Why Videos For Social Media Marketing
Should Be As Short As Possible!
Why Videos For SMM Should Be As Short As Possible!
Introduction:
We have compiled these articles to help support the common belief that shorter videos are better for Social Media Marketing. When you create videos for your social media marketing campaigns, the trend is towards shorter videos, not longer ones, to get quicker engagement. We hope that you enjoy reading this compilation.
Videos for Social Media Marketing:
[1]Have you considered sharing short video content as a social marketing tactic?
Do you think a video is only for big brands with big budgets?
If you haven’t explored short videos for your business, you may be missing out on an opportunity for more reach and shares.
Why Short Videos?
While you might naturally think of YouTube when you think of the video, it’s not the only platform embracing video content.
From the moment the first movie trailer was released on Instagram, it was only a matter of time until marketers and businesses began to embrace the power of short video—and the ease of sharing it in places other than YouTube. There has been a rush of creative video produced by brands ever since.
In fact, short-form video content is streamed to us in a range of formats on various social platforms—6-second Vine videos, 15-second Instavids on Instagram, 2- to 3-minute videos on Facebook, and news feed videos on Google+. LinkedIn also features videos via Professional Portfolio, and videos can be “pinned” to Pinterest.
But why is a short video so popular? The shift is likely due to several factors. The attraction of short-form social videos lies in their “snackable” nature.
Short videos suit our busy lives, brief attention spans, and the need to consume content easily and quickly. Because fans are consuming content via their mobile devices while they’re on the go, the shorter the content is, the better.
Video is the top-performing digital content on social media, driving more engagement than any other social posting option. In fact, tweets with video can see up to 10x more engagement. But incorporating video content into your social media marketing strategy isn’t as simple as uploading a video. There are a lot of decisions to make. What story are you going to tell, and in what style? What platforms will the video get posted on? Who’s your target audience? What’s your overall goal?
All of these questions are important, but we’re still missing an important one: How long should videos on social media be? You need to consider the length of the videos you share, as it will maximize viewer rates. If you want to get your brand’s message out there and keep your audience’s attention, you need to understand how long social videos need to be.
[2]How Long Should Social Media Videos Be?
Currently, the ideal length of a video is two minutes. According to multiple marketing studies, surveys, and tests, this is through another study conducted by HubSpot found that audience engagement actually decreased after about one minute. So, for the moment, around 1-2 minutes is a good range.
Unfortunately, video length recommendations change all the time. For years, it was the shorter, the better. Then, suddenly, it was all about long-form video. Then, it swung back to a shorter video again. It’s hard to provide a definitive answer because video marketing best practices often depend on the audience, the platform, and the shared content.
To help you with your planning, here are some tips from Facebook for creating effective videos:
Capture attention early: Videos auto-play on most social media platforms. By capturing attention with the first few seconds of your video, you have a higher chance of stopping a viewer while she scrolls through her feed. Facebook recommends starting with your most captivating elements, incorporating your brand message and identity early, and engaging post copy.
Keep your message simple: Facebook encourages you to ask yourself, “What is the most important message I need to deliver in this video?”
Design for sound off Facebook found that people watch mobile videos everywhere — home, at work, during their commute, etc.3 Oftentimes, they wouldn’t want the sound (and perhaps that’s why mobile videos are designed to play without sound). According to Digiday, 85 percent of Facebook videos are played without sound4. Add captions or text to tell your story visually.
Experiment with size: More than 50 percent of videos are played on mobile now5. And square and vertical videos take up more screen space than landscape videos when the phone is held vertically. We found that square videos outperformed landscape videos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in average engagement and views in our own experiments.
Conclusion:
If you have any questions regarding creating short videos for your social media campaign, please call hughesagency.ca today.
RapidPage compiled the article, and all credits are listed below.
