As audiences crave an extra level of storytelling, video continues to take over the internet. From quick 5 second clips to 30-minute stories, learn which form of video is the right fit for your brand.

Short Form Video Vs. Long Form Video 

Video Defined

Before we dive in, there are a few key definitions you’ll need to know to set up the scene. LemonLight gives a good synopsis of what each type of video entails:

• Snackable: These are the seconds-long videos you see across social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These are usually between  5 seconds to a minute. 

• Short form: Any video under 10 minutes would be considered “short form.” However, we usually recommend sticking with 1 minute to a minute and a half in order to drive the most engagement.
• Long form: This is any video over 10 minutes. Long form videos typically are showcasing a larger story. You usually see these as Q&As, live streams, webinars, conference recordings, etc. 

Video KPIs

When analyzing videos, there are a few key performance indicators to look out for to maximize results. According to Sprout Social, these KPIs include: 

• Views or view count
  • YouTube: Someone intentionally watches your video for 30 seconds.
  • Facebook: Someone views your video for 3 seconds
  • Instagram: Video views count after 3 seconds while live video views count the second someone joins the broadcast.
  • Twitter: Someone watches your video for 2 seconds with at least 50% of the video player on their screen.
  • LinkedIn: Same as Twitter, video views count when someone has watched 2 seconds with at least half the video in view.
  • TikTok: A video view counts as soon as your video starts playing in someone’s feed.
• Engagement
• Any way viewers can “engage with your content – likes, comments, saves, shares, etc. 
• If your goal is to spread greater brand awareness, social shares are the answer. This metric can help you widen your audience and bring in more potential leads.
• Play rate
• This action is when someone intentionally has to click on your video to watch your content. Usually, this indicator is seen when embedding a video on a landing page or website. 
• How to calculate: Divide the number of people who clicked “play” by the number of visitors who access the video landing page. 
• Watch time
• This number includes those who have watched and replayed your video. 
• To get the average watch time, divide your total watch time by the total number of video plays.
• Clicks and click-through rate
• These are good metrics to look out for if you are attaching a CTA (call to action) to your videos. These links can be seen in video ads or most commonly are linked in the description.
• How to measure CTR: divide the number of clicks by the number of times the video is seen.
• Conversions
• By utilizing UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) links, you can see where your audience is coming from by platform, type (organic/paid, referral, etc), campaign, and even down to keywords. This is a great way to see where your video is driving the most traffic and what is working in your copy.
• If you are utilizing HubSpot or Sprout social, they have built-in programs that you can create these UTM links. 

Overall, these numbers are good indicators of whether or not you are really capturing your audience’s attention with great value content or if you have missed the mark.

When to Use

“Snackable” content should live all over your social media feed. With iPhones being able to produce such high-quality videos these days, sharing simple videos of someone just snacking on your produce can promote engagement. 

Short-form videos are great for ads, landing page introductions, quick recipe ideas, tradeshow teasers, etc. These are most optimal for conversions and more clicks to linked CTAs or longer-form videos. A great example of this could be a one-minute teaser of your company’s sustainability actions on a website or trade page that then leads to a longer video of a sustainability Q&A or webinar.

Long-form video is optimal for recounting your brand story and for educational purposes. These can be seen as interviews, webinars, how-to videos, or videos that inspire. These are great for brand awareness and can be trimmed down to fit shorter-length videos like teasers on a homepage or a 30-sec social post.

We know this is a lot of information and would love to break it down with you! Give us a call and let’s discuss which forms of video are right for your company at this time. Let’s chat!

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