A vast majority of consumers — 91% of consumers — want to see more online video content from brands, according to animated video production company Wyzowl. However, video content isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
Brands can choose between short- and long-form video content to communicate their messages and boost audience engagement. Discover the benefits and drawbacks you can expect from using both short- and long-form videos.
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The benefits of using short-form videos
While experts may quibble about the definition of true short-form videos, it is video content that is usually under 10 minutes in length. Short-form video remains a versatile vehicle for brand messaging. Short-form videos offer advantages, including the following:
- Easier production. The effort that goes into creating a three-minute video compared to an hourlong video is significantly less. Production for short videos involves less editing, writing, color correction, and exporting.
- Quicker consumption. If your business wants eyes on its content, short-form video caters to the casual social media scroller; it’s built for quick consumption. Because the content is quick to consume, it’s important that the messaging is clear and evocative so it stays with the customer long after they’ve seen your video.
- Mobile friendly. Short-form video content performs well on mobile devices because of intent and use. While people use their phones all the time — the national average is nearly 4.5 hours each day — they’re often not watching long content. Instead, it’s 10 minutes here or there, which are perfect intervals to scroll through short-form video content.
- Great for certain platforms. Short-form content performs exceptionally well on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and more. The medium lends itself to platforms that don’t focus on long-winded explanations or in-depth tutorials.
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Long-form video content excels in social shares because it captivates and engages audiences.
The advantages of long-form videos
Long-form video content is a powerful tool as well, with numerous advantages. Those advantages include:
- Better optimization. Long-form video content typically ranks better. From a search engine optimization perspective, long-form video content keeps customers on your site longer and helps you rank better — both of which can yield higher traffic and better conversion rates.
- More backlinks. Long-form video content offers the ability to dive deeper into a topic or subject, allowing the customer or viewer to have an intimate, comprehensive understanding of your message or informational content. As such, this valuable content is more shareable and can (and probably will) generate more backlinks for your website — thereby affording more of an audience to your website and social media profiles.
- Higher conversion rates. Extensive research conducted by Vidyard has shown that using video content in your ad campaign has demonstrated a 34% increase in conversion rates.
- Increased shares. Long-form video content excels in social shares because it captivates and engages audiences. Its immersive storytelling and comprehensive insights create shareworthy experiences that resonate deeply, encouraging users to spread the content across social media platforms.
[Read More: How to Create How-To Videos to Grow Your Audience]
When to use short- or long-form video content, or a mixture of both
Based on the data and research done with short-form versus long-form video content, long-form video content is a clear winner for customer engagement. It has a proven track record of driving more conversions, traffic, backlinks, and social shares.
Short- and long-form video content each have their merit — and a successful marketing strategy ensures a mixture of both formats in a campaign. However, they remain different vehicles for messaging and have specific use cases.
Short-form videos are highly effective when you’re targeting audiences with limited attention spans or when the goal is to convey quick, concise messages. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where brevity is valued, are ideal for sharing your short-form video content.
Conversely, long-form video content provides in-depth information, nuanced storytelling, and an exploration of complex topics. YouTube and streaming platforms like Twitch are places where viewers come to actively seek out detailed content.
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