Consumer behavior is changing faster than ever. While the broadcaster used to determine what we watched and when, services like Netflix, Videoland, and social media channels like Snapchat and TikTok now allow us to decide not only when to watch but also offer an abundance of choices.
Your target audience's attention span is getting shorter, and they need to be stimulated increasingly quickly. In this blog, we explain exactly how you ensure that your content actually reaches your target audience.
The internet is everywhere, and content is flying at you from all sides. Due to the constant flow of information, Generation Z has a very short attention span and is easily distracted. While Millennials (born between 1980 and 1995) could still hold their attention for 12 seconds, this has decreased to 8 seconds for Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2010). They know within a few seconds whether they find something interesting or not.
In addition to the target audience's short attention span, there is a second factor that determines the length of the animation : the human capacity to process information. A short animation with too much information will still cause the target audience to disengage, preventing the message from getting across. But what, then, is the right length for an animated video?
You probably see it coming: it is important that your message is short and concise. An animation for commercial purposes, such as increasing brand awareness and revenue, can be between 15 and 60 seconds long. Do you want to use the animation as social content? Then make sure you grab your target audience's attention within 8 seconds, otherwise Generation Z will have long since moved on to your competitor's content. To ensure that your story is told briefly and powerfully, a good script is very important!
With a clear script, you can easily explain your story in a short animated video, but make sure you don't share too much information. You will find that you are easily tempted to share too much information, which makes the story unclear. Therefore, write down a few keywords for yourself and ask yourself what is truly relevant to your target audience. You will find that you reach your target audience better with less text.
For an explainer animation, the length is slightly different. With an explainer animation, you can simply simplify complex subject matter for your target audience. It revolves around translating a complicated or technical process into a simple story. This animation should last approximately between 30 and 90 seconds. Generally, you lose the target audience after two minutes.
Make complex information clear, understandable, and convincing
Explainer animations are often intended for viewers who are already interested in your story: for example, they take a look at your website and are curious about what you do. On average, they have a longer attention span. With animation for commercial purposes, you need to pique someone's interest and grab their attention in the first few seconds—think of an Instagram advertisement. Because so much content is offered here, it is important to captivate the target audience in a shorter amount of time.
To keep your target audience's attention, it is therefore important to keep the animation short. Besides being necessary, this also has a number of advantages. For instance, a shorter animation generally costs less money because less time goes into it. Not entirely unimportant, right? Additionally, shorter videos are easier to share on social media.
Do you also want to convey your story to your target audience concisely? We would be happy to help! Leave your contact details below, and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
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