Why Brands Need A Long-Form Video Strategy
Out with short-form and in with the long-form video. Marketers are noticing a change in viewers’ behaviour when engaging with content.
- Video content means brands can form a lasting connection with their audience, as 80% of consumers can recall a video they saw in the last 30 days.
- By 2022, it is estimated that video content will contribute to 82% of all global IP traffic, and by 2021, 84% of internet users will be frequent video watchers.
"We’re finding that there’s a linear relationship with the length of the film and the engagement - people are engaging more with long-form.”
Jamie Creedland, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Unilever
Up until a few years ago, video content was centred on being short and sweet due to marketers fixation on consumers having an eight-second attention span. Creators were told to focus on content that could be consumed quickly. However, according to a CLICKON Social Labs survey, it was found that after watching long-form video content, a viewer is five times more likely to engage with that content than after watching a short-form video.
U.S adults spend on average 6 hours per day watching video across TV, mobile, social media and the web. The demand for video is increasing in line with people’s attention span, thanks to paid subscription sites like Netflix and Hulu, making long-form video content the most popular type of video today.
Depending on a brand’s strategy, there are many approaches to long-form video, so a brand must navigate and experiment with a variety of long-form content to determine what their consumers respond more positively towards. Below are three key benefits that come with the use of long-form video content.
Video is everywhere:
It can be said with some level of certainty that the social media powerhouse Facebook, has been leading the way for social and since the beginning of 2017, Facebook has been promoting long-form video.
Our CLICKON Social Labs found that 76% of 18-34 year-olds are likely to watch a video of over 5 minutes in length on their mobile phones. Consumers no longer have to wait till they are home or at a laptop to watch longer videos, they have 24/7 access to any type of video content they wish, this provides a vast opportunity for brands to tap into.
Video creates a lasting connection:
A staggering 90% of participants in the CLICKON Social Labs survey stated they are more likely to purchase from a brand they connect with emotionally.
Through the use of long-form, brands provide their consumers with more opportunity to create a connection and build a community. This unique connection will set a brand apart from its competitors. Consumers have unlimited resources to compare prices and reviews of a product or service they are considering purchasing, the emotional connection they form with brand X will be the deciding factor when purchasing X over Y.
Video can improve SEO:
In general, long-form videos cover a topic in greater depth, meaning a brand can include more search words in the video's metadata before publishing. Along with this, once the viewer is engaged and watches the content through to completion, it means they will be on the brand site for a longer period. This will also contribute to its appearance in search, as the engagement sent back to search engines will highlight the brand site as relevant for targeted search terms.
The CLICKON Social Labs research found that over 80% of participants would be very unlikely to tell their friends about a commercial they like. However, if viewers are watching video content on a brand site, not only will this increase the brand’s relevance in search engines, but will also contribute to the possibility of word-of-mouth marketing taking off.
If brands want to gain a more loyal following, they should consider creating longer-form video content centred on telling human stories that will allow their audiences to get invested and as a result, make a real connection.
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