We often get questions about the ideal video length. So here we go. There is no real golden rule for it, as every business and therefore every message for its target audience, is different. We are lucky to be able to tap into heaps of experience, so we know what works well. And the answer to that big question is simple: the shorter the better. This is the field of statistics and up-to-date research by Nielsen and YouTube, showing us exactly how our attention span for online video content keeps shortening. The next question that pops up: “What does short mean in this day and age?”
Talking about ideal video length: What do we mean by “short”?
A short marketing video is no longer than 2 minutes or 120 seconds. Our society is a busy place, and zillions of messages are screaming for our attention every day. So shortening your conversation to 60 or 30 seconds might even be wiser. Research on the ideal length of a video for online marketing shows, that the shorter you can make it, the higher the overall impact will be.
Marketing video = promotion = selling
When you are in marketing mode you are promoting your product or service with the intention to sell more of it. This means you are not in education or training mode. It’s tempting to throw in education, and yes, it’s ok to use a little bit of “training vocabulary” to position you as an expert in your field. But remember, if your intention is to promote, then stick to a maximum length of 2 minutes and make it shorter if you can.
What really helps to stick to this mythical ideal length of a video, is to stick to one key message. If you want to show the benefits, it may be a great plan to zoom in on only one and to let go of the other benefits your boss wanted to squeeze into a list.
Call to action
A very important sequence in your marketing video is the end. It’s the call-to-action. What do you expect people to think, feel and do when they have watched your video. Do you want them to click through and order, go to a shop, or simply change their perception of your brand and service, so they can choose you as their new provider? Whatever your call-to-action is, make sure it stands out and can’t be missed. And this is where the impact of your video is linked to a clear call-to-action. It’s also where length influences the effectiveness of your call-to-action. If no one keeps watching until the end because you went over those 2 minutes…then nobody ever gets to watch the call-to-action and nobody clicks, buys, runs to the shop or does what you had in mind.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the ideal video length. Please leave a comment below and share your experiences on this topic. Or get in touch with our Perth team to talk about your own video. And then…we’ll obviously also talk about the production value and the format, not just about the length.
Els Van de Veire
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