Key takeaways:
Google’s SGE includes social-style video
SGE prioritizes snackable, visual content
Socialive makes it easy to create social video content
Google as we know it is changing. A typed query producing a page of links with occasional rich snippets or video mixed in will be a thing of the past.
During the keynote of Google I/O 2023, artificial intelligence and short-form video were front and center. Google expects AI and short-form content will make its search engine more “visual, snackable, personal, and human.” The new mantra — Search, supercharged.
What does this mean for enterprises and companies who rely on Google searches to drive business?
It’s time to invest in snackable video content.
Snackable video in Google’s AI-powered SGE
This new Search Generative Experience (SGE) prioritizes an AI-generated response as Google aims to provide thorough answers for users in an easy-to-digest format.
The shift is in line with Google’s determination to deliver better experiences for people. The biggest evidence of that is the new Perspectives filter within SGE.
When someone’s search might benefit from the experiences of others, say a recommendation about a service or experience, the Perspectives filter may appear at the top of the page. The filter exclusively serves up long- and short-form videos, images, and written posts from across the internet and social media.
“Even in a world where AI can provide insights, we know that people will always value the input of other people.”
Cathy Edwards, VP of Engineering, Google
The point is — people are at the heart of Google’s redesign, and you’ll see them in snackable video clips.
How businesses can crack Google’s new code
Now, here’s the part where search marketers, businesses, and everyone who relies on Google search really want to pay attention.
For years the strategy behind search engine optimization (SEO) has been to create tons of written content. You just pay attention to trending topics and keywords, and answer the questions people are searching for.
With Google’s new AI-powered search results combined with the Perspectives filter pulling directly from forums, social media, and the thoughts of real people (and not just huge brands in a pay-to-play model), short-form content will play a more pronounced role in the new SEO.
One of the main ways to get content indexed could be through Instagram Reels. After all, Instagram and TikTok have popped up on the SERP for years. (More on IG Reels later)
People want to hear from other people — we crave clear and concise answers. Quite often the “show don’t tell” methodology will help tremendously here. A picture is worth 1000 words, and HD video is 30 frames per second.
Creating quality, snackable video at scale is the way to make sure your content stands out in the future of search. Easier said than done.
Creating all that content without breaking the bank or sacrificing quality is tough to execute.
Or is it?
Social content creation made easy for the enterprise
Creating video for Google’s SGE doesn’t have to require a separate video strategy. With Socialive it’s three easy steps: record, edit, and publish.
Sure, a creator can whip out their phone and create video in the native app. There’s also the option to create outside of the app and retrofit video into a vertical format, optimized for social media.
Or you could just record (or stream) in the desired format directly in Socialive. Whether it’s 16:9 landscape, 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait, or 9:16 portrait, you can create in any social-friendly format within Socialive.
Using Socialive to create social video combines the power of professional quality, browser-based video and screen recording — or, instead, mobile video capture — plus enterprise-friendly security and branding controls all in a ready-for-social format. Just publish. That’s it.
Remote recording with Socialive
The beauty of Socialive is that every team member can be a creator and content contributor in Recording Booth.
Is your human resources department looking to highlight what it’s like to work at your company?
They can create employee testimonials in minutes.
Need the CEO to deliver thought leadership to the masses?
They can easily create in a guided format.
Remote recording is the way to create professional video on the go.
A producer just needs to set up the branding, the layout, and then pick the desired channel from a plethora of options. The talent joins, records their piece from wherever they are in the world, and then the HD-quality video is ready to publish.
Publishing to Instagram Reels
One example of Socialive’s many publishing destinations is Instagram Reels. Rather than creating outside of Instagram, downloading the final video, and then uploading it to the platform, Socialive allows creators to send video straight to their Instagram Reels.
This is a game-changer because users can save time, can still repurpose longer content (using Socialive’s clipping tools), and deliver the snackable content their audiences crave.
Content sent to Instagram Reels, Instagram Live, LinkedIn Live, and so many more destinations can receive the high-production value treatment on the first pass, without needing to set up physical equipment — studio quality, sans studio.
The ROI of AI in cloud video creation
To this point, everything we’ve mentioned about AI has been about how it will optimize the delivery of video content within Google, similar to the experience in social media platforms.
Socialive makes video creation faster, easier, and more cost-effective by empowering non-video professionals to be able to contribute high-quality content. One example was how VMware saved $100,000 in a single video project.
Of course, the post-production end of it will almost always need to have a professional touch to it — which is why we’re making that level of editing magic accessible to all with the power of AI.
Saving time without sacrificing quality
As we’ve highlighted in previous pieces, there’s a higher demand for video than most in-house video teams can keep up with, creating a time cost. The option of outsourcing to a creative agency, of course, is a financial hit for each video project.
Socialive already makes it easy for non-creators to create professional video, so the sensible next step is to make editing easy for anyone in the organization to take on.
Think of how Canva allows people with limited design skills to create quality designs. In a similar vein, editing a video should be equally accessible. We’re enabling teams to automate parts of the editing process, such as captioning, trimming and adjusting clips, adding branding, and transferring media.
Democratizing video creation
Making it easier to edit video will save time by scaling the ability to do post-production. This shouldn’t be confused with completely entrusting any editing to the machines.
Rather, democratizing video editing will allow video teams to focus on big projects such as complex live events, setting up branding parameters, and coming up with the ideas behind winning content.
AI will empower creative teams to take a more strategic role in video creation rather than being pigeonholed into individual contributor roles.
It used to be that knowledgeable creator was the only one who could add polish to video.
Now creative teams can enable and entrust their talent and cross-functional partners to handle parts of editing. AI eliminates what was previously labor-intensive grunt work that could only be done in a traditional editing platform.
This is a much more scalable way forward, saving teams both time and money.
The not-so-distant future of AI in video creation
Google’s shift away from the yellow pages and investment into an AI-driven multimedia experience shows how vital it is for companies to create short-form videos. If recent decades proved video as a useful tool, the next few will show that snackable content is the new way of doing business.
As VMware’s Craig Chapman puts it, “Snackable content — regardless how you get there — is a really great future for people inside the video space, especially in the enterprise. Nobody wants to watch your 30-minute video. Ever. Even your biggest fan doesn’t want that!”
At Socialive, we’re here to make it easy for companies to meet that demand at scale.
Stay up to date with the future of video creation and where AI is driving efficiency in our product updates section. Or, read on in our series that highlights how video creators benefit from AI video tools.
Like Google, at Socialive we see an opportunity for companies to connect with customers through authentic, snackable video. AI will play a role in scaling up that personalized approach.
