Tag Archive for: online video

TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts Dominate Short-Form Videos In Their Own Ways

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The past few years have seen a meteoric rise in the popularity of short-form video content with TikTok and a wave of imitators driving interest in bite-size videos that can be easily consumed on smartphones. 

Now, a recent study by Social Insider shows that just three platforms have set themselves apart as popular social networks for short-form video: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

While it is unsurprising that TikTok is the overall leader for short-form video, each of the three platforms has its own strengths and weaknesses that may make it appealing for marketing your business. So, let’s get into some of the details of the study and what makes TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts so popular for this type of media. 

TikTok

As the current hot social network, TikTok easily outpaces the competition when it comes to engagement on posts. In particular, the study notes that TikTok content receives up to twice the number of comments compared to other platforms. 

In terms of pure engagement rates, the report says that TikTok maintains an engagement rate of 5.53%, significantly better than YouTube Shorts (3.80%) and Reels (4.36%).

This high engagement rate does have a downside, however. TikTok is currently the most crowded space for short-form video online with brands posting twice as much content to the platform compared to Reels and Shorts.

Reels

Instagram’s short-form videos may not be as popular as TikTok, but data indicates the medium is still widely-popular with Instagram users. 

According to the report, Instagram Reels has the three’s highest watch rate. It is unclear exactly what contributes to this high watch rate, but Social Insider suggests one contributor may be Instagram’s follower-centric approach. This means that the users most likely to see your videos in their feed are already highly likely to be interested in clicking play. 

Shorts

Compared to the other platforms, YouTube Shorts have shown itself to be a potent tool for connecting with new people and growing its audience. 

The platform noticed early on that users were more willing to click on short videos from creators they were unfamiliar with compared to 10+ minute full-length videos. With this in mind, YouTube started prominently including new or unknown-to-you creators in Shorts on their main page – driving attention to these channels. 

If a user enjoys a Short, they are then more likely to start watching the channel’s regular content. 

Why You Should Consider TikTok, Reels, and Shorts

With each platform’s unique pros and cons, Social Insider believes the best approach is to use each for distinct purposes. 

“Using TikTok, Reels, and Shorts complementarily and creating unique content for each, aligned with the individual’s platform audience and design, is the best approach marketers and brands alike could have,” they concluded.

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LinkedIn Launches New Video Interview Tools For Online Job Postings

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In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, LinkedIn is launching a slew of new tools designed to help the job hunting and hiring process go virtual.

Specifically, the country is launching new ways for applicants to provide video introductions to hiring managers and AI-powered tools for preparing for job interviews.

Here’s what you can expect from both of these new tools:

Video Introductions

LinkedIn Video Interview Prep

Although the tool is technically still in testing, LinkedIn announced it is launching a feature aimed at making the best first impression possible – even when you can’t meet in person.

“We’ve found that 65 percent of people believe that the impression you make online is just as important as the one you make in person, but it can be challenging to show your soft skills to potential employers when you’re not in the same room.”

With LinkedIn’s new video introductions tool, hiring managers can specifically request an introduction as part of their hiring process.

Applicants can then provide recorded video responses or written replies to your questions or prompts.

“A carefully crafted response can help you stand out before the official interview process even begins,” said the company in the announcement.

AI-Powered Interview Prep

LinkedIn AI-Powered Video Feedback

Another new tool LinkedIn is bringing to job hunters is an AI-powered instant feedback interview prep feature, which prepares job candidates for common interview questions.

“When it comes to the interview, more than 50 percent of people say they lack confidence,” explained the company in a blog post.

The instant feedback tool listens to candidates’ responses to common questions and analyzes their speech content and patterns to provide real-time feedback and recommendations such as how often a person uses filler words, pacing, and sensitive phrases to avoid using.

After, users can opt to send their recorded responses to their personal connections to get even more feedback from trusted professionals.

LinkedIn Tips For Video Job Interviews

Along with the announcement, LinkedIn provided three tips all job hunters should consider when preparing for a video interview:

  1. Establish a relationship quickly: You don’t have the luxury of small talk on a video call, so it’s important to build a rapport quickly with your interviewer. Be sure to use the first few minutes of the call to establish that personal connection, as this will instantly put you at ease. Check out their LinkedIn page for background information or mutual connections that could provide a good base for conversation.
  2. Find a quiet spot: In this new age of remote working, there’s always the risk of being interrupted by kids asking for help with homework, or housemates wandering into the kitchen to make a sandwich. Let your family or housemates know you have an important interview scheduled so they don’t accidentally walk in on you or make too much background noise.
  3. Check your tech: An obvious but crucial tip: take some time ahead of the interview to make sure the tech works and you know how to use it. If you need help, check out these LinkedIn Learning courses to give you the lowdown on how to use the latest video tools.
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YouTube Still Beats Facebook Video In Long-Term Views

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FBVidVsYouTube

Facebook has made a big deal of highlighting the strengths of the Facebook Video platform, but a new study from Visible Measures shows there is no clear-cut winner between YouTube and Facebook. The data collected by the company adds context to earlier numbers and demonstrates how both platforms have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Facebook isn’t being dishonest when they highlight their statistics for views, but Facebook’s video platform has a difficult time maintaining momentum with popular videos. The platform excels at launching videos and gathering early velocity, but YouTube still has the clear lead when it comes to long-term value.

To come to these conclusions, Visible Measures studied 82 randomly chosen video campaigns launched by brands within the month of March and found that YouTube generated more views (65%-35%). While Facebook trails behind YouTube, the younger platform has made incredible strides in the span of a single year. Facebook only had a single digit share of brand video in last year’s study.

Only 53 of the campaigns included in the study posted natively to Facebook, perhaps contributing to YouTube’s lead in total views in 66% of campaigns.

The most striking difference between the platforms is the contrasting trajectories of videos on each platform. Facebook videos tended to accelerate quickly before peaking and gradually fading away. In fact, Facebook videos typically reached 85 percent of their total views in only the first week after launch. To contrast, YouTube only received 63% of its total viewership within the first seven days after launch.

These results were backed up by longer-term comparisons. Visible Measures points to findings that Facebook had 25% of total viewership of Super Bowl ad campaigns, but that number had dropped to 18.5% just two months later.

Visible Measure’s founder and CEO Brian Shin says these stats reflect the different natures of the platforms and noted that finding older videos on Facebook is specifically very difficult.

“If something is hot and of the moment, such as a newly released campaign, the Super Bowl, or even a cultural phenomenon like Fifty Shades of Grey, Facebook and similar social media sites are incredibly effective for driving the spread of timely content due to the trending nature of the News Feed,” Shin said in a release. “But the strength of Facebook to promote trending content also highlights how powerful YouTube remains as a platform for continued viewership.”

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