Video marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of the marketing world. Currently, 93% of marketers are integrating videos into their marketing campaigns, while 60% are incorporating videos into their email marketing campaigns. This occurrence is due to the increase of social media sites which have successfully integrated video technology to their platforms as well as the fact that marketers are starting to realize the many benefits of this tool, such as increased customer engagement and the ability to create strong emotional connections with consumers.
Marketers cannot incorporate just any type of video into marketing campaigns, however. There are some universal rules which should be followed when producing videos. For example, videos should be as engaging and entertaining as possible and bring forward new or important information. They should also have attention-grabbing thumbnails so that people actually click on them, and have a consistent look and feel from beginning to end (Tip: always try to match your video content with your branding). Perhaps the most important rule to follow when creating videos is to make them as short as possible though.
One of the reasons why your videos should be as short as possible deals with the current state of the world. Because we live in such a fast-paced world in which there exists a 24-hour news cycle, countless blogs and websites, and an always-changing digital landscape, it’s quite hard to grab the attention of consumers. In order to do so, you need to post content that’s short and concise, as people quickly move from one thing to the next. Another reason why your videos should be as short as possible is because the attention spans of consumers are decreasing. According to Ad Age, “Marketers have just 10 seconds to capture and engage an audience before they continue to scroll down or click away.” This publication also states: “If you have not fully engaged your audience after the first 30 seconds, you’ve likely lost 33% of viewers; and after one minute, 45% of viewers have stopped watching.”
When the time comes to choose how short your video should actually be, it’s important to take into account what type of content you’re creating. For example, according to Ad Age, “a fun, entertaining video is best in a shorter, easily digestible length, while documentary-style branded content can be longer (upwards of two minutes).” It’s also important to take into account where you’re posting your video, as different social media platforms have different capabilities, For example, “Facebook’s auto-playback feature makes 30- to 45-second videos optimal; while Vine and Instagram have fueled the demand for less-engineered, “micro-videos” that are 15 seconds or less.” When it comes to video hosts, like Youtube and Vimeo, you have the ability to post longer videos, as their users are typically open to watching longer and more creative content, such as commercials or tutorials.
So, when deciding to take the plunge into the world of video marketing, make sure to carefully choose the length of your videos. Doing so could mean the difference between social media users engaging with your brand or business and scrolling right past it on their crowded news feeds!