How Short-Form Video is Dominating Brand Engagement
When I entered the world of digital marketing two decades ago, the main form of content was written text. It took me from hours to days to develop good content through research, writing, and editing. Even after all this, we had to manually code the content in HTML to publish it online. My team believed in the concept of “content is king”, and even today, that belief remains at the core of everything we do.
But today, people consume content very differently from how they did back then.
But over the last twenty years, I’ve watched dominating media in the digital space evolve from text to images to videos. However, the most dominant video format has evolved from a supporting format to the primary medium in digital marketing. The growth of smart devices made it easier for people to consume videos anytime, anywhere, turning quick bites of content into a part of everyday life.
With attention spans dropping and smartphones becoming our primary screens, people naturally prefer quick, engaging clips, rising to the top of the content hierarchy.
I’m Tony John, a veteran digital marketer and the CEO of SpiderWorks, a leading digital marketing agency in Dubai. Over the years, we have helped countless businesses build powerful digital presences across the UAE. And I can confidently say that short-form video content is no longer a trend but the standard format! In this blog, I want to share what I’ve learned about the rise of short-form video, why it will dominate brand engagement in 2026, and how businesses can use it to stay ahead.
Why Short-Form Video Marketing Dominates 2025
In a world where attention spans are shrinking and the competition for obtaining attention remains at large, short-form content continues to rule across platforms. But the questions remain - why is this format most preferred? Why does it effortlessly gain so much engagement? And how can brands use this format properly?
The answer to the success of short-form videos lies in psychology. Human brains process visuals faster compared to complex texts. When combined with music, humor, or emotion, the impact of the video gets multiplied. Even a shorter video that has a clear message can be remembered fondly if it embodies all compelling elements in the right proportions.
This habitual scrolling and swiping at lightning speed has shaped the way users consume content. They now expect instant entertainment, information, or connection with every swipe.
While this may sound demanding, it creates strong opportunities for businesses to maximize their presence, as short-form videos meet this demand perfectly.
Short-form videos are fast, engaging, and intrinsically designed for repetitive consumption, making them easy to watch and highly shareable. Even in production aspects, they are easier to produce compared to long-form videos, giving brands the power to experiment more, maintain consistency, and reach wider audiences with authentic and organic content.
The combination of these factors, in addition to the algorithmic favorability, is what made short-form video content the most successful and dominant format for engagement and conversion in 2025, and I believe it will continue to do so in the future.
Platforms Leading the Short-Form Revolution
There are many platforms that support short-form video, and each comes with its own strengths, audience behaviors, and algorithmic quirks. Some of the leading short-form video platforms are as follows:
TikTok
TikTok is actually the first platform that truly started the short-form video revolution, making the scrollable short-form video into a global trend. Today, TikTok continues to rule the social media space across the UAE, with over 11 million users aged 18. The platform’s viral trends, challenges, and authentic content from countless creators make it an ideal platform for businesses that are looking to engage directly with their audience.
Facebook is one of the most popular platforms in the UAE, renowned for its advanced audience segmentation provision. This is particularly helpful for brands to target their audience based on demographics, interests, or location.
Instagram is the global go-to short-form video app, with the dedicated “reels” section designed specifically for quick, engaging clips. Instagram’s wide presence allows brands to share visually appealing content, tell their story, and collaborate with influencers to reach wider audiences.
YouTube
YouTube Shorts allow brands to target niche audiences across the world’s largest video platform while also repurposing existing content into quick, engaging clips. YouTube offers the provision to improve the chances of visibility by optimizing titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords by utilizing YouTube’s search-driven algorithm effectively.
How SpiderWorks Utilizes These Platforms for Brand Growth
At SpiderWorks, a leading social media marketing agency in Dubai, we tailor strategies for each platform rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. Our team analyses how your audience behaves on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and creates content that aligns with platform-specific trends, algorithms, and engagement patterns.
