Guest blog post provided by Switcher Studio
Short-form video has dominated the social media landscape in recent years. We’re talking about vertical videos typically under one minute — AKA “snackable content,” Reels, Stories, Shorts, or TikToks. You know ‘em, you love ‘em, and guess what? They’re now a non-negotiable component of your boutique marketing strategy. (Surprise! 🎉)
Why is short-form video important for boutique marketing?
Not convinced? Here are just a few reasons why short-form video is vital for boutique marketing.
Short-form video is key to visibility in today’s social media landscape 👀
This means two things.
- Short-form video is the primary content type on the platforms you need to be utilizing. TikTok has approximately nine bajillion users, and its entire platform consists of short-form video. If you want to be on TikTok (and you do), you need a short-form video strategy.
- The social media platforms that don’t focus exclusively on short-form video are still inclined to promote it over most other kinds of content. That means creating short-form video helps you stay on top of the algorithm so you’re more likely to be discovered by new customers.
Video is the most effective way to share your products or message
Most of your potential customers (think three-quarters at least) are more likely to watch a video to learn about a product than any other medium. Video viewers are also more likely to retain the message you share than readers are. In other words, if you want to get the word out, you’ll get a bigger bang for the buck with video.
Short-form video drives action
This is arguably the best part of short-form video. More than any other social media content type, short-form video drives engagement and action. That means you can cultivate your audience, learn about their preferences, and boost sales — all with one piece of content.
OK, so you’re on board with short-form video, but you’ve also got a ton of other stuff on your plate, and adding “being a social media influencer” will max out your to-do list. I get it! Thankfully, making killer short-form video content doesn’t have to be a huge investment of time or energy.
Short-form video content ideas
One of the most intimidating aspects of short-form video content creation is coming up with ideas. That’s why working with content frameworks can be a huge help. It takes the pressure off by creating content within a template. These short-form video frameworks are proven to perform well on social media, and they’re all ideal for boutique marketing.
Tutorials
Tutorials and how-tos are great short-form video content. For boutiques, this can take the form of “how to wear” and “how to style” videos. Start by piquing your viewers’ interest by showing the featured item and overlaying text, for example, “how I styled this oversized graphic tee.” This will get viewers to stop scrolling and keep watching. “How to style” videos are also a great opportunity to highlight multiple products that work well together.
Another fun version of the “how-to” video is the side-by-side comparison. Try showing how to tweak an outfit or clothing item to suit different styles — even different generations’ styles, like the Millennial vs. Gen Z version of an outfit.
Make sure to include a call to action so viewers know where to find the products you featured — and remind them to follow you for more videos like this one.
Lists ✔️
Lists are a classic framework for creating engaging content, and they work well for short-form videos. Here are my top five list prompts for boutique marketing videos:
1. Highlighting your favorite new items
2. Curating wish lists and gift guides
3. Predicting next season’s biggest trends
4. Counting down your customer favorites
5. Showcasing your favorite looks for different styles or occasions
These are just a few ideas, but lists are incredibly versatile. No matter what products you want to show off, a list format is an easy way to make it happen.
Transformations ✨
Transformations are a super popular style of video. It catches viewers’ attention and keeps them watching until the end, which is what you want. It’s also super versatile: You can use this format for a range of content types, and you can keep using it over and over. Try framing your next video as a reveal or “before and after,” and see how it performs!
Minimize effort and maximize results
Even if you have a million and one content ideas, it doesn’t matter much if you can’t put them into action. Here are two tips for quick and easy content creation.
Gather user-generated content 🫶
User-generated content is super effective, and a super smart way to gather content for your channels without making it yourself. If customers tag you in posts or use your company hashtag, and then ask permission to repost their content. You can encourage this by offering promos to users who create great content, or paying influencers to create content on your behalf (think try-ons, hauls, and unboxings).
Repurpose long-form content ✂️
One of our favorite ways to create a lot of content quickly is to chop up and repurpose content like longer videos and livestreams. For example, if you do a live selling stream in which you highlight a new collection, you can clip out the highlights to give viewers a quick look at the pieces you included. Or, create a super satisfying slow-mo video that shows off one particular item you love. You can also clip together behind-the-scenes content and blooper reels. The options are endless.
Members of the Boutique Hub save BIG on Switcher Studio for merchants
Switcher Studio is an all-in-one platform that makes it easy to create, share, and monetize your live and recorded video content:
- Show your products from every angle by creating multicamera videos and livestreams
- Add branding to your video with fully customizable graphics
- Expand your audience by multistreaming to all your platforms at once
- Connect Switcher Studio to your Shopify store, then sell with comments on Facebook Live or right on your website with our embeddable video player
- Create clips of past productions right in the app and share them directly on your social platforms
- Plus, way more!
Try Switcher Studio for Merchants free for 14-days, and then save over 30% on the Switcher Studio Merchant plan.
