Is it better to make short videos than to place advertisements? The data tells you the answer!

In the wave of digital marketing, which one is better, short videos or advertising? When it comes to brand marketing, which one will be more advantageous?

In the wave of digital marketing, short videos have rapidly emerged with their unique charm and become the new favorite of brand marketing.

In recent years, many data reports have shown that compared with live feeds and traditional advertising, the number of users attracted by short videos is not only huge, but also has a significant advantage in conversion rate. What is the logic behind this phenomenon?

01 Content is king

Content depth: Although short videos are short, they can convey rich information with concise content. In a limited time, brands can use storytelling and plot-based methods to show product features or brand concepts, which is more likely to resonate with the audience.

In contrast, live feed ads often lack careful planning and rely more on the host's improvisation, making it difficult to ensure the depth and consistency of the content; while direct advertising, although complete in information, is often too direct and unattractive.

Creative expression: Short video platforms encourage innovation and individual expression. Brands can use special effects, music, editing techniques and other elements to create novel and unique advertising content.

This kind of creative expression not only makes the advertisement look less "hard advertising", but more like a kind of entertainment content, which reduces the user's resistance. Live feed streams and direct advertising are usually more conservative in this regard and it is difficult to achieve the same level of creativity.

02 Changes in user behavior

With the popularization of mobile Internet, users' attention is becoming more and more fragmented, and short videos just cater to this "fast consumption" trend. The short and sharp content format allows users to obtain a large amount of information in a short period of time, satisfying the modern people's pursuit of efficiency and freshness. Live feed streams often require users to stay and watch for a long time, and direct advertising is more likely to be regarded as interruption. Both are not as good as short videos in capturing users' attention quickly.

In addition, the algorithm recommendation mechanism of short video platforms greatly improves the matching degree between content and users, making it easier for users to encounter content they are interested in during browsing, thereby increasing the possibility of conversion. In contrast, the audience targeting of live feeds and advertising is often relatively broad, lacking the advantage of personalized recommendations.

03 Algorithm recommendation, precise reach

One of the core competitiveness of short video platforms lies in their powerful algorithm recommendation. This algorithm achieves accurate push of personalized content by deeply learning and analyzing data in multiple dimensions such as user behavior, content features, and time environment.

Here are a few key points that show how algorithm recommendations help short video marketing win:

User behavior analysis: The algorithm continuously tracks each user's viewing history, interactive behavior (such as likes, comments, sharing), dwell time, etc., and builds a detailed personal preference model. This means that the short video content that users see is often what they are most likely to be interested in and easy to resonate with, which naturally improves the viewing experience and conversion willingness.

Content feature identification: The short video’s tags, keywords, audio features, etc. are all taken into account by the algorithm to ensure the quality and relevance of the content. This helps high-quality content stand out, and also facilitates the system to match it to the most suitable audience group, reducing invalid exposure and improving advertising efficiency.

Real-time feedback loop: The algorithm continuously learns from users’ immediate feedback and adjusts the recommendation list in real time, forming a positive loop. This means that even if users’ interests change subtly, the system can quickly capture and adapt to keep the recommended content fresh and relevant.

Balance between popularity and novelty: The algorithm not only considers the popularity of the content, but also introduces novel content appropriately to maintain the vitality and exploratory nature of the platform, helping new brands or creative content to reach a wide audience and create a "hot" effect. Live feeds rely more on the active choice of the audience, and although advertising has a targeted function, it is difficult to match the short video algorithm in terms of accuracy and personalized recommendations.

04 Interactive participation to enhance user stickiness

Short video platforms naturally have strong social attributes. Functions such as commenting, liking, and sharing build a bridge of direct communication between brands and users. While watching short videos, users can express their preferences through interaction. Good short video content can quickly form word-of-mouth in the user community and attract more potential customers. This sense of participation and belonging is difficult to provide in traditional advertising forms.

Brands can effectively improve user stickiness and increase conversion rates by responding to user comments in a timely manner and holding interactive activities. In live broadcast feeds, although the interaction is immediate, it is mostly concentrated between the anchor and the audience, and the brand role is relatively marginal; direct advertising is mainly one-way communication and has weak interactivity. This difference gives short videos a clear advantage in building brand loyalty.

Summarize

Short video marketing is not only an innovation in advertising, but also a reflection of a deep understanding of user psychology and the laws of communication in the digital age. Advertising is no longer the only path, but should be combined with short video marketing to form a diversified marketing matrix to jointly promote the enhancement of brand value. In this era where content is king, whoever masters the marketing code of short videos will be able to gain an advantage in the fierce market competition. Wisdom accumulates day by day, and thinking is always new - think one step further every day!