diversity of the short video trend offers something for every brand and allows creators to connect with different audiences across language and cultural barriers.
Trends like the Marathi hit song “Gulabi Sadi” and Punjabi music in the Ve Haniyaan trend highlight this diversity.Furthermore, trends emerge from different subcultures with memes driving the Yimmy Yimmy trend, vlogs sparking the Wes Anderson phenomenon and lip-sync shorts leading to the Kya Loge Tum trend.
3. GenZ Uses Innovative Tools to Lead
Short video trends are constantly being refreshed with new concepts, mediums, and memes, allowing brands to stay in tune with the interests of short video audiences, especially Gen Z. On average, 61% of Gen Z respondents prefer brands to engage with memes.
So YouTube Shorts is capitalizing on trends across the sector by determining not only what users want, but also what brands want.
How can marketers leverage YouTube Shorts?
1. YouTube Music
Marketers should start by exploring The Short List on YouTube Music to find new and trending tracks on YouTube Shorts in India, and can also leverage the YouTube India Spotlight channel as a valuable resource for discovering the latest content on YouTube, both locally and globally.
2. Synergy between the right marketers and creators
Marketers should leverage the expertise and influence of YouTube creators to present their brand message in a natural and engaging way. Notably, 71% of Gen Z use YouTube to connect with fans of their favorite topics and personalities.
YouTube’s branded content platform, Brand Connect, enables marketers to identify creators who are the best fit for their brand and foster collaborations on relevant, trending and engaging short-form content.
3. Use AI push for your content
To optimize the return on investment (ROI) from short content, brands can integrate them into broader AI-powered advertising campaigns, an approach that can significantly increase reach and conversions.
For example, incorporating short videos into your video reach campaigns can improve overall ad performance.
Additionally, adding vertical short creatives to your video action campaigns has been shown to increase conversions by 10-20% compared to using only horizontal creatives.
The YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineup allows brands to advertise next to the most popular and relevant videos within the YouTube Shorts feed, ensuring their ads stay top of mind when viewers are browsing the latest content.
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The potential of YouTube Shorts is evident in successful campaigns by brands like Nykaa and Damensch. Nykaa effectively used the “expectation vs reality” meme to promote its summer sale, while Damensch used the Wes Anderson trend to promote its new boxer shorts.
The Google blog concludes, “As audiences evolve into shorter content, brands and marketers who tap into the trend can see outsized advertising results. By embracing the trend with YouTube Shorts, brands can join a large, vibrant community that will gain attention and engagement.”
