"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." 
​T. S. Eliot

In an increasingly complicated world, creativity might be the one thing that sets you apart and makes your business shine.
 
The forecast for the future is that internet video will account for 79 percent of global internet traffic by 2020.
79 percent.
That’s huge!

Which means it’s going to take a lot for you to cut-through in that digital landscape.
​To get your video noticed.
 
If you’re going to stand out in that ever-increasing crowd, you need to do something special. Something unique.
 
You need to be you.
 
Knowing what it is that you do differently and better than everyone else has been what has made your business successful. But to showcase that, in a way that truly reflects who you are, isn’t easy. There is no one-size fits all way to explain a concept, introduce an idea, or get your message out there. There are a million options, you just need to find the one that is most in sync with you.
 
If you are not sure about all the video options (maybe you think infographics might suit your needs, or you want a talking head but with a difference), we’d be more than happy to help you sketch out your ideas.
 
After all, sketching is what we do.

Generally, before a project comes to us at Sketch Video HQ, there’s been a lot of internal brainstorming at the clients very own HQ. A lot of questions about what and why and who and how.

​We are always thrilled when the creativity of clients leads them to us.
​Because then we get to build on our client’s creativity and add lashings of our own. 

But how best to brainstorm?
 
There’s a great article by Art Markman that has telling insight into what works in brainstorming sessions. And what doesn’t.

Simply put, the first person to speak to the topic in a traditional brainstorming session sets the tone for the entire  meeting. So the group focus around that first idea, which is often a narrow, singular view that doesn’t even begin to harness the potential in the room.
 
So the solution?
 
Do some work BEFORE you get everyone in the same room. That way you get people to think about the problem separately and come up ideas before a group works to together to create the ultimate solution (divergence before convergence, if you will).

And then you'll really have a brainstorm.

 “I wish I had the time”
“Busy Busy Busy”
“Time is of the essence”
 
Who has time for anything anymore?

It would be great if there was a perfect sweet spot for the duration of your informational videos.
 
But it’s not that simple….there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.
 
Who is going to watching it? Where? When? And on what device?
What do they need to know? To feel? To respond to?

So, is there an optimum time for a video that markets content?
As short as possible if you ask most.

The (annoying) truth is – there is no one-size-fits-all strategy.
 
The average YouTube video sits around the four-minute mark.
Videos on Facebook are generally under the two-minute mark.
Ted Talks sit around the 18-minutes mark.
 
We watch shorter videos on our phone but are totally prepared to binge watch 12 hours of a TV series in a single weekend (The OA anyone?).
 
It’s drilled into us that we have increasingly short attention spans, but the phenomenal success of the podcast Serial, (where the episodes were all between half an hour and an hour), suggests that if the topic can hold interest, then duration is irrelevant.
 
Concise messaging can be just as (or more) effective than long-winded statements or videos.
 
At Sketch Videos we want you to get bang for your buck.
We want to make sense with your cents.

So we don’t discuss duration until we discuss content and audience and the all-important WHY. 

Because there’s no point in making a 10-minute video if a two minute one will tell the story just as well (or better). 
There’s no point making a 30 second whizz-bang-wow spot if you need to explain processes that will take a couple of minutes for your audience to fully understand.
 
Because time matters. We understand that.
And we don’t want to waste a second of yours, ours, or the audiences’ time.