Nomad Internet Marketing March 2017 Issue 03 | Page 16

16
Does Length Matter?
7 Tips for Getting
Your Videos Watched
There was a time when it didn’t matter how long
your videos were because people were happy to
watch most anything online, if they had a fast
connection.
Then came the video deluge, with millions and
billions of videos all competing for eyeballs. “Make it
short! Make it snappy!” was the cry of the day.
These days people watch all lengths of videos, as
long as they are interesting. Think about Netflix and
the other movie and television services – viewers
stay glued to those videos for hours at a time, which
is great training to watch your videos, too.
But that doesn’t mean you can bumble and
stumble and ramble on. Here are seven tips for
getting your videos watched and acted upon:
Continue to favor short videos. If you can
make your video shorter while still delivering
the same content, do it.
2. Don’t get crazy with the intros. Have you ever
clicked on a video only to get a 30 second
intro before the actual video started? Did you
stay for the whole 30 seconds? Most people
don’t. Start your videos off with a bang,
delivering immediate content to get the
viewer hooked.
3. Don’t bury your lead. Burying the lead is an old
newspaper term for hiding your biggest point
somewhere in the story, instead of leading
with it. If your video is going to show them
how to double their profits, start with that –
not with how you grew up on a Kansas wheat
farm.
4. Use energy and enthusiasm throughout your
video. Steven Wright the comic can get away
with speaking in a dry, monotone voice
because he makes it funny. The rest of us
need to inject plenty of energy to keep
viewers watching.
5. Don’t hide your call to action at the end.
No matter how great your video is, not
everyone will watch it all the way
through. If you want them to click on
something, try inserting a clickable
annotation within the first few seconds or
at least within the first minute. People in
a hurry will appreciate this.
6. Do you have a long training to present?
Break it up into a series of shorter videos.
7. Have you got a great speech or show to
share? Don’t break it up. Instead, allow
your audience to sit back and enjoy the
full experience of it.
1.
The best rule of all – never, ever, ever be
boring – not even for a second. If you can follow
just this one rule, your videos will be viewed and
shared like gangbusters.