Why Rural Businesses Shouldn’t Skip on Short-Form Video

By Callis Team | August 5, 2025

Short-form video is the star of social media. Whether you’re scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat or even LinkedIn, chances are you’re seeing vertical videos that are quick, engaging and hard to ignore. These videos have transformed how people consume content online, and they offer a major opportunity for rural businesses looking to connect with their audiences in a way that grabs attention and builds trust.

A 2025 Instagram study by Social Insider found that smaller business accounts of between 1,000 and 5,000 followers get the highest level of Reels engagement, with a view rate of 20%. Brands in the 5,000 to 10,000 range are next on the list, with a 10.20% view rate. Short-form video is an efficient and creative way to increase visibility and stay relevant in a fast-moving online space, and it’s a social media marketing strategy perfect for rural businesses.

Short-Form Video’s Social Media Takeover

Nearly every social media platform now prioritizes short-form, vertical video. It’s front and center on users’ feeds, and the algorithms are helping push this content to wider audiences, not just existing followers. What started primarily as a massively popular content form on TikTok is now baked into YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spotlight and Instagram/Facebook Reels. Even Spotify has introduced a similar concept on its music streaming app to showcase quick snippets of songs and music videos.

Why the major shift? Short-form video is easy to consume. The clips tend to be anywhere from five seconds to two minutes in length, depending on the platform. The format is tailored to mobile users, quick to watch and can serve a variety of marketing purposes across online channels. For rural brands, it’s an opportunity to reach beyond your geographic area. Your video could be shown on “For You” or “Explore” pages, getting your business in front of users who don’t follow you yet. This type of organic reach is hard to achieve with organic image posts and offers long-term brand value when done consistently.

Capturing Attention & Building Connection with a Video Strategy

Social media is noisy. Getting noticed requires more than just a nice photo. A strong short-form video strategy captures attention within seconds and holds it for longer than static posts tend to do. That means better reach, stronger engagement and more meaningful interactions.

Mixing video into your content plan alongside photo posts helps create a more engaging and dynamic online presence. And the best part? Many of these videos are filmed with just a smartphone, minimal equipment and free or low-cost video editing software. The authentic, low-key nature of this format is part of what makes it so effective. You don’t need a big budget or a production studio. Short-form video is one of the most cost-effective and scalable tools available.

Businesses looking to build brand awareness and trust can incorporate video in several smart ways:

Repurpose videos across different social media platforms
Promote well-performing videos as paid ads, placed directly onto targeted users’ feeds
If your team is unable to film a video, create a lightweight video made of images, motion graphics and music (similar to a slideshow). Learn more about the benefits of lightweight videos.
Reuse long-form content, such as a podcast video or longer informational video, and edit the main parts into several shorter clips, complete with text overlays or closed captions.

Short-form video isn’t one-size-fits-all. Content can be educational, inspirational or entertaining, offering flexibility in messaging. Consider filming clips with some of these ideas:

Introduce your team or showcase your workplace culture
Share customer testimonials and meaningful stories that connect with your audience
Give quick tips or how-to demos related to your products
Highlight local partnerships or community involvement
Participate in relevant social media trends to be relatable
Share behind-the-scenes looks at your operations
Tease upcoming launches and events

Aligning Short-Form Video with Business Growth

At Callis, we help rural businesses create meaningful connections with their audiences, and short-form video is a powerful tool to make that happen.

We work with you to:

Develop a short-form video strategy and content plan aligned with your marketing goals
Identify the right content types for your audience segments and platforms
Create and produce a content library of effective, on-brand videos that resonate with online users (including long-form, short-form and lightweight video)
Track performance across platforms to optimize your efforts
Support content repurposing for maximum efficiency and cross-channel impact
Manage paid video campaigns that drive real results

From strategy to execution, we help brands make video a valuable part of their marketing mix. If you’re ready to connect with your audience and bring your brand to life through engaging visuals, explore our integrated marketing services and contact us today.

SOURCES

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/#instagram-stories-and-reels-statistics

https://www.socialinsider.io/social-media-benchmarks/instagram

Questions:
If you would like to learn more about this topic, or any topic, and see how we can help your brand communicate to an important rural American audience or segment, feel free to contact us and we would be happy to discuss the opportunities with you.

What We Do:
We are a full-service advertising agency with a specialty providing marketing services to clients targeting rural America, including digital marketing, creative services and public relations.