Content marketing takes time, usually a lot of time, to create. This is definitely true for video content. And we all know it can be disheartening wasting your time on creating videos that no one cares about. So before you waste your time follow these 4 rules to help your videos succeed.
Your video content should be:
1. Relevant & Valuable To Your Audience

All content needs to be relevant and speak to your specific audience. So create videos that are relevant to your audience’s interests. And create video content that adds value, some kind of value to them.
Your title should peak your audience’s interests. And the video itself should be relevant to that title and the topic at hand. If your video content is not relevant to what the audience wants, they will not stick around very long.
At the same time you want to provide value to your audience. Does your content answer their questions and provide them with valuable takeaways.
Of course, if the point of your video is simply to entertain the audience then this is a bit looser. But even when you are entertaining you want it to be relevant. Being relevant will help provide value as the value is entertaining them.
But for information, tutorial, promotional, etc. video content make sure it is relevant and valuable.
2. KISS

No, we don’t mean keep it simple. Well, we kind of do, but we mean keep it short and sweet (KISS).
According to the Vidyard 2022 Video In Business Benchmark Report, “62% if viewers watch a business-related video all the way through if it’s less than 60 seconds, only 265 will finish a video if it’s longer than 20 minutes.” They also state in the report that “56% of all videos published in the last years are less than 2 minutes long.”
So you can see that the drop-off rate declines mightily as the video length goes on. That’s because folks nowadays have pretty short attention spans.
And make sure you are catering to the specific social platform. The ideal times do vary a lot from one to another platform.
Here’s some more helpful information on specific platforms:
- According to Hootsuite, “Facebook recommends videos that are less than one minute or stories that are less than 20 seconds in length.”
- Hubspot recommends keeping your Instagram videos to 30 seconds, your Twitter videos to 45 seconds, Facebook videos to 1 min, and Youtube videos to 2 minutes
- From a different Hootsuite article, the best LinkedIn video length is max 30 seconds
Also, frontload your video content with the most critical information to ensure they see it even if they drop off later.
3. Include a Clear Call to Action

Yes, you want folks to watch your video content, but you also want them to take an action. So make sure you include a clear Call-to-action (CTA) in your video. Say it. Call it out. And incentivize people to take the action.
Don’t just put a link in your description or a card without mentioning it and hope for the best. Call it out in the video either with words or text that is clear. Incentivize your watchers to take the action.
4. Bonus: Create Thumbnails that Increase Clicks
Create and use thumbnails that grab attention and entice viewers to click on your videos. Auto-generated thumbnails will rarely accomplish this. Use a graphic design software or Canva or something to make a custom thumbnail image. Make sure its relevant, but at the same time grabs their attention and makes them want to see the video.
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