Short-Form Video Content: The Ultimate Guide for Businesses in 2025

In our 2025 Video Trends report, Storyboard Media Group called out short-form video content as something brands need to really pursue to stay relevant, boost e-commerce sales, and to have a strong, continuing online presence. This content is a powerful tool that businesses can use to reach a wider audience and engage with potential customers. And because it has become more and more essential for businesses to create content that is easily consumed and shared on social media, short-form videos are the perfect solution. For busy brands and marketing teams they are quick and easy to make. For audiences they are quick and easy to watch, and can be highly effective in capturing attention.

Short-form content can be made quickly, on-the-fly, and without a ton of planning.

What Are the Benefits of Short-Form Video Content?

There’s not a lot of downside to short-form videos unless you expect them to do all the marketing work you need done. They have their place as attention-grabbers, but they don’t usually go too deep. If you use them correctly they can provide a lot of ROI and engagement.

• They are (relatively) easy to create: Short-form videos can be produced quickly and easily, even with a limited budget. You’re not really telling big, tall and intricate stories with short-form content. You’re creating “bites” to get the attention of viewers. The ease of creation and short length of these videos means you can produce a lot of them and maintain a continuous online presence.

• They make it easy to test your messaging: Because short-form content is quicker to create you can be as creative as you want to be. Have fun, experiment with different formats, play around with different visuals. See what resonates with your audience and then latch onto that and go full-steam ahead.

• Effective marketing tool: Short-form videos are a great way to quickly gain attention on social media. And although short-form videos have a short shelf life, they can be a useful way to promote your longer-form content. When viewers see your shorter videos they become interested in investing more time getting to know you and your brand. In essence, short-form videos lead viewers to your more in-depth content.

• Targeted messaging: Short-form videos should be very specific in the information and visuals they provide. For example, while an About Us video for your brand might be two minutes long and include multiple interviews across different locations, tell viewers all about your brand’s history and mission, and introduce your team and what they do, short-form videos might be a 30 second look at your product being used. It could also be a 15-second clip of your Founder talking. They are used to deliver concise, impactful visuals and messages.

• Messaging NOW/ASAP/STAT: Because short-form content is quick to create, they’re an excellent way to announce things at a moment’s notice. This could be a new product, a new change in service, a sale or a message from your company’s president. They may not be in-depth and complex, but they’re very similar to opening your window and shouting down to the street. People will hear and see you, and you get your point across. However, we don’t suggest you open your window and start yelling out at the people on the street.

How Can Your Brand Use Short-Form Video Content?

This very simply created video provided customers a quick look at the many features of a client’s vest.

Like anything else, you need a plan. Even though this content is quick and easy to make, you’re probably going to create a lot of it. So go into the process like you would any other marketing or sales project and create outlines. What do you want to accomplish? Who are you trying to reach? What type of content do you want to create and why? Here are some ways brands can successfully use short-form videos.

• Boost Your E-Commerce: Short-form videos are perfect to quickly showcase your product on selling sites. They don’t have to be mega-productions, but they should look really nice especially because you’re showing off your product and you want people to buy it.

• Make Product Teasers: These types of video are made of quick cuts showcasing a new product's features with upbeat music. Imagine a smartphone launch video with close-ups of the camera, sleek design, and someone using it seamlessly. Your teaser can use mysterious clips to hint about an upcoming release to build anticipation. For example, a fashion brand could reveal glimpses of a new collection with dramatic lighting that only partially shows the pieces, but gives the audience enough to know that they want to know more.

• Show Your Viewers Behind-the-Scenes (BTS): Make content about a day in the life at your company that showcases your team and culture. This could be a fun montage of employees working, collaborating, and having fun. A video like this should be (mostly) unscripted and inspired by your team itself. You can also show the making of a product, and highlight the craftsmanship and process. A bakery could show the process of making bread from start to finish, with close-ups of kneading dough, the oven, and the final product.

• Create How-Tos and Tutorials: These videos are meant to be quick and to the point. We once had a client with a coat that had all kinds of utility uses, and we created a video showing a person wearing the coat and doing quick mentions of all its uses. We later created a longer video with graphics, call outs, voice over and more. But the original short video was something the client could use immediately and it got viewers interested to learn more.

• Create Customer Testimonials: These are short and snappy reviews from satisfied customers. There’s almost nothing more effective than a happy customer sharing their positive experience with a product or service in a video for your brand to use. Testimonial videos show that you have clients who are willing to take the time and effort to speak on your behalf because they’re so happy. If you have a customer who seems willing to do this for you, just ask them to record something on their phone (in vertical mode). It’s quick and easy for them, and a gold mine for you.

• Make Before and After Videos: These are almost like testimonial videos but no one needs to talk on camera. Just showcase the impact of your product. For example, skincare companies show clients’ skin before and after using their product. This is also a great way to have User-Generated Content (UGC) which is another trend we’re following in 2025.

• The All-Important FAQ Video: Answering common customer questions in a visually engaging way is a great use of short-form video content. A tech company could create a short video explaining how to reset a password or troubleshoot a common issue. These videos don’t mess around. They get right to the solution of a frequently asked question. You can also address concerns or misconceptions about your product or service. An example of this is a sustainable clothing brand answering questions about their ethical practices, use of materials and the level of waste they create.

• Event Highlight Videos: Use this type of video to recap key moments from a conference, workshop, or launch party by creating a series of short clips showcasing exciting moments and highlights from the event. You can also tease your upcoming event with snippets of speakers and/or expected activities.

Our Tips for Creating Short-Form Video Content

We already mentioned earlier in this post that you need to develop some kind of plan before you embark on the process of creating this content. It’s always practical to make sure you get a return for the work and effort you’re putting in. But in addition you should:

• Keep it short and sweet: Videos should be no longer than 60 seconds. If you really want to be bold, go for 10 seconds per video.

• Use quick visuals: For the most part, it’s a good idea to change up what viewers see in your video. For example, if someone on your team is talking to the camera have them moving through your office. If they’re outside have them move around so the audience can see the surroundings. If you’re showing off a product, show the product off in multiple settings.

• Add music or sound effects: Whether we’re talking about by Hollywood movies or brand videos, audio helps to enhance the viewing experience for your audience. There’s a saying that good audio is 90% of good video content. We think it’s true. So take a little time when deciding what music to add to your finished content.

• Include a call to action: Don’t forget this one…tell viewers what you want them to do after watching your video. This can be said by whoever is in the video, it can be a clickable button, and it can be in the description of the video.

• Don’t Be Afraid To Be Different: With all the content creation tools available to businesses it’s easy to create content that stands out. Think outside the box. Have fun. Be weird (if this fits your brand). Try to make content that looks different from your competitors. Use stop-motion video. Use slo-mo video. Use cartooning to look different. The point is to be creative even if your content is short.

How Does Storyboard Media Group Help Brand Create Short-Form Video Content?

Need a steady stream of videos without the in-between hassle? Is your team is small, or already busy with other projects, and you need a little help getting content out the door? Or maybe you want your short-form content to look a little more professional. Our flexible month-by-month plan puts you in control. You tell us how many videos you need each month, and we handle the rest. It's like having an on-demand content creation team at your fingertips, ready to bring your ideas to life. Whether videography or photography we’ll work with you to develop the plan and messaging, and then we deliver the content for you to use. We’ll even create a calendar that shows what content will be created at which point in each month so your team can build around that.