Short and Sweet, or Long and Strong?

What are the key considerations when planning the length of your corporate video? What’s the golden duration that makes people want to share not skip your videos?

Let’s begin with your audience. Think about:

• What is the purpose of the video? Who is it for and why?
• When and where is your audience likely to view the video?
• How will they consume it – big screen at an international gala, on their laptop or on a mobile phone?
• How often is it likely to be watched? Is it an advert that will play regularly in a social media feed or a one-off?
• Are you interrupting the viewer with your sales message or have they chosen to watch?
• What is your relationship with the viewer? Are they loyal fans who already know all about you or new blood you want to win over?
• What do you want the viewer to do after they have watched your video?

Answering these basic questions will really help you shape the purpose of your video, which in turn will help you decide on length…

Everyone tells us attention spans are getting shorter — and we know there is a massive drop-off in viewers after a minute for most videos (1). Some marketers a apply a strict rule of no videos longer than 60 seconds.

In our experience, short videos work best for high-impact-low-detail awareness. Generally speaking, short videos are more effective in grabbing the attention of people that don’t know you. Studies have shown social media is ideal for shorter clips or teasers that entice viewers to watch longer content – for example, this teaser we produced to promote a documentary.

Often people want to deep dive into problems, products or businesses that interest them. In this case, in order to give real value to the viewer, we often need quite a bit longer than one minute. The video below introduces a software system, with testimonials from a number of clients about how it has helped them – resulting in a duration to over four minutes.

Longer form videos such as mini documentaries work for those that are already invested in the brand or share an interest. An example of this is this 35-minute-long documentary by outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia on their passion for conservation. Notice how they do not reference their products and there are no lingering shots of branded clothing, etc. The video brings the company’s ethics and values to the fore, thereby strengthening and building longer-term relationships with their customers based on a share outlook. (We were not involved in this production).

Another more product-focused example is Range Rover’s ‘Dragon Challenge’ documentary series which shows one of their vehicles attempting an extraordinary challenge in China. This is showing off the extreme capabilities of the car in a highly entertaining way with the stunning Chinese mountains and cultural history as a visually appealing and informative backdrop. (We were not involved in this production).

So, there you have it. Video is a flexible resource to create engaging marketing content for your business whatever the platform. And when it comes to length, the key thing to remember is if your video is compelling, inspiring or thought-provoking – and shown in the right place – people will stay till the end credits, and maybe even share it.