Master the Art of Long-Form Video for Better Small Business Marketing

People watch more than 5 billion videos every single day on YouTube alone. When you add Facebook, Instagram and all other platforms, the popularity of the medium quickly becomes obvious. So, it is not surprising brands and marketers are creating videos to engage with consumers.

However, finding the right length for the videos you create is not an exact science. But according to Tom Hopkins, the Managing Director of One Productions, there is now an opportunity for long-form video marketing.

In a new infographic, titled, “The Long-Form Video Marketing Opportunity” the development of new technologies and consumer behavior is driving the need for longer videos.

The term long-form video is kind of a misnomer because it doesn’t apply equally across all platforms. Basically, a video which has a longer duration than the typical video on any given platform is considered long-form. This means a long-form video can last anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour.

The Popularity of Long-form Video

Long-form video is becoming more popular because there is a confluence of different technologies maturing at the same time. Faster internet access, low-cost smartphones, affordable data plans, and enhanced video delivery are just a few of the technologies.

But the most important reason is more consumers are looking for meaningful content. Put them all together, and it is time for businesses and marketers to take another look at long-form videos again.

According to the infographic, this has created a great opportunity, and there is data to prove it. In 2016 29% of smartphone viewers spent their time watching videos over 20 minutes. Now the number has jumped to more than half or 54%.

On Facebook, longer videos received 79% of shares and 74% more views than short videos in 2017. And these number will increase as long-form video applications in business, entertainment and education continue to increase.

Business Application

As 5G networks come online along with better mobile devices, there will be more business applications for long-form videos.

One Productions says long-form educational content provides the right medium for businesses to offer industry-leading insights and expertise. For small business owners, this is a great opportunity to establish themselves as thought leaders in their respective fields.

Another application of long-form video is brand building. With longer videos, you have an opportunity to tell your story and connect with your audience on a personal level.

Additional opportunities include using virtual reality (VR) and lead generation.

The Benefits and Value of Long-form Video

The number of internet users watching video is increasing, and by 2021 it will account for 84% of the people. And when they do watch, 83% of them are going to use their mobile device.

The benefit of creating long-form videos is it will boost the average visit duration and the viewers are more engaged. This will lead to more back-links to your site, social media page, and other sources related to your video. But just making a long-form video is not enough if you want to get the most value out of them. You have to do the hard work in the back end to optimize your content.

This is the recommendation from One Productions:

Make a series which builds a story, topic or theme and build those stories around characters reflecting the intent of your core audience.

After you create the videos, make short video snippets to share as ads and on social media or other platforms. You should also form collaborative partnerships with online publishers to develop stories and find a receptive audience. Follow this with analytics to gauge how your videos are performing so you can gain insights into improving them.

Take a look at the One Productions infographic below for more on long-form videos.