If you haven't noticed short form video taking over the internet, you haven't been paying attention. Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are now where most people spend their time on social media. For business owners, this shift is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Short form video is no longer optional for growing a business online. But what exactly is it, and how does it actually drive customers? Let's break it down.
What counts as short form video?
Short form video is any video typically under 60 seconds, filmed in vertical format (9:16 aspect ratio) and designed for mobile viewing. The main platforms are:
- Instagram Reels: Short videos that appear in your feed and can be promoted through Meta ads. Currently the primary way Instagram distributes content.
- TikTok: The platform that invented the short form video format. Algorithm is extremely powerful at pushing content to new audiences.
- YouTube Shorts: Google's answer to TikTok, embedded in YouTube and YouTube's mobile app.
- Facebook Reels: Facebook's version of Reels, often reaching an older demographic.
The defining characteristics of short form video are speed and vertical orientation. Videos are under 60 seconds, often 15-45 seconds. They're shot on vertical aspect ratio (portrait mode) because that's how people hold their phones. They're designed to be watched without sound (captions included). And critically, they're made to hook attention in the first 2-3 seconds or lose the viewer.
Why short form video works for businesses
Short form video has become the dominant format because the algorithms actively promote it. Here's why that matters for business owners:
Discovery over followers: Unlike traditional social media, short form video algorithms promote content based on what keeps viewers engaged, not who posted it. A business with 100 followers can reach thousands of people with a single good video. The algorithm doesn't care if you're unknown—it cares if your content is worth watching.
High engagement rates: Video stops people from scrolling. Video makes them stop and watch. Video gets them to engage, comment, and share. A gym posting a 30-second video of a class getting going will get more engagement than 10 carousel posts about their pricing.
Lower production cost: You don't need a studio, a production crew, or expensive equipment. A phone, natural light, and authentic content is enough. This means you can produce more content, more frequently, at a much lower cost than traditional video.
Builds customer trust: Short form video shows the real side of your business. People see your coaches, your space, your process, your culture. They get a real sense of what working with you would be like. That builds trust in a way a polished sales page never can.
Works across all industries: Gyms, restaurants, clinics, plumbers, cleaners, coaches, retailers—they all see results with short form video. If you have customers, this format works for you.
What kind of content should you make?
The best performing short form video content shows the real, behind-the-scenes side of your business. Here are the types of videos that consistently perform well:
- Behind the scenes: How you set up for the day, what your morning looks like, the prep work before clients arrive. People are curious about the "before the magic happens" moments.
- Day in the life: A real, unfiltered look at a day running your business. A coach working with clients. A restaurant service at lunch. A plumber on a job site.
- Transformations: Before and afters work incredibly well if it's relevant to your business. A gym transformation, a space redesign, a patient's results.
- Testimonials: Real customers on camera (with permission) saying what they love about working with you. Far more powerful than written reviews.
- Educational tips: One useful tip per video. A fitness tip, a cooking tip, a cleaning hack. Something the viewer can use.
- Mistakes and learning moments: Show mistakes and how you fixed them. It's relatable and shows you're human.
The one thing all good short form video has in common: it feels organic. It doesn't feel like an ad. It looks like something a friend would post. The moment a video feels "corporate" or "salesy," viewers scroll past.
How to get started with short form video
You have two realistic options:
Option 1: Do it yourself. You can shoot short form video with just a phone. Open your camera app, hold it vertically, and record. Edit it with free tools like CapCut. No training required. The downside: it takes time, consistency is hard, and it's easy to fall into a rut of repetitive content. Most businesses that try this alone give up within 3-4 months.
Option 2: Hire a specialist agency. Work with a team like Drancomedia that specializes in short form video. We come to your location, capture everything in one shoot, and handle editing and posting. One shoot becomes 6-12 videos that last a whole month. You get higher quality, consistency, and you don't have to think about it. Your time stays on your business, not on phone editing.
Most growing businesses find Option 2 is worth the investment—one afternoon a month becomes a full month of content.
What results to expect
Organic reach: If you're posting short form video consistently (2-4 times per week), you'll start seeing organic reach build over 2-3 months. The algorithm needs data to understand what content to promote. At month 3, you should see meaningful growth in followers, engagement, and enquiries from organic content alone.
With paid promotion: If you run short form video as organic content AND promote it through Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram), results are much faster. Ads put your best content in front of the right audience from day one. Most businesses see meaningful results—enquiries, bookings, sales—within 2-4 weeks when combining organic and paid.
Long-term compounding: The real power of short form video is that it compounds. Month 3 is better than month 1 because the algorithm knows you better and your audience is larger. Month 6 is stronger still. Businesses that stick with it for 3-6 months consistently report significant growth.
Start now, or let us handle it
Short form video is the most effective way to reach new customers in 2026. If you're not doing it, your competitors are.
If you run a gym, restaurant, clinic, coaching business, or service business in London or South East England and you want to grow, the fastest path is short form video combined with Meta ads. Book a free call and we'll show you what a full month of video content looks like for your business.