It’s no secret that company videos have become a go-to component of any good marketer’s strategy, and can allow even the smallest local businesses to compete with bigger companies.

Even so, producing the perfect clip with a free video maker goes beyond having a great idea or sleek ad templates.

In today’s fast-paced environment, where attention spans have been shortened drastically, you need to know not just what goes into your videos, but how long each type of video should be to produce the largest possible impact.

People’s Attention Spans are Dwindling

Recent studies have found that our attention spans are indeed getting shorter, falling from an average of 12 seconds in the year 2000 to roughly 8 seconds today.

More importantly, however, people will likely flip or scroll away from your video if it’s too long or becomes uninteresting due to the overabundance of alternative content.

68% of consumers surveyed by HubSpot in 2018 noted that they prefer a short video over other forms of content.

When you combine that figure with the amount of video viewed daily (a study has found 55% of those surveyed by HubSpot noted they watch online videos every day), it’s important to understand the perfect blend of information and brevity.

With that in mind, it’s key to understand which platforms are best for getting your message across, and how to keep your videos at a length that will keep viewers engaged throughout.

And for a local business, nailing the right video marketing strategy can be a game changer.

Knowing the Right Video Length for Each Social Media Platform

The right length for your video will depend largely on two factors: where you’ll be posting it, and what the video is about.

The first component is important, as it tells you roughly how much time you have to grab your viewers’ attention:

1. Facebook videos should aim to be 1 minute long, as readers will generally scroll past longer ones without sharing or interacting. (When should you post your Facebook videos?).
2. Twitter’s 45 second recommendation is based on the quick-strike nature of the platform, with most users looking for fast, snappy updates.
3. Instagram clocks in at a paltry 30 seconds, as most users generally scroll significantly faster on the image-only platform.
4. YouTube, where users intentionally look for videos, does best with content that is roughly 2 minutes in duration.

How Long Should Each Company Video Be?

On the other hand, each video type also has an ideal length.

Choosing between a promo, a sales video, or training video means you’re targeting different audiences and outcomes:

1. Tutorials, which need to communicate a lot of information, should aim to be between 60 and 90 seconds. More than simply demonstrating the step-by-step process, they’re all about exhibiting how easy something is to accomplish.
2. While sales videos also have a recommended length of 1 to 2 minutes, it’s generally better for engagement to keep your sales pitch short, snappy, and interesting.
3. Marketing videos should range between 45 and 90 seconds to encourage greater engagement and command viewers’ attention until the very end.

Producing the perfect video means knowing your audience, where your content is being broadcast, and its purpose.

If you can find the right balance of length and value, you can ensure that your content will deliver better engagement and higher conversions.