Germans like to say, “in der Kürze liegt die Würze,” which roughly translates to “brevity is the soul of wit.”
When considering the maximum length of your explainer video, these sayings are valuable phrases to keep in mind.
Understanding the Nature of the Explainer Video
For the webmaster, the explainer video is link bait.
It attracts visitors to the website and – when done well – might even go viral on social media.
For the online marketer, this type of video introduces a company, service or product and explains how the consumer cannot make do without the company’s help.
Mind you, while this type of video is not synonymous with a video tutorial or product demonstration, it does have some of these elements. Confusing?
Why Should You Bother with a Video in the First Place?
The online consumer who prefers to read a lengthy explanation is quickly dying out.
Forbes reveals that business executives are looking to animated content with increasing frequency for information and also to share online.
After viewing an explainer video, the executive might immediately visit a vendor’s online store to make a buying decision or interact with the company in some other form to get more information.
Important Aspects of a Video
The script trumps over the hip graphics.
While you will do well to hire a professional video production crew to put a high-tech polish on the piece, focus on the script as an in-house activity.
Only outsource the script if the writer knows your business or can pull together the information from your website.
After all, it is the information that the consumer is most likely to seek that should make it into the video.
The animated graphics and the actors’ ability to portray sincerity or amazement are really just window dressing.
Back to the Length of the Piece
So, how long does an explainer video have to be?
The truth is simple: long enough to answer all questions.
If your video is longer than two minutes, however, you will lose about half of its audience.
In this case, it may be better to break down the content and create two videos.
One minute in length keeps about three quarters of viewers watching.
The highest viewership is reserved for videos that manage to condense their content into 30 seconds, which is about the length of a television commercial.
If you’d like to get started with video marketing, contact us today.
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