In the ongoing debate between short-form and long-form video content, the question of which will prevail remains contentious. However, the reality is not as clear-cut as it may seem.Producing videos for your business is a well-established method to enhance audience engagement. It can significantly boost conversion rates, email click-through rates (CTR), brand recognition, and audience interaction.Yet, the real issue is not whether to opt for short-form or long-form video content for your brand; rather, it’s about integrating both formats into your comprehensive video marketing strategy.The distinction between short-form and long-form videos is straightforward: short-form videos are concise, whereas long-form videos are more extensive.More specifically, short-form videos generally last under 10 minutes, while long-form videos surpass this duration.Short-form videos are prevalent on social media platforms, such as Instagram, where Target employs this format to promote its products.
Longer videos are typically found on a company’s website or YouTube, as demonstrated by video and podcast hosting provider Wistia, which uses long-form video content to educate its audience on the cost of video production.
A brief history of video marketingVideo marketing has experienced exponential growth since the early 2000s, becoming a vital tool for fostering relationships with audiences.For instance, YouTube, initially a small video dating site, has evolved into a major video search engine and social media platform. Platforms like TikTok, IGTV, Reels, and others were not yet part of the landscape.YouTube exemplifies the importance of blending long and short videos. Until 2022, long-form videos were the norm, with video length playing a crucial role in the platform’s algorithm. Apple’s hour-long event videos are a testament to this.YouTube introduced its Shorts feature to compete with short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram, limiting video length to 60 seconds or less.
Today, YouTube creators and businesses can leverage a mix of long and short content on a single platform.The diverse array of video marketing channels necessitates a flexible strategy. Each platform—whether YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or your website—has unique best practices for video content.Choosing to create either short-form or long-form videos is not an option if you aim for a successful content strategy in 2024 and beyond. Both formats have their rightful place in your content plan.Read on to learn more about each type of video content and when to employ them for your business.With so many options, determining when to opt for long-form video content over short-form (and vice versa) involves considering several factors.1. Your audienceUltimately, the decision between long and short-form videos hinges on your audience’s preferences.You might find that your long-form videos don’t perform well on YouTube or that your social media videos with a duration over 10 minutes receive more engagement. This goes against the conventional wisdom of keeping YouTube videos lengthy and shortening social media videos—and that’s perfectly fine.Your audience must appreciate your videos, including their length.At WebFX, we’ve achieved success by using a variety of video lengths, always prioritizing our audience’s interests.For example, we produced a digital marketing series for our YouTube channel, featuring a roughly 30-minute video covering eight marketing areas.
We then divided that main long-form video into smaller segments about individual subject areas and shared teaser videos on social media.This series performed well, indicating that we don’t need to adhere to a specific video length to succeed.Review your previous videos and note their lengths. If longer videos get more views, shares, or engagement, consider creating more of those. If shorter videos capture your audience’s interest, that’s the path to take.Avoid sticking to a particular video length simply because it’s the norm. Choose what resonates best with your audience.2. Your video’s purposeUnderstanding your video’s objectives simplifies the decision-making process. Are you aiming to educate your audience and position your business as an industry leader? Or do you want to tell a compelling story that motivates action or showcase your product to boost sales?No matter your goal, having a clear purpose for your video makes it easier to choose the style, format, budget, marketing channel, and, of course, length.When you know your goals, you can reverse-engineer your video content to determine the required duration to achieve them.3. The type of videoThe type of video you produce significantly influences its length.For instance, an educational tutorial on sink installation requires more time to cover essential information than a customer testimonial does. Imagine trying to follow a rapid-fire tutorial or enduring a 20-minute testimonial praising a business.Not ideal.Long-form videos excel in formats such as:
Documentaries (e.g., Content Marketing Institute’s “The Story of Content: Rise of the New Marketing”)
Event videos (e.g., AtlanticLIVE’s event coverage)
Tutorial videos (e.g., Home Depot’s tile installation tutorial)
Short-form videos work well in formats such as:
Product videos (e.g., Dyson’s Lightcycle Morph feature)
Culture videos (e.g., Our Best Place to Work in PA recap)
Customer testimonials (e.g., Any of our client video testimonials)
While these lists serve as a guide, they are not absolute. Home Depot, for example, shares tutorials that exceed 10 minutes and shorter ones on their YouTube channel. The complexity and purpose of the content, as well as the type of video, impact the length.4. Your budgetThe budget factor is the simplest of the five considerations in this blog post.The longer your video is and the higher its production value, the more expensive it will be.If you’re investing in a 20-minute documentary about your business’s history, you need to be prepared for a significant financial commitment. This covers the video clips, the crew’s time and effort, equipment, editing, and everything else involved in the video production process.If you’re producing videos in-house, you still need to account for the value of your team’s time and any video creation tools you use.If you can’t afford a professionally-produced masterpiece, utilize the tools at your disposal.Your phone can capture great footage, and some social media platforms offer editing features to trim and add effects to your video.Social media platforms thrive on simple, user-generated content, so don’t hesitate to create your own content if you’re unsure about embarking on a larger project.5. Your marketing channelsLastly, the platforms where you plan to share your videos significantly impact the decision between short-form and long-form content.As previously mentioned, you can deviate from traditional content expectations for specific marketing channels—only if it works.Some platforms impose limits on video duration. For instance, Facebook Reels are limited to 90 seconds, Instagram Reels to 60 seconds, TikToks to 3 minutes, and LinkedIn videos to a maximum of 10 minutes.On these three platforms, you can’t post long-form video content, regardless of your preference.When considering the duration of your videos, ensure you research the platforms where you intend to share them.You don’t want to invest in a video that won’t perform well on the intended platform.Remember that you can experiment with different video lengths until you find the sweet spot that works best. Pay attention to your video’s performance and adjust accordingly to achieve success.And just because a certain video format worked in the past doesn’t mean it will always be effective. Your video marketing strategy must be adaptable and responsive to changing viewer behaviors for the greatest impact.For more insights into video creation and marketing, explore our blog posts on creating successful video marketing campaigns. Then, join 200,000 subscribers by signing up for Revenue Weekly to receive the latest tips and tricks for promoting your business!
