“Business Videos Should Be Longer,” Said No One Who Watches Business Videos
We all know video is the king of content creation. Video is driving more and more of internet engagement and interest. Unfortunately, the people producing B-2-B videos did not get the memo that shorter, more succinct videos are more effective. According to research from Vidyard, the average length of business-related videos increased from 4 minutes in 2019 to longer than 6 minutes in 2020.
Many business videos are still in the 2-minute range, but the trend is not good. We are saying more to fewer and fewer people.
The Vidyard research found that larger companies (5,000 and more) are producing much more content. The average number of large company video productions in 2020 was 1,337 (2 ½ times more than 2019). Companies with 200 to 600 employees produced an average of 557 videos.
The survey data also showed that social media, websites and YouTube were the most popular distribution channels.
So smart marketers are producing much more video in this digital age that is showing product demos, how-to, webinars and explainer videos. And if you want to compete with the biggest players, you are going to need a stockpile of video, optimized for search and engaging from the first few seconds. Lights, camera and action.
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle. After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant. He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.” Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.” One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College. Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board. Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.
