3 Reasons Why Short Videos Are More Effective

You’re passionate about your business’ products and services so naturally you have a lot to say. If you’re having a face-to-face conversation, you could easily talk for hours, captivating your audience with your knowledge, data and stories that will resonate with them. But, in the world of online video, having something that’s 10 minutes long is the equivalent of watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Here are three reasons why short, concise videos are more effective than one long video.

Attention Span

We’ve become such an over-stimulated society with constant social media pings, access to millions of web-pages, 300 + channels on TV and more music at our fingertips than ever before. Because of this “New Normal”, online viewers are multitasking when it comes to consuming content; chatting with friends and catching up on emails are some of the usual tasks they perform daily. This reduces their attention threshold so sitting and intently watching an online video of 5-10 minutes in duration is not something that appeals to them. A shorter video that provides some concise, direct to the point content is much more effective in terms of being watched, shared and consumed in its entirety.

Length

Because you know so much about your products and services, it’s easy for you to go into great detail providing data, examples and case studies, all of which can easily result in a 10 minute video. Resist the urge to do this as many users will look at the length of the video and not even start it, let alone watch it all the way through. A more effective strategy would be to break up the content into several 1-2 min videos so the user can choose which information is most relevant to them. If they are pleased with the first video, they will be more than likely to watch additional content from you.

Discipline

If you were told you could make a 30 minute pitch to an audience, what would you say? What if they told you have 15 minutes or just 60 seconds? As your time was restricted, you’d be more disciplined and likely to get to the heart of the topic while trimming any information that was not absolutely vital. Just like in the above scenario, you want to approach your video with discipline, focusing on the key areas that will inform and engage your audience. By applying this technique, your videos will be shorter, have greater viewership and have a better chance of grabbing your viewers’ attention.

Resist the urge to make a long video when shorter, more focused videos have already proven to be more effective. Please bear in mind that various online and offline stimuli cause the attention span of prospective viewers to be shorter. Having brief 1-2 min videos that keep you disciplined by focusing on the most pertinent information is one of the most important and effective ways to make a successful online video.