YouTube launched Shorts in India in 2020 and within three years of its launch, it has surpassed 50 billion daily views globally. Similar to TikTok (which was banned in India and several other countries), YouTube shorts allow brands to express themselves ideally in less than 60 seconds.
The short attention span of the viewers has completely changed how content is being consumed nowadays. And the pandemic accelerated this sudden change in the audience’s behavior. YouTube has content creators from all over the world and the introduction of Shorts has only helped them reach a wider audience. Tara Walpert Levy, YouTube’s vice president of the Americas, said that “Shorts offer an exciting, new way to be a part of a viewer’s journey and to introduce themselves and their whole portfolio to new audiences.”
Well, YouTube shorts have the power to transform or elevate your business to another level. Not sure how? Here’s the proof. According to a TechCrunch report, creator Ian Boggs started leveraging Shorts during the pandemic. He then gained about 5 million subscribers between 2021 and 2022. Isn’t this amazing?
And that’s why D2C brands are using YouTube shorts to grow their brand awareness. For D2C brands, it is equally important to acquire new customers and hence generate revenue. The market for D2C brands in India is only going to get bigger and better in the coming days.
More and more brands are doing content marketing via influencers. Brands must understand that they need to be in the space where consumers are present. Their ultimate goal will be to push these prospective customers deep into the marketing funnel until their conversion. Therefore, YouTube Shorts are a crucial channel of marketing for D2C brands
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why D2C brands should leverage YouTube shorts:
Help you reach a wider audience-
Since these videos are short, they help in capturing the attention of the user much better.
Diversify & repurpose content-
If a brand has already been active on YouTube, then you can easily repurpose your content. For example, if you have a lengthy video on a particular topic, then you can create multiple Shorts videos from the same video.
Follow your industry trends closely and create content-
This is a great way to make your content engaging and at the same time stay relevant to your audience.
Here are some tips which D2C brands can follow while using YouTube shorts-
Expand your reach with an established presence-
YouTube is the second-largest social media platform and that means its reach is humongous. D2C brands that will use Shorts will have the upper hand. They can use their already established YouTube presence. The platform is heavily promoting Shorts and this way brands can leverage this opportunity. Brands can get their users to find their short-form content in various ways: on the YouTube app, YouTube homepage, their notifications and even in their subscriptions.
Connect with the audience in entertaining ways-
YouTube Shorts has various built-in tools designed to make content creation easier and better. A few video trends which can be done by D2C brands include sneak peeks of its longer-form YouTube content, genuine reviews and recommendations of your brand and so on.
Collaborate with relevant creators-
D2C brands can easily tap into the power of influencer marketing through YouTube shorts. Make sure to collaborate with creators who are relevant to your Target Group (TG) and not just any popular influencer.
Summing it up
From its ability to repurpose content to its massive reach, YouTube Shorts has a lot to offer D2C brands. Another important thing is that YouTube Shorts has one big advantage over its video content rivals – its integration with YouTube. Needless to say, YouTube Shorts should be an integral part of every D2C brand’s video social strategy now.
