What is short form video marketing and how can it help your brokerage?

Video marketing is still a huge potential growth market for insurance brokers and, interestingly, it is no longer about long form video.

For those brokers that can take advantage of this, there is still time for first mover advantage on some digital platforms – plus you will not be competing for eyeballs in the same way you do with other forms of marketing.

So, while we are going to talk about Lives, Reels and TikTok, we are going to talk about platforms you already know too. There is a huge advantage for someone who can step up and just produce content quickly and easily.

You no longer have to produce 5- or 10-min video content. Let’s be honest, that’s what probably stopped you in the past.

Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others are all now suggesting users produce 60 -120 second videos and share them.

This can easily be done by using your smartphone. Record a video that covers one point, tip, trick or useful piece of information.

Then upload it. Simple.

Here are some ideas to help you get started.

Setup

You can simply use your phone.

Make sure you have a non-busy background or background noise.

If you are doing your videos in your office, make sure you have good, natural light and maybe invest in a lapel mic to improve sound recording quality. The Rode Lapel Microphone is a good option.

If you want to use your PC, then you can use a Webcam (remember those?). The Logitech C920 is a great camera to use.

You can record and save these videos before uploading if you want to - or simply upload them. If you want to edit them, you can use your computer’s video software. On a Mac this would be iMovie, or you could use something like Canva which has a video editing solution.

Content ideas

For content ideas there are many different things you can use in short term video form.

Whatever content you create though, the focus is to be informative and entertaining.

Short form video topics could be about your:

L Business

l products l service.

But try not to cram too much into each video. 60-120 seconds will be enough to include one topic and a single point on that topic.

In terms of your products, this could be FAQs related. In fact, you could create a bunch of FAQs related videos. Or a group of videos about one of your products.

Given a bit of thinking time, you can probably map out a lot of content ideas in a short period of time.

When clients’ ask you or your team a question, make a note –this could be a future video.

You don’t need to overthink it. By having a simple plan and an easy way to record content, this will help you create content consistently over time.

One thing we also would suggest you do, is to include subtitles. Some people will watch your videos at work or in a quiet environment, so subtitles will be another way to help you engage.

Platforms to explore

Here are several platforms that accept and actively request people to create short form content: l Facebook Reels l Instagram Reels l TikTok l LinkedIn l YouTube Shorts.

These channels also can publish live on a platform – this simply means publishing on the platform as you speak. Like Live TV. This might be an option for you and one well worth exploring. Again, try to keep the content focused, without distraction, onpoint and short.

Whatever platform you use and whatever schedule you choose, try to stick to it. If you are going to post once a week, ensure you meet that commitment. Or pre-record so you can cover any holiday or illness periods. For example, if you are going live every Wednesday at 10am, make sure you have it booked into your diary as a meeting so you can do the short video without interruption. Viewers like consistency.

Live and short form video can reach a huge number of people quickly.

Good luck!