Video Production Length
Okay. So most marketing chiefs will agree with you when you say that video is important. Bare minimum, you need something on your website that says who you are, what you do and why people should work with you.
We produce a lot of video here. When I work with a client for the first time, one of the questions that I ask is, how long do you want your video to be? The answer, generally, is I don’t know, we haven’t really thought about it. And my recommendation almost always is two minutes (90 seconds if we can get there).
Why? Because people are used to getting their information quickly. And the last thing you want to do is waste a prospect’s time. Besides, think about what you can get away with in two minutes. The chestburster scene from Alien, from the moment they sit down to dinner is two minutes long. The cue card scene from Love Actually, two minutes. The colored bathroom scene from Hidden Figures is a minute 56. The Casablanca scene, the La Marseillaise scene from Casablanca, comes in at 1:55. One of the most famous phrases of all time, “As you wish”, from the Princess Bride, comes in at a buck 46.
You can get away with a lot in two minutes if it’s written well. So the next time you’re thinking about doing a video and you find yourself doing something that takes more than two minutes, stop and think about whether or not you need two videos.
Thanks to Monroe Bush. I appreciate everything you say, Monroe. And if you’ve got questions for me, email me at [email protected].