Whether it's crafting high-impact TikTok videos, running targeted Facebook campaigns, building visual storytelling on Instagram, or optimizing YouTube Shorts for maximum visibility, we follow a structured approach that blends creativity with data. Since each of these platforms plays a different role in customer engagement, we’ve developed dedicated service capabilities to help brands get the most out of them — from short-form content creation to influencer collaborations, paid ads, and advanced analytics.
To understand how emerging businesses can practically apply these platform trends—especially on TikTok—you can refer to our latest blog offering actionable TikTok marketing insights for startups.
How to Create Short-Form Videos that Actually Convert
One thing I’ve noticed while working with brands across the UAE is that almost every company is creating short videos, yet only a handful actually succeed. In these successful videos, I have noticed a clear pattern: videos that grab attention, deliver value, and guide viewers toward action repeatedly surpass those that simply focus on the entertainment factor. Here’s a three-step process to create good short-form videos that guarantee success:
1. Hook Your Audience in the First 2-3 Seconds
The very first few seconds of your video are crucial and can determine whether an individual will stop scrolling or keep swiping past. That’s why a strong hook is everything. Here are some of the ways you can grab attention:
- A bold statement: Make viewers stop and think.
- A surprising fact: Share something counterintuitive or eye-opening.
- A quick transformation: Show a before-and-after or reveal a solution fast.
- A problem-solution setup: Pose a question or pain point that resonates instantly.
2. Keep it under 15 seconds, whenever possible.
The shorter the video, the higher the completion rate, and the more likely platforms’ algorithms are to push it. Videos under 15 seconds are easier to consume, more likely to be shared, and often leave a stronger impression than longer clips. A better analogy I have observed is to compare each second of the video to valuable real estate. Every frame is critical and should balance all the components, so there’s no room for fluff.
3. Tell One Story at a Time
Clear and honest videos guarantee conversions. Each short-form video should have a single idea, message, or action. Trying to cram multiple messages into a short clip confuses viewers and lowers engagement.
4. Use Trending Sounds
Check for the trending sounds on the platform, as they can boost the discoverability of your content. But do not force it; make sure the content fits the video organically.
5. Focus on Emotions
Whether it's humor, inspiration, fear, or surprise, emotional content encourages viewers to engage via liking, sharing, or saving your video, increasing the chances of them taking action.
6. Add Clear CTAs
At the end or in the middle of the video, add clear and informative CTAs to encourage viewers to convert.
7. Repurpose and Recycle
Use the existing content and repurpose it into short-form videos to remain consistent without burning out. This approach multiplies your content reach while saving time and effort, letting you maintain a strong presence across platforms without constantly starting from scratch.
Check out our blog on: Best AI Video Creation Tools
Future of Short-Form Video Marketing Beyond 2025
From what I’ve observed, the success of short-form video content is still evolving and shows no signs of slowing down. I’m very excited to see what the future holds for short-form videos. Here’s a look at some of the trends that I believe will shape the next wave of content and engagement:
AI-Generated Content: With the age of AI on the rise, platforms are now testing generative AI tools to produce high-quality short videos at a rapid and larger scale.
Interactive and More Immersive Videos: Short-form content is evolving from passive viewing to active participation with clickable elements and components. As short-form videos continue to employ these, they encourage viewers to interact rather than just scroll past.
Hyper-Personalized Content: The ultra-personalization with AI assistance helps platforms to create and recommend short-form videos tailored to individual users based on their behavior, preferences, and past interactions.
Stay Ahead of the Short-Form Video Market with SpiderWorks
SpiderWorks has been at the forefront of digital solutions and services over the last two decades, helping businesses create short-form videos that truly engage and convert. Our in-house video production team utilized creativity, storytelling, and the most advanced AI tools in the market to produce content that evokes deep emotions and drives action.
At SpiderWorks, we understand that short-form video is not a passing trend; it’s the future of digital marketing. For brands that want to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond, investing in short-form content is no longer optional but a mandate.
So partner with SpiderWorks in Dubai today and transform your ideas into high-quality content with our video production company in Dubai. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with our team!
