Does Long-Form Video Marketing Still Work?

With the rise of Short-Form Video Content, will Long-Form Video Content still have a place in today’s digital landscape?

Does long-form video marketing still work?

Or is it dead?

No, it’s not dead.

Yes, Long-Form Videos still work and I’m going to prove this to you on this blog.

What Is Long-Form Video Content?

Long-Form Video Content is 5 minutes or longer and these types of videos take more time and effort to produce.

Here are a few other examples of Long-Form Video Content:

• Tutorials
• Interviews
• Reviews
• Vlogs
• Whiteboard videos and presentations
• Webinars and workshops

YouTube is the frontrunner in this industry.

Aside from YouTube, you can consider the following platforms for your Long-Form Video Content:

• Facebook
• Instagram if it’s under 60 minutes
• TikTok if it’s under 10 minutes long

How Long-Form Video Content Works?

For YouTube

Watch time is the most important metric on YouTube.

So if you want to have more watch time, then you need to create longer videos.

For TikTok

TikTok is the most popular platform for Short-Form Videos.

But it looks like that even TikTok noticed that Long-Form Videos are still alive. TikTok is increasing the video length limit and you can now upload up to 10min long videos to their platform.

As this article by Protocol perfectly puts it: The YouTube-ification of TikTok is almost complete.

But why would the king of short videos, TikTok, want longer videos on their platform?

The answer is very simple: It’s MONEY.

Short-Form Video VS Long-Form Video

Short-Form Video Content is between 5 and 60 seconds short. And over the recent years, while almost all platforms pushed short-form video content, they also realized that they make less money with shorter videos.

Salespeople have known for a long time that if you want to sell and make money, it takes time to build trust.

Very short videos are great at capturing attention but they’re not very good at selling.

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“Short-form videos are great for growing your social media accounts. Long-form videos are great at connecting and selling.”

— Morris Grand, Coach

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In my last blog, which was Part 3 in this Content Marketing Series, I said that Short-Form Videos are great for your social media account. But Long-Form Videos are great at selling.

Now there is one counter-argument that we need to address:

What about watching 10 Short-Form Videos? Or 100 Short-Form Videos? Shouldn’t that be enough to build trust?

YES and NO.

Yes. Because in theory that should be enough. In marketing, we say it usually takes between 8 and 12 touch points before someone starts to know, like, and trust you.

So after someone watched 100 of your shorts or reels, that should be enough touch points.

Again, this is in theory.

But in reality, it’s a No. We see time and time again that longer videos are just better if you want

• To make an offer,
• Sell something,
• Or bond with your audience

One prime example of the effectiveness of Long-Form Video Content in selling is Webinars.

All great marketers run webinars, which are 45 minutes or longer. They always do that to make an offer and pitch their products. It gives them more time to explain their topics and share their expertise.

With this duration, trust is being developed. And in no time, that can lead to conversions.

But, I have a warning.

Creating longer videos is harder – because it is harder to keep people’s attention the longer a video goes.

That’s why there are entire programs and courses to teach you how to create great videos. Every Tuesday, I meet with a small group of video creators, and I help them create better videos for their marketing.

If you want to find out more about this program, go to my website creategrowprofit.com/video-group

Tips to make a massive increase in your Video Marketing

Tip #1: Your Hook

If you don’t know how to pull people into your video then you’re going to be really disappointed by the results.

The only way to craft good hooks is to research your audience before you start working on the video.

And after the research, what’s next?

1. You have to find out why they care about this topic.
2. Write that in the video title.
3. Then show it to them at the very beginning of the video.

Believe me, creating good hooks is easier said than done and that’s why in my group, we spend a lot of time practicing this.

Tip #2: Avoid using the wrong video type for the wrong goal

And the second tip is about avoiding a huge mistake that many new video creators make. The mistake is using the wrong video type for the wrong goal.

• Short videos like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, your goal is to get attention and grow your social media accounts.
• Long videos that are 5-10min long, your goal is to demonstrate your expertise and to build trust.
• Really Longer videos like webinars and workshops, your goal is to teach something more in-depth and then make an offer at the end for viewers to work with you or buy from you.

When you understand what type of video you are good at, and you combine that with great hooks, then you should have no problem collecting leads and attracting clients.

But if you hate the idea of recording yourself on camera, then maybe you should be a podcaster instead.

Podcasts have just been exploding in recent years and they are an incredible tool for content marketing. Learn about Podcasting and why you should start to make a podcast now in my next article.

So are you convinced that Long-Form Videos are still alive and still work effectively in content marketing? I want to hear your thoughts. Don’t hesitate to comment. I would love to read them all!