Online Video Success relies on five golden rules:
We’ve produced lots of online video for our clients over the years, and we’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way.
1. Make it about Your Viewer
10 seconds is how long you’ve got to grab the attention of your viewers in an online video clip. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away in 10 seconds or fewer if they feel it is not worth watching. So right up front, you’ve got to make it clear why they should be watching your video.
Think about that the viewer needs, are they there to find a solution, be entertained or donate money? That will help to structure your message so you can make the video message clear up front.
2. Keep the Message Short
Make the video 60 seconds or less. Let’s face it, everyone online these days has a short attention span. Typically you’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes. Those numbers remain the same no matter how long the video is. So saying what you need to say – quickly.
It’s not an excuse for making rushed crappy videos. They should still be beautifully designed and produced videos, just keep them short.
3. Reduce, Recycle & Reuse
Working with the right production team means you can produce innovative and compelling online videos. During pre-production, think about the longevity of the material you shoot, and how it can be re-purposed for future campaigns. Investing in a competent film crew to shoot a bank of high-quality media that you can re-edit for years to come is a smart investment.
Make sure you get hold of high-quality masters when the project is done so you can leverage that material for future campaigns. After all, it has already been internally approved and paid for – so it pays to re-use it if you can.
4. Two seconds can make a world of difference
There is a saying in video marketing that “it never pays to post and pray.” Videos that load slowly on your page are far more likely to be abandoned. A recent study of 23 million online videos suggested that viewers begin abandoning after two seconds of delay and that viewers who receive a rebuffering delay of 1% will play 5% less of the video when compared to someone who didn’t experience rebuffering.
A lot of social media platforms optimise videos for you, but its really important to ensure your viewer experience is a positive one. All that tech talk of H.264, MP4, HMTL5, bit rates and screen sizes can seem overwhelming but that’s no reason to avoid online video marketing projects altogether. Speak to your production company about what works best for you when they export your deliverables because those two seconds CAN make a world of difference.
5. Analyse your data
The analytics gathered from online video viewers is of great strategic value and a good indicator of where your video is going off the rails? Ensuring you have a detailed video analytics plan in place will help you understand who’s watching, how long they stay engaged and exactly when they click away. That’s valuable information to sharpen your message and target it more efficently in future.
With these tips, your online video will be poised to achieve success. So if you haven’t started your own video marketing campaign, isn’t it time you jumped in with both feet? There’s nothing to lose and about 400% more profit just waiting to be made with a successful online video campaign.