There is no correct answer. A marketing video is a vague concept that needs to be defined more by its video purpose than its physical form.
Step back to understand better why we are worried about video length.
ARE OUR ATTENTION SPANS GETTING SHORTER?
Overall, there is an assumption that the average attention span of your typical viewer is getting shorter. And the stats certainly hint at it. For example, viewer drop-off rates for many videos on social media can be pretty dramatic after the first few seconds.
Despite this assumption, we are surrounded by examples of longer-form videos that are all binge-worthy. For example, Netflix and Amazon Prime depend on their audience “binging” for hours on their media.
For example, look at the trending page on YouTube. Most of these videos are five to six minutes long, many in the 30-minute range.
THE HIGH DROP-OFF RATE HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THE ATTENTION SPAN OF YOUR AUDIENCE.
Most of the time, viewers are looking for relevant and engaging content. If they pass on your video, they say, “it’s not relevant to me.”
But it’s not just about creating a more engaging video. It is about niching down, finding your core audience or customers, and then developing material for them.
Many still see video as a form of “broadcasting,” essentially marketing to a large audience. However, if you are a small entrepreneur, going up against national brands with big budgets in a competitive market is a recipe for failure.
CREATE A MARKETING VIDEO FOR YOUR CORE AUDIENCE.
Creating videos relevant to your core audience would be best, essentially “narrow” casting. In the same way, in your search for a niche market, you should design videos with that niche market in mind. If your niche is defined by geography, interests, identity, or many other factors, so should your videos.
Even before you ask about length, you must ask, “What is the video designed to do?”
If you have a niche-focused print ad through, let’s say, Facebook, you should follow suit with a video that addresses the same niche.
If you are introducing a product or service to a new niche, it might be better to have a short video addressing the primary pain point the product solves.
A video that addresses a prospect further down the sales funnel may need to be longer, especially if you are explaining a complex idea that would impact the workflow of a business customer or represent a significant investment.
In any case, it is essential to have a clear call to action, which may be as simple as clicking through to a website with more information.
VIDEO LENGTH IS DEFINED BY ITS PURPOSE.
So how long should a video be?
Well, it depends. But the answer is not found in the video itself but in what it is designed to do and where the video sits in your marketing funnel.
You need a strongly niche-focused video to engage your target audience. But keep your mind about drop-off rates in viewership. They probably were not prospects in the first place.
If you have designed your videos to address a specific niche market, be assured the viewers who hang on to the end of your videos are more likely to be prospects.
Just make sure you have a way to capture that information in your process.
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Want to know more about SDC VIDEO, check out our website: https://sdcvideo.ca/
Link: How To Make Video An Effective Part Of Your Digital Marketing Strategy
