There’s No Escaping Video, Especially at Work

NAB Amplify

Whether through live Zoom calls, virtual event experiences, or asynchronous video messaging — the use of video exploded in 2020.

https://amplify.nabshow.com/articles/theres-no-escaping-video-especially-at-work/

That trajectory isn’t expected to change. In fact, we’ll all be using video to connect, educate, sell and build teams more than ever, according to a new report which suggests everyone is becoming a video content creator.

No longer are we dependent on massive production budgets and teams. The proliferation of user-generated “record-and-share” videos within the business world for sales, marketing, and internal comms is the new norm now that everyone has gotten comfortable with using that embedded webcam.

The latest Video in Business Benchmark Report from Vidyard reckons there has been a 135% increase in the number of videos created at work or for business last year.

As more individuals across the organization become creators, it’s no surprise that 60% of overall videos in 2020 were user-generated or user-recorded versus the 40% that were uploaded or produced in more traditional ways.

“Just over half (58%) of viewers watch a video to the end if it’s less than 60 seconds, but only 24% will finish a video if it’s more than 20 minutes.”

The most common types of business-created videos are product demos, followed by how-to’s, explainers, and webinars. The popularity of “how-to” videos in particular has seen a 50% increase over 2019 results.

Almost half of survey respondents are using training videos within their organizations. Again, this isn’t surprising, given the shift to digital-first work in 2020 and the need to connect and upskill employees remotely.

One of the most notable callouts is the exponential growth in the use of one-to-one video. This is most common for salespeople as a means to communicate with prospects and customers, but it’s also becoming a critical internal communications tool as well. The percentage of respondents who report they are investing in one-to-one video grew from 7% in 2019 to 40% in 2020, representing a 471% increase year-over-year.

The likelihood of a more hybrid office-work from home working life will see us continue to use video at far higher levels than pre-2020 but there’s signs of fatigue also.

The average video length across all videos included in this report is just over 6.06 minutes and just under half of viewers watch a video all the way through, regardless of the video’s length — but that’s down from the 52% who would do the same in 2019.

Just over half (58%) of viewers watch a video to the end if it’s less than 60 seconds, but only 24% will finish a video if it’s more than 20 minutes.

The take-away: don’t deviate from the subject matter of the video and get your message across quickly and clearly.