Vertical videos are one of the biggest recent shifts in video marketing. This is being driven by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Vertical videos provide a big opportunity to engage with your audience better. But how can you get in on the action? In this article, we show you how.
What are Vertical Videos?
A vertical video is a long, skinny video that’s designed for mobile phones. It fits better on your mobile screen because it’s typically created in a ratio of 9:16 of width versus length. For comparison, traditional videos are 16:9.
Why Vertical Videos Help Your Brand Grow
It gives the viewer a more pleasing viewing experience. They let you watch a video without needing to rotate your phone. Vertical videos also use up more screen real estate, reducing distractions and keeping the viewer focused on your content. For brands, this means:
- More watch time
- Better viewer understanding
- Better conversion potential
A lot of social media usage happens on mobile phones these days and so as a brand, you need to seriously consider the incorporation of vertical videos into your marketing mix.
The Algorithms Favor Vertical
Social platforms prioritize vertical content because they want users to stay engaged. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts all favor vertical videos in their recommendation algorithms, meaning brands that produce vertical content can get more organic reach for their ad spend.
How Brands Can Leverage Vertical Video
Below are a few suggestions:
1. Make Easily-Digestible Content
Break complex messaging down into snackable content that your audience enjoys watching. Animation can help with this.
2. Repurpose Video Content
If you have existing video content, e.g. a brand explainer video, then you can repurpose the assets into vertical content. This increases your reach with minimal extra effort.
3. Widen your ‘Content Surface’
Vertical videos aren’t just used for video ads. They’re perfect for brand storytelling, brand updates, behind-the-scenes content, and highlighting key ideas.
How to Convert an Existing Video into Vertical Format
So you have an existing video, e.g. a brand explainer video, that you want to convert to vertical. Unfortunately, you can’t just “save it down in vertical format”. The video’s artwork and design will need to be re-configured (moved around etc) so it works and looks good in the new dimensions. But at least you’re not starting from scratch and converting a video to vertical format tends to be relatively inexpensive. You can talk to whoever made your video to assist with this.
Future-Proof Your Brand with Vertical Video
As social media continues to evolve, brands that put their viewers first will stand out. Vertical video is a great tool in that regard. Are you thinking of making some vertical videos? We can help so feel free to get in touch.
