The length of a video matters. The great thing about content marketing and many of the newer digital platforms, your video length can be more flexible. And flexibility is the key word. You may have read that the shorter the video the better due to shorter attention spans. This isn’t always true. The length of a video is determined by the platform, the stage in the buyer’s journey, and the target demographics and type of video you have.
Where your video is going to live will help determine the length of the video. If your video will be used as an ad, the length will be whatever length they allow videos. These ads are typically :15 and :30, but some digital platforms allow you to run various lengths that don’t have to be so exact. If your video is going to be primarily used on your website, then the length should be long enough to get your point across, but short enough to keep visitors attention. Maybe your video will be used on a social media platform, like an industry group on Facebook. We have found that you are able to have longer videos in Facebook groups due to the captivated audience. Going away from digital and using a video during a sales meeting or conference, you have even more flexibility in the length of your video. These in-person platforms are great for more in-depth videos. But even though they are more in-depth, the video still needs to get the point across in an efficient manner while also making your audience want to act after watching. When we say act, we mean either want to do business with you or get emotionally invested in your event or product. Understanding what platform your video will be used on is one of the most important starting points when it comes to video length.
Where your audience is during their buyer’s journey (or recruitment journey) can also dictate the length of your video. During the awareness stage, you want to keep videos short and attention grabbing. You don’t want to turn potential recruits or buyers off by having a really long video that loses their attention or doesn’t make them want to learn more right off the bat. Next is the consideration stage. Videos in the consideration stage can be a little bit longer. These videos include testimonials, product videos, and review type videos. A good rule of thumb here is 1-3 minutes in length. Following this stage is the decision stage. Here is where your audience is about to make the purchase. You can get away with longer demo and case study videos because this part of the journey is where they want to confirm that they are making the right choice. After the decision stage we have the post-sale or delight stage. During the post-sale or delight stage, viewers will be watching more value-add type videos. If these videos are FAQs to help the viewer successfully utilize their new product or service, or what to expect after being hired, you will want these videos to be shorter such as two minutes or less. You don’t want to take up any more of their time than you have to, but you still want to bring value to them.
Who your video is for and what type of video will also determine the length. For younger audiences, you typically want to keep videos short and exciting. For busy audiences, you also want to keep your videos short and to the point. For older and more patient audiences, you can utilize longer videos as long as they are valuable and entertaining. From a type of video standpoint, your length of video matters as well. We have found that branding and about us videos do really well between one to three minutes. As we mentioned before, ads are better when shorter. Demo videos, how-to videos, and product videos can be a little longer as you are trying to show a product or service in use. On the recruitment side, short and exciting recruitment ads help get viewers attention while longer and emotionally driven culture pieces at one to three minutes tend to perform well on social media and websites.
In all, don’t believe the lies about the length of a video. Not all videos need to be short due to shorter attention spans and not all videos need to include every little detail that you think is important for that video. Being efficient in your video marketing efforts and thinking of viewer experience will help you determine how long or short a video needs to be.
Interested in learning more about how you can consistently get more leads for your business or recruitment funnel through video? Contact us for a discovery call!
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