I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time watching long videos. It never feels like enough. I get distracted, and before you know it, an hour has gone by, and I haven’t really gotten that much done.
Now, I’m not saying that all long videos are bad. Sometimes they’re really helpful. But more often than not, I’ve found that they’re a pain to watch. Especially when you’ve got so much on your plate already, and you just want to get some work done.
So, if you’re creating a long marketing video, or even just setting one aside as a study piece, how does your audience feel about it?
Does the entire thing feel like a grind, and were you constantly focused on not falling asleep?
Or did you find that there was something interesting to watch, and that it actually helped you do your job?
A Tested Theory: Keep It Short & Sweet
There’s a reason why video bloggers, content creators, and even some brands with big budgets have resorted to short-form content. It’s not that long videos haven’t been popular — they’ve been around for a while, and have seen multiple iterations over the years. Video content is as popular as it’s ever been, and this is thanks, in part, to the digital nomad lifestyle. People want to get their fix of content quickly and easily.
So, rather than commit the cardinal sin of long-form content, keeping people engaged in your story, and interesting enough to watch to the very end, try for the sweet spot: Short and sweet.
The Dark Side Of Long-Form Video: You Might As Well Haul A Camera
While shorter video content is doing very well, shorter videos aren’t the only ones taking over the web. If you’ve ever shopped for clothing online, or browsed images of yourself on social media, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a large number of long-form videos showing up. Why? Because marketers want to capitalize on our short-attention spans, and make us feel like we’re missing out on something if we don’t watch the entire video.
Is this something you want to encourage? With shorter videos, you’re guaranteeing that your audience will have more attention for longer. Which means that you can use tools like video transcription to create a transcript for your videos. From there, you can create an engaging story with minimal effort – perfect for a busy marketer.
The Pros & Cons Of Long-Form Video
There are plenty of advantages to long-form video as a marketing tool. For one thing, you have a much higher chance of the viewer sticking around, and being engaged, for the entire duration. Thanks to the attention span of the YouTube generation, people are used to scanning and skimming content quickly.
For another, multi-channel video allows you to provide more information about your brand, and demonstrate your expertise, in a single video. When combined with an explainer video, you can create a rich media asset that’s highly accessible to someone who doesn’t necessarily have the time to sit and watch a long video.
The main con, though, is that creating a long-form video requires a lot of effort. More often than not, you’ll be asked to explain your reasons and pitch your product at the beginning of the video. It then follows, typically, that the entire thing turns into a sales pitch, with very little else included. Unless you have an interesting story to tell, or a unique perspective to offer, it’s usually not worth the effort.
Create A Timeless Marketing Video
With YouTube’s recent updates to its video editor, creators now have the ability to take a short video, add their own music, and make it a little longer-lasting. This allows for more opportunities for marketers to create highly engaging content that can live beyond one season, or one news story.
So, if you’ve got a story that you think will be as relevant, or even more so, in a year as it is today, there’s no reason not to tell it, and make the most of it. This is where video content becomes a bit more timeless. Since it lives in the digital sphere, and the web is constantly changing, video content that is done well, can pull a brand’s identity into the future, too.