We are all aware of the upsurge of visual storytelling in video marketing and how it has become the prime choice, mainly because technologies have overtaken all institutions. The preference for visual storytelling using video is quite prevalent in the field of marketing, particularly online marketing.
We all know that “a picture is worth more than a thousand words.” If that’s true for a picture, how much more accurate would it be for videos? Unimaginable, right? That’s the impact videos have created in this age of globalization. But simply videos or images won’t do the task. Companies that go beyond the basics are the emerging leaders of the clan.
Hooking the viewers is a key target for all content creators. There are, of course, a lot of things that contribute to making a video intriguing. Still, often people underestimate the importance of time length and how valuable it is for your video to have the perfect time length. Too short, and it will be over quickly, and too long, it will be torturous for the audience.
Although there are no magic numbers to it, a good analysis of the audiences, the platforms, and your company’s brand could give you a proximate idea. Deciding the time length is a key problem and mind cluttering. But gladly, it’s not rocket science, so we have come up with some tips that would ensure you get the time length right, so read on to know those necessary measures!
Most brands like to target the big social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Because of the varying watch times on these social media apps, it is needless to say the length of your video will depend on your preferred platform. For example, if someone prefers promoting their content on an Instagram story, it needs to be short and direct, and if it’s on YouTube, it’ll be comparatively longer.
The average time spent on Instagram stories per video falls between 15 and 30 seconds. Generally, average viewers watch 40-68% of it before tapping on to the next one. Although IGTV allows for uploads of up to an hour, most people only stay for the first 30 seconds.
Similarly, for other social media platforms, the estimation is different. On YouTube, people prefer longer videos than on Instagram or Facebook. YouTube’s algorithm suggests longer videos, and there has been a shift in people’s choice from shorter to longer videos when it comes to YouTube, no wonder why we see longer videos on YouTube’s trending page.
In general, marketers prefer shorter videos for their brand promotion; 56% of videos posted last year have been less than 2 minutes.
Have the required editor
Before you start making videos, you must keep some preliminary handy. Make sure to have a good camera that enables a variety of camera angles to work with. Using different camera angles will allow more perspectives and allow your audience to capture the appropriate emotions alluded to in the video.
Video editing plays a crucial role in creating an engaging video by enhancing the raw footage through an array of editing options. The trimming feature offered by video trimmer will be required more often to fix the correct time length of video & makes sure you check on the tonality, keeping it formal and professional.
Know your audience
Short or long, it all depends upon your content, and your content depends upon your target audience, so focus on developing a good relationship with your regular viewers and keep asking for their reviews. In the beginning, try experimenting with the video length as much as you can and see where your audience feels comfortable. If you find them settling well with whatever length you provide, make sure you stick to it.
If you already know what people are looking for or if they only want specific answers, then, in that case, going for a shorter time length can yield better results. Once you have built your audience, you can slowly increase the duration but focus more on quality than quantity in the beginning phase.
Analyze the social media apps
Again, each social media platform has its audience, so what fits YouTube need not hold for Instagram or Facebook. That’s where a comparative study of the general watch time for longer and shorter videos over these platforms can be beneficial.
Choose shorter videos for Instagram and Twitter, especially on Twitter, where you can upload teaser videos of about 30 seconds and link people to your YouTube or Facebook page for the longer version of the same video.
For Instagram feeds, they prefer videos about a minute in length, and for stories, it can be around 15–30 seconds. Videos that last an average of 26 seconds receive the most comments on Instagram. Since people are always scrolling quickly through their feeds and reels, keeping it short makes more sense.
While on YouTube and Facebook, the videos should be comparatively longer. If you have good content and good luck, then you might end up being featured on their trending pages. YouTube just wants people to stay a long time, and that’s why it’s promoting longer videos more and more.
On Facebook, both shorter videos and longer videos will work, but if you are new to the business world, then prefer shorter videos for your brand promotion until you get settled well. Facebook video ads can be 240 minutes, but you should keep them as short as possible.
So, comparing and analyzing the audiences and the video length on these platforms can help you determine what best suits your videos.
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