How long should your videos really be?

In this episode we touch on one of the most important parts of creating high engagement content – video length.

Often real estate agents disregard the research which shows the attention span of social media users is diminishing.

Learn how long your videos should be and what to include in such a short amount of time.

Podcast:

Craig Deveson:
Welcome to your podcast for all things real estate marketing. I’m Craig Deveson, and this is the Properti Pod.

Gerard Doyle:

How long should your real estate video really be? Well, it’s a question that depends on a lot of different factors, but if you want a quick answer, you want it to be shorter than you’re probably making it at the moment.

About 5% of people watching videos online will stop after the first minute, even when they’ve selected the video specifically themselves. But what’s really amazing is that 60% of those viewers will drop off after two minutes. If you want a really simple answer, the length of your video, two minutes. It’s ideal for social media like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, because these are the platforms where people are quickly scrolling and time is at a premium. The higher retention rates where these videos are going to give you increased reach and better bang for your buck.

With about 55 to 60% of videos being viewed on mobile devices, keeping it under five minutes is absolutely critical. People don’t sit and watch long form comfortably, definitely not ads, on a mobile device. You also want your video to be shareable. Too much content, too long is not something that people share. People share short, sharp, concise videos so as not to burden the people they might be sharing it with.

Now, that’s not to say there isn’t a time and a place for the long video. It might be the long explainer video about you and your agency. It might be the in-depth video where you go right through a house, but that’s the video you’re likely to embed on your website. That’s the video you’re likely to send out to really hot prospects who are already engaged with the property. The videos we are talking about are the videos that are going to capture attention, build that pipeline and bring in the potential buyers and sellers. You’re going to do that with short, sub-two minute videos.

Now here’s a few other reasons to keep your video shorter. A short video keeps the user’s attention or the viewer’s attention. A short video will force you to get to the point. Given too much time, we tend to waffle and carry on. A short video timeframe means we get to the point quickly and we get our message across.

Also, short videos are just so much cheaper. They are more cost effective. You don’t have to spend as much time editing or paying somebody else to do the editing. Also, if you make that one mistake in the recording, you don’t have to go back 25 minutes worth of recording and cover the whole thing again. You can also spend some time focusing on the quality, getting the setting right, the lighting right, all the things you need to do to look really good and sharp.

The longer the video, the harder it is to maintain your smile, your posture and your stare. I say go short, make an impression, reach more people, save the time, the effort and the heartache that long videos take. And know that you’re going to get more success and more reach by keeping those videos under two minutes. Good luck with your marketing.

Craig Deveson:
Thanks for listening. To stay up to date on all things real estate marketing, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @propertiapp. For a free demo or any business inquiries, head over to property.ai or click the link below in the show notes.

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