How short vs long B2B videos perform? Both have a job to do, whatever that job is. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail…You wouldn't use a hammer to screw in a… You get it. Is it better to make long videos or short videos? It's essential to treat videos as tools. Some marketing videos can be short, 30 seconds (or even 3 seconds) long, while on the other side, in the B2B world, you may find videos around the 3-5 minute mark.
However, there's practically no limit when it comes to video length. It depends on how certain you are that your audience will watch it till the end. Let's go over the pros and cons of both the short form content and the long form video content and decide which type is perfect candidate for your target audience and video marketing strategy.
Let's go over the pros and cons of both the short form video content and the long form video.
What are the benefits of short videos? Short is quick. It grabs attention. Short form video content is easy to make (in theory).
Remember the "I'm on a horse" commercial? That was short. But as hell, it wasn't easy, and it wasn't cheap. On average, the more filming days you have, the more complexity will increase and, in turn, the expenses.
To be honest, that's what short form video clips are for. With attention spans getting smaller and smaller with each passing year, short online video ads can grab that attention more easily. Plus, there's a chance that it will be viewed until the end.
Super focused. A good rule of thumb is to concentrate on one key message per 30-second video. The less time you have, the more accurate you need to be.
Sometimes, breaking up the grand message into smaller bite-size chunks could be the thing that makes or breaks a campaign. For example, consider a series of videos, each having its own objective. It can be an asset that builds brands (raising brand awareness) or pushes the viewer to buy something, or visit a landing page for more information (activating sales).
Some examples of great short form video content:
What are the advantages of long form video content? Long form videos are, well, longer. It requires more attention and time. Both to watch and to.
Remember how long it takes for your boss to green-light a one-minute video ad? Now, think of them green lighting five minutes or an hour… Yup. We made a few video projects over 60 minutes, and each usually took close to a year from brief to deployment. But for argument's sake, let's say the average length in question is five to ten minutes.
So you need a shorter teaser to engage the viewers and encourage them to click to see the full video. That means your overall CTR may be lower, HOWEVER, this kind of content is not for everyone. Long form video is for in-depth discussions. It expresses your expertise and understanding of your industry.
This requires storytelling skills to ensure your audience remains engaged with every twist and turn. The point is you have to make sure your audience isn't watching a PowerPoint presentation. Nothing against PowerPoint. Feel free to replace this with Keynote. The message remains the same: Your video marketing can't be boring.
Sometimes, longer video content is excellent for raising brand awareness through thought leadership, and it also works wonders lower in the funnel. It can also be used as a form of video testimonials.
The audience learns more about what you stand for, what you do, and how you do it.
It's the core of all explainer videos. If your problem needs that kind of solution, long-form is a golden-tier way to inform and convince someone serious about purchasing or diving deeper to discover more about your offer.
When a viewer is engaged and sincerely interested in the topic, they will be okay with spending 5, 10, 30 minutes, or longer watching your video. But, on the flip side, if a viewer doesn't care, they'll leave in a blink of an eye.
Here are some long form videos we like:
Presenting the benefits and security concerns of the continued evolution of technology. Based on a white paper published by Trend Micro, authored by Dr Victoria Baines & Rik Ferguson.
Become a CISO of a large hospital and make decisions that may have an impact on human lives.
It's best to build a marketing strategy that uses both forms of video lengths. Sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes, you need a power drill. But whatever tool you need, use it wisely. All roads lead to Rome, and it's up to you to know what path to take.
Metaphors over. Mic dropped. See you in the next one and enjoy the summary.
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