The length of your marketing video is critical for optimum viewer engagement. While the optimal marketing video length varies from one hosting platform to another, for online video, the shorter, the better.
Some loyal or captive audiences may watch some longer videos — but, with the short attention span of most millennials, your ideal video length should not be longer than 120 seconds.
What Should the Optimal Video Length Be Today?
In a study conducted to determine the optimal length of an explainer video, Wistia examined about 500,000 videos. The results showed that the optimal length for your marketing video should be two minutes.
The study also showed that:
- People group video lengths into categories.
- For most viewers, a 30 second, one-minute and two-minute video are all in the same category.
- Engagement rates for marketing video tend to fluctuate.
- The relationship between length and engagement is not linear.
- After two minutes, there is a significant drop off in engagement.
- To make your video successful, you must identify the time at which people stop watching. Here are four ways to do that.
1. Understand the Drop Off Points
The viewer’s engagement drops at certain video lengths. The Wistia study reveals three well-established drop-off points: two minutes, six minutes and 12 minutes. It’s advisable to shorten your video when you’re approaching any of these time markers.
Also, note that engagement for four- to five-minute marketing videos is like five- to 10-minute videos. Study your audience and find their drop-off point. Then, keep the video length within your optimal time frame.
2. Use Shorter Videos to Reduce Viewer Abandonment
Abandonment is a measure of loss of interest as the video progresses. This is not the same as a drop-off.
People naturally tend to abandon a video as it gets longer. According to Visible Measures, you’ll lose 20% of your viewers in the initial 10 seconds of the video. Another 33% will abandon it after 30 seconds. By the end of the video, only 56% will still be watching.
To reduce abandonment in the first 10 seconds, focus on how the video starts. Then, attract attention with your title and thumbnail. The most effective way to raise engagement rates is to reduce the length of the video.
3. Captivate Your Audience in the First 10 Seconds
To avoid abandonment in the first 10 seconds, you must deliver a unique introduction and give your audience what they’re expecting. Also, you should work on your SEO to ensure your video is not attracting people who aren’t interested in what you have to say. Once viewers feel you’re not giving them what they expect in the first 30 seconds, they’ll click away if they think the rest of the video won’t be relevant to them.
4. Tell Your Audience to Give You Two Minutes
You can set expectations for your audience, so they’ll only click and watch your video because of what they think they’ll gain from it. An excellent way to do this is to add the time of the video to the thumbnail. You can say: “Discover How to…. in 2 minutes.” Viewers who see this will be prepared to sit and watch for 2 minutes without abandoning the video. As long as your video delivers what it’s promised, your viewers are more likely going to watch until the end.
At PixelFish, we help our clients produce excellent marketing videos that engage their audience and convert them into customers. After working on many videos and studying their performance for many years, we can recommend an ideal time for your marketing video. Take the next step and contact us today.