We’ve all heard the statistics associated with the ever-decreasing attention spans individuals have today. Coupled with that, we’ve also heard that video is the booming medium for marketing. Given these messages, you may not even really think twice about whether to use a short-form video – generally defined as 10 minutes or less – over a long-form video. However, there is a time and a place where a long-form video may be the better option, and you can determine that by considering your marketing goals, target audiences, media placement and the availability of video metrics.

Goals

Whether your business or organization is looking to raise awareness, educate, make sales or get donations, both short-form and long-form video are powerful tools that allow you to elevate your message and stand out from the crowd. Long-form video is particularly useful, however, when you really want to drill down your mission, purpose, values and benefit statements because it allows you to humanize your company and connect with your audience on a personal level.

One of the main tools we like to use in long-form videos that help our clients build authority through problem solving are testimonials. There are many types of testimonial styles to choose from and should be used depending on the main goal of your long-form video. One great illustration of the varying types of testimonials can be found in a 2017 Forbes article, which breaks them down as follows:

  1. Claim Testimonial
    1. Answers the question: What were the results?
    2. Purpose is to showcase benefits of products or services
    3. A customer or client is usually a good spokesperson for this type of testimonial
  2. Competency Testimonial
    1. Answers the question: What do you know?
    2. Purpose is to highlight company expertise and processes
    3. A business founder, owner or leader is usually a good spokesperson for this type of testimonial
  3. Character or Community Testimonial
    1. Answers the question – Why do you care?
    2. Purpose is to expound on company values and/or community involvement
    3. An employee, staff member or community partner is usually a good spokesperson for this type of testimonial
  4. Company Testimonial
    1. Answers the question – Who do you work with?
    2. Purpose is to illustrates company loyalty
    3. A business partner or vendor is usually a good spokesperson for this type of testimonial

As you think about testimonial use in your long-form video, you can begin developing an outline for the script of your video with the objective of crafting a story that builds buy-in with your target audience.

Target Audience

The starting point for your long-form video outline needs to consider who you’re trying to reach and what tone they prefer to receive information? For example, maybe your audience is business leaders who prefer facts, graphs and straightforward no-nonsense messaging. Or perhaps you’re looking to reach individuals invested in their community who respond to a heartfelt topic with a more emotional testimonial from someone who’s been through a particular situation.

Once you define who you’re reaching and how they prefer to receive information, you can start getting into the details of long-form video development, such as whether you plan to use live shots or animation or a mix of both. Consider questions such as: What locations will be ideal to shoot at when planning to use lifestyle shots? What technical specifications are needed to create an infographic or product illustration? Will you need to utilize a customized green screen background for a safety or training angle?

Once the target has been chosen, video outline developed and logistical decisions made to get the production of the long-form video underway, you should determine a plan to get your video in front of those you’re looking to reach.

Media Placement

The internet has opened many doors when it comes to disseminating your message, and long-form video is no exception. Brands are no longer restricted to time-regulated TV commercials, and that’s an exciting avenue to explore. From videos on your website and social media accounts to the housing platform you select, each method needs to be strategically placed and constantly evaluated.

Media placement essentially boils down to increasing your visibility, which can lead directly to more customers. One proven way of doing this is being aware of your organic SEO video practices. A couple proven tactics include:

  1. Select a hosting platform
    1. There are many video hosting platforms available and each comes with their own set of metrics that can analyze such items as reach, view count and engagement. Before you select one, consider researching each platform to make sure you’re getting metrics that allow you to measure and evaluate your video placement.
  2. Transcribe audio
    1. One easily overlooked organic SEO measure is providing a transcript of the video’s audio to accompany the video file. This is beneficial because the voice over, testimonials and narration is most likely full of industry terms that search bots can use to give your video a more prominent place online.
  3. Web page placement
    1. Web pages with videos generally have an increased amount of visits and longer visits at that. Due to this, it’s a good practice to make the video the focus of the web page with an engaging thumbnail and written content that supports the video topic and call to action, in addition to the transcript.  

If these SEO measures aren’t providing the results you’d like, you can consider SEM measures, such as online ads and paid social media ads. Whatever media placement avenue you choose, the intent should be the same – be proud of the video you’ve worked so hard to create and let people know about it.

Video Metrics

Closely tied to media placement is our ability to analyze video performance with key metrics, such as social sharing in addition to the ones mentioned above. By choosing the best platforms to place your long-form video, you’ll be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your calls to action and modify those as needed. A potential customer that invests time in watching your long-form video is most likely a serious lead.

These metrics allow you to take and learn from those insights and continually improve your video output. Also, don’t be afraid to change and adapt your message if you aren’t getting desired outcomes. Sometimes it’s just a matter of moving your call to action earlier in the video.

If you’re looking to make a lasting impression on your audience, please give us a call at 701-478-1111 and ask to speak with a Marketing Advisor, or contact us at absolutemg.com/contact.