As we mentioned earlier, marketing videos are very popular today. With the ease of video editing software like Adobe Premiere and YouTube, creating your own business videos is now more possible than ever!
With that said, how long you should make your videos comes down to two things – time frame and budget.
Time frames refer to how long you want your video to last. A minute-long video would be a one-minute video if it was not extended.
Budget refers to whether or not you have enough money to produce a good quality video. Some people start off with no budget and then invest in expensive filming equipment as their video footage is limited.
This article will talk about some general rules for lengthy business videos and what lengths they can reach depending on who he/she is targeting and what kind of content they want to include.
Medium videos
As we mentioned, marketing videos of any length can be tricky to pull off well. If you have access to good quality filming equipment, then longer videos are easier to produce. However, it is not easy to achieve that level of quality without special equipment.
If you are looking for some tips on how to film a video using your own camera, check out our article here! There, we discuss the best settings for in-depth detail filming as well as basic filming techniques.
As with anything artistic, practicing makes perfect. So, while you do not need expensive gear to shoot a few short videos, investing in better filming equipment will help you reach your goal of creating engaging content.
Long videos
Many marketers these days are creating longer marketing videos to use in their content marketing strategies. These videos can be anything from an introduction for your business or product, testimonials, a how-to video, etc.
The reason why most people add length to their videos is because they believe that more content means more viewers!
However, not all content is viewed the same way. People have different bandwidths and internet connections, so what works well for one person may not work as well for another.
Lengthy videos might seem like the better option, but it’s actually the worse. Because of this, I will go into some reasons why having long videos is not the best idea. So, let’s dive in!
Reasons why short videos are better than long ones
We’ve discussed before how shorter videos get lost in his own voice, which is a big problem. If you watch a lot of YouTube videos, you’ll see many cases where the speaker goes off topic very quickly, leaving you with no clue who or what the video was about.
Content that is too long loses its focus, making it difficult to tell whether the viewer received the message or not. This is especially true if the viewer does not understand the language used during filming and editing of the video.
Long videos also take much longer to load, even on mobile devices. The average person now has access to fast wireless networks, but that was never the case.
Producing a video
When it comes to marketing videos, how long you make yours depend on its content and audience. If your video is for an empty room, then making it longer is not recommended!
If your video does not contain enough information, people will want to stop watching after a few seconds. Your viewers will also probably feel that it was too short!
We recommend producing a video of around one minute if your business does not require more than that. For example, you can make your own food or cosmetic looks, or you can go through some steps to prepare a cook-up recipe.
It’s your call though – be natural and honest! No one else but you know what you are talking about.
Finding the right video length
As mentioned earlier, the length of your marketing videos are very important. Too short could make people drop off or give you the side-eye.
Video lengths that are too long can be boring for your viewer. If your video is longer than two minutes, then it may not get seen to its full potential.
Two minutes may also be the limit of what most people have time for when watching YouTube videos. Some people just do not like spending large amounts of time watching things so there is a limit to how long a video can be.
The best way to find the ideal length of video is by doing test runs with different lengths.
Testing your video
A few tips to make your marketing videos more effective are testing different length versions of your videos, and experimenting with different styles.
Testing shorter versions is an excellent way to determine what length feels best for you to produce your next video. This also helps reduce time spent in production as you can create a seamless transition from one short segment to another.
You may also want to try filming at a house party or other event to see if there’s any available free space where you could film some scenes. If so, take advantage of it!
Your message does not have to be focused only on your product or service. You can add some humor into the mix and include something interesting about the topic to draw viewers who do not know you yet.
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Creating the video
When it comes to marketing videos, how long you make your video depends largely on what type of product you are advertising. For example, if you were trying to sell someone new shoes, you would not want an extended video that features lots of products and settings.
Instead, you would pick a short segment or clip showing clearly shown steps to put the shoe on and then take off the shoe. This way, the viewer can easily see the function of the shoe!
For this reason, your company’s internal marketing teams will play shorter videos than brands with bigger budgets who have more elaborate campaigns.
That is not to say that longer videos are never effective. They may be in fact even more effective because they capture attention for longer!
But for business purposes, we focus on creating short, crisp videos that pack a punch.
Loading the video
The next step in marketing with videos is actually creating your YouTube channel and picking your niche and market. Creating a YouTube channel comes with an additional cost, however.
The cost depends on what kind of content you want to create but most run around $15-20 per month. This includes being able to upload up to 2 hours of content every week!
This doesn’t include paying for advertising or the initial investment in filming equipment and editing software. Both can easily add up to several hundred dollars depending on how much you wanted to invest.
However, don’t worry too much about spending money at this stage as you can always start off investing less later on. Many people begin by investing only a few dollars per movie before it becomes more expensive!
General tips: remember that the longer you take to make your videos the better they will look so keep this time appropriate!
If you are having trouble coming up with your own ideas then looking into other peoples’ material may help. You could also use free online tools to test your creativity or find new ways to explain things.
Promoting your video
After you have finished filming your marketing video, it is time to promote your new movie! When deciding how to spread the word about your video, think about what types of media you have access to and which one would be the most effective. You can use free online tools to help you brainstorm and find the best ways to promote your video.
Blogging is a great way to advertise as it uses an article format that people are familiar with. Writing blogs using rich content and linking out to other sites or leading to another page makes them more attractive to readers. If you are very creative, you could make your own website and include pictures and videos to showcase your talent.
Taking advantage of social media is also a good option. By designing appropriate promotions and timing them correctly, you will get the most engagement from your audience. Yours might be different for different brands, so do not just follow generic tips. Find ones that work for your company.
