When it comes to video strategy, the debate about short-form vs. long-form video content has raged for years. With evident advantages on both sides, picking a favorite is nearly hard.
Long-form videos earn attention, whereas short-form ones demand it. Both are winners, with content that increases audience engagement. Both short and long-form content has a place in a successful digital marketing plan. What matters is that you know which one to employ for your brand and how to use it.
One of the most efficient kinds of marketing is video. A person spends 100 minutes every day on average watching online videos. Your goal is to create a compelling, memorable, and effective sales video.
Long-Form and Short-Form Videos
There are two types of video content in video marketing: short-form video and long-form video. Each format is effective in its own right, but there are some distinctions between them.
Long-Form Videos
The medium most people are familiar with is long-form video content. These movies are typically 10 minutes or longer and are frequently used for educational reasons or to provide more detailed information about a topic.
They are also the most popular sort of video utilized for entertainment. Long-form videos are frequently shared on YouTube, but they can also be shared on other social media platforms and are frequently utilized in marketing initiatives.
Short-Form Videos
A short-form video is one that is no longer than two minutes long, while most short-form video content is 60 seconds or less. This style of video is common on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Tiktok. Short-form video is also frequently utilised for advertisements and product demos.
How to Promote Long-Form & Short-form Content on Social Media
Promoting Long-form Content on Social Media
- Attempting to cover too many topics will almost certainly not deliver all of the crucial information your users require on a specific topic. Take some time to generate headlines for each of your article ideas in order to focus the themes. Outline each of the pieces once you have your concept headlines so you know what you should cover.
- SEO fundamentals are critical since some platforms allow your content to be found in search results.
- Your skills and expertise are vital to your social media community. Writing what you know will not only give you and your organisation credibility, but will also provide solid, trustworthy information that users can rely on.
- Long-form social media postings give businesses another method to reach people with high-quality content. Your writings should be valuable, informative, and provide the greatest possible answer to the questions of your readers.
- Where possible, include images, videos, or slideshare presentations.
Promoting Short-form Content on Social Media
- Short form content is meant for conveying a concise message, therefore concentrating on a single topic or message and keeping it basic and easy to grasp.
- Many social media users watch videos with the sound turned off, so include captions or subtitles in your video content to reach a wider audience.
- Because short form content is frequently visual, employ compelling photos or video content to grab your audience’s attention.
- Post short form content on a regular and consistent basis to keep your audience interested and momentum moving. Short form content performs best when it is published regularly and consistently.
- Provide your audience with helpful hints, thoughts, and recommendations. This can help you establish yourself as an industry expert and gain the trust of your followers.
- Consider repurposing longer-form content, such as a blog article or podcast episode, into short form content by generating a fast synopsis or highlight reel.
- The capacity to interact with readers in real time is what gives social media its strength. Brand loyalty is enhanced by engagement. Pose questions, spark debate, and invite individuals to contribute their ideas or experiences about your content.
Long-Form Videos Are an Opportunity for Marketers
- Long-form videos enable marketers to tell deeper, more thorough tales about their brands. Taking the time to offer a complete and interesting narrative can help your company stand out in today’s digital world.
- These longer videos tend to keep viewers interested for a longer period of time. With more minutes to work with, marketers can engage with their audience more deeply and send a more meaningful message. This is especially useful for educational content, as a longer format can provide in-depth tutorials and strengthen viewer loyalty.
- Long-form videos are also preferred by platforms such as YouTube, making it easier for advertisers to reach a larger audience.
- Longer content is frequently prioritised by algorithms, giving marketers an advantage in the digital sphere.
Marketers can accelerate brand growth and give more immersive and valuable information to their audience by including long-form videos into their content strategy.
Benefits of Long-Form Videos
- If you can keep your viewers’ attention for the duration of a long-form video, you’ll be able to share a wealth of information with them while also ensuring they remember and appreciate your brand as a reliable and authoritative source.
- Longer-form video content usually ranks higher. Long-form video content, in terms of search engine optimization, keeps customers on your site longer and helps you rank higher. Both of which can result in more traffic and higher conversion rates.
- Long-form video content does well in terms of social sharing since it captivates and engages viewers. Its immersive storytelling and in-depth insights generate shareable experiences that elicit strong emotional responses, driving users to share the content across social media platforms.
- Long-form video content allows you to go deeper into a topic or issue, giving your viewer a close, encompassing understanding of your content.
Benefits of Short-Form Videos
- Short-form video is considerably more suited on the bulk of social networking platforms. In fact, many platforms will not even allow you to publish a video that is longer than a specific duration. TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are all designed for short-form video content.
- Because of intent and use, short-form video content works well on mobile devices.
- The effort required to create a three-minute video is much less than that required to create an hour-long video. Short video production entails minimal editing, authoring, colour correction, and exporting.
- Ads are, by definition, brief and succinct. You can’t expect someone who has never heard of your brand to read your ad for more than a minute or two. To maximise that window of opportunity, short-form video allows you to pack a few seconds of more active content into your advertising.
- If your company wants people to see its content, short-form video appeals to the social media users. Because the content is short, it’s critical that the messaging is clear and evocative so that it sticks with the customer long after they’ve watched your video.
What Type of Content Should You Use: Short-Form or Long-Form Content?
To address the requirements and desires of their audience, any successful content marketing plan should balance both short-form and long-form material. You will be able to select the correct content to generate if you take the time to study your audience and how they interact with your product or service.
Your Intent
You have to understand the objective that your material must fulfil. And this is frequently as simple as taking the time to investigate competing content and working for your competitors on the same issue.
Long-form material is frequently required when your audience’s purpose is to study or educate themselves. However, if they want to be entertained or stay up with your newest news, short-form may be a better solution.
Interest of Your Viewers
Your audience is already interested in your offer when they come to your content. Readers who are more interested in the product are more likely to read a lot of information and specifics about it before purchasing.
If your readers are not interested in your offer, you should employ short-form content to attract their attention and avoid suffocating a conversion under thousands of unneeded words.
Nobody wants to read a lot of information about something they don’t want to learn about. You will just bother customers with long information, which may harm your brand’s reputation.
Your Goal
You must be aware of your objectives and select the most effective means of achieving them.
If your goal is to generate awareness of a new product launch, you may determine that a relatively short but to-the-point email to your subscribers, paired with a number of posts across your social networks, is the most effective method to do it. Short-form content is the most effective option in this case.
If your objective is to rank on Google for a highly competitive search keyword and drive associated traffic and conversions as a result. Long-form content is the most effective option in this case.
Conclusion
The topic of whether to utilize long-form versus short-form videos in digital marketing has long been a source of contention among organizations. Both formats have advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult to choose one over the other.
Long-form videos are excellent for delivering detailed stories and imparting thorough information. They can catch the attention of viewers and provide useful insights.
Short-form videos, on the other hand, are ideal for engaging people on social media, where attention spans are short and material must be concise.
Understanding your audience, their needs, and your goals is critical to the success of your video strategy. By matching your content with these elements, you may use both long-form and short-form videos effectively in your marketing strategy. It is not a matter of choosing one format over another, but of knowing when to use each to successfully reach and engage your audience.
