The short-video landscape is bigger than just TikTok. Marketers must develop a strategy to make the most of this form of marketing across multiple venues.

User-generated short videos are all over the internet, from TikTok to Instagram Reels to Triller, and the marketing opportunities are exploding. Here’s how the main venues compare across usage, paid advertising, organic and influencer marketing, and commerce.

Before brands embark on short-video marketing, one of their key considerations should be the pros and cons of user-generated content (UGC). Marketers have had to learn to be comfortable with showing their brand messages in the midst of UGC on social media—and that’s been harder than ever, thanks to the recent rise in negativity and misinformation on some platforms. But to excel in the short-video format, especially on TikTok, marketers must also be willing to tap ordinary users for inspiration, participation, and viral distribution.

Social entertainment is here to stay. With the dramatic rise of TikTok, along with the growing number of traditional social platforms and standalone apps in this space, we are convinced that short, user-generated videos will be a lasting part of the social media landscape, particularly for organic and influencer marketing, paid advertising, and social commerce.

The rest of the world is waking up to the potential of shoppable livestreams, but it’s old news to China’s short-form video players and ecommerce platforms. Short-video leaders Douyin (TikTok’s sister app) and Kuaishou (known outside of China as Kwai) have been expanding their social commerce operations, not just to sell products, but to provide services and other forms of content as well.

We estimate that one in four US internet users will use TikTok this year, and adult users will spend almost 32 minutes per day on average with the short-video app. Evan Horowitz, co-founder and CEO of creative agency Movers + Shakers, joins eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to discuss TikTok's ad products, how advertisers are using the app to build brand equity, and the need to tailor social creative to make sense for each platform.

For shoe retailer DSW, TikTok is a place to test, learn, and have fun. In this excerpt from our new report, "Marketing in the Short-Video Landscape," Maria Wollenburg, DSW’s manager of social media and content, shares what the company has done on the social platform and what was learned in the eight months since launching its first TikTok paid ad campaign.

The major social platforms hit the ground running in 2021, making substantial investments into many of today’s top social trends: audio, influencers, and short video, to name a few.

As WeChat enters its second decade, Allen Zhang Xiaolong, chief architect of the super app, pledged at an annual conference to make videos its cornerstone in the coming years. More specifically, Zhang spotlighted Channels, its short-form video feature, and a more seamless user experience with official accounts and miniprograms (lightweight apps within WeChat that require minimal downloading and disappear after use).

eMarketer research analyst Mariel Soto Reyes and principal analysts at Insider Intelligence Mark Dolliver and Jeremy Goldman discuss the future of short-form video, HBO Max's release structure experiment, a new service to streamline streaming, how the pandemic affected computer usage, why Apple wants in on cars, what actually happens when you experience déjà vu, and more.

In recent months, both Instagram and Snapchat have made several changes to their products that are reminiscent of growing contender TikTok. Instagram launched its highly-anticipated feature Reels, which allows users to create short videos set to music, and Snapchat introduced a slew of new features, including adding music and a test for vertical navigation.

Among the major short-video platforms, TikTok is the furthest along in developing its ad business. Aside from Triller, TikTok is the only short-video venue that offers paid advertising. Although Instagram Reels and Snapchat Spotlight will introduce paid advertising in the near future, the strategic priority for these venues is to continue growing their user bases.

YouTube likely felt pressure to roll out quickly to capture the excitement around short videos, which could explain the lack of features. However, a few creator-focused perks could help Shorts stand out in an increasingly-crowded market.

With short-form video on the rise, livestreaming can keep users engaged over longer periods of time. The rise of TikTok, Instagram Reels, Snapchat’s Spotlight, and other forms of short-form video is a stark contrast to livestreams, which are often much longer. While both formats have uses for marketers, livestreaming gives brands more time to speak about products in-depth. Cons:. Live means live.

In 2019, 94.5% of internet users in China will be social network users. That amounts to just 59.0% of the country’s population. This report covers the trends shaping the market, as well as our first-ever user forecast for the popular short-video platform Douyin and updated estimates for WeChat and Sina Weibo.

TikTok, the Chinese short-video app, is taking off in the US, India and elsewhere. It offers many unique marketing opportunities, such as the Hashtag Challenge, but marketers should take note of some risks.

In terms of the short-form video sector, Douyin (TikTok’s sister app) and Kuaishou (which went public in Hong Kong in early February) have the largest user bases by far.

Article: Chinese short-video apps race to expand social commerce offerings. Report: The Global Media Intelligence Report 2020.