All the kids are doing it: How short videos can help your small business

It sprang onto the scene with goofy dance trends and questionable dares, but TikTok and other short video platforms have evolved — and can offer an edge to the creative business owner.

The dancing and pranks aren’t going anywhere, but they now share space with more cerebral users. Social media algorithms reward accounts that incorporate video into their feeds, meaning your posts will gain more traction and reach more people than a static image. Instagram and Twitter have each introduced short-form videos into their repertoire this past year.

Not sure what content to publish? Remember the philosophy of ‘show, don’t tell.’ Brainstorm visual ways to show off your business and company.

Here are some ideas:

* Behind the scenes videos, showing viewers your office or desk, taking them into the kitchen or the factory, under the hood of the car.

* Consider a series of tips, offering snippets of bite-sized advice.

* Summarize an event with scenes from the day.

* Tease an upcoming sale, event, or expansion.

* Show the progress of a renovation, whether that’s a remodel of your home office, a new fire pit or a commercial building.

* Answer questions. Ask viewers to submit questions and answer them via video.

* Feeling brave? Go ahead and jump on a dance trend! You can easily find the latest trending videos and songs and add your own take to it. Or you can do a split-screen video in which you dance along or react to someone else.

* Speaking of reactions, reaction videos are big. They don’t have to be dances. You can react to a short news clip or speech snippet, visually and/or with your own comments.

* Remember to use captions. Studies show that up to 80 percent of people scroll through their phones without the sound on. Most videos incorporate easy text graphics to display words and titles, and you can also use closed captions.