Top 7 Video Marketing Mistakes You Must Avoid

Video is an extremely effective marketing tool when done well. Having the right video content whether for a website video commercial, social media, is a great way for your business to reach a wide variety of markets, and engage your viewing audience. However, more often than not, many start-ups and small businesses are opting to try their hand at video marketing and production, and quite frankly are done so poorly, that they may be doing more harm than good.

In the eyes of the viewer, your video is a reflection of your brand, and there’s simply no margin for error here folks. To help you get started with a successful video marketing strategy, here are 6 of the biggest mistakes businesses are commonly making, and tips from our video marketing and production experts on how you can avoid them.

Mistake #1:  A Video With No Plan, Is A Plan To Fail

As the saying goes, when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Instead of a mad dash to put up any old video, you need to consider the purpose of your video and develop a plan for a winning strategy. Ask yourself: What is the overall purpose of your video? Is it branding you? Is it a sales video? Is it a corporate overview? Why are you making it?

Tip: Most business owners are great at running their business. With that said, most business owners aren’t video marketing or production experts. Unless your video is for personal branding, never take the homemade approach. Consult with a professional video production company with the expertise needed for a successful video marketing strategy.

Mistake #2:  Lack Of Branding

Hearing someone recall your video is fantastic. But if they can’t remember the name of your company, that’s not fantastic! Many times we get wrapped in the making of the video that we forget its actual purpose: communicating the benefits of and promoting your business.

Tip: Your video should be custom branded your logo, website address, or another piece of your identity — especially in the beginning and end.

Mistake #3: Making Your Marketing Video Too Long

You just completed watching a company’s online video that talks about its new product, its heritage, a new location, stellar employees, business awards, a new rewards program, and personal message from the CEO. What did you learn? Probably nothing! In fact, more than likely you didn’t even watch all the way to the end.

We’ve seen this scenario all too often. Business get enamored with putting in laundry list of information, rather than hitting features/benefits quickly and end up with a 5 minute video. Research shows that 20 percent of people click away from a video within the first 10 seconds if it isn’t engaging enough. Plus, the more time you add to a video, the less likely people are to watch it in its entirety.

Tip: Use the KISS (Keep It Short and Sweet) method. Videos that are about 60-90 tend to have the highest viewership.

Mistake #4: No Call To Action

“Visit our website.”  “Call now.”  “Sign-up today.” …  Good marketing always includes a call-to-action, and video marketing is no different. After all, that is what you want the view to-do, take action! Don’t leave your viewers in the lurch, they’ll be unsure of the next step to take, resulting in a lost valuable lead, sale or click.

Tip: Include a clear call to action, so your viewers know what to do after they’ve watched your video.

Mistake #5: Failing to Use SEO for Your Video

Just posting it on YouTube isn’t enough anymore. Getting your audience to see your video online is crucial, and there are specific techniques and tactics that can drive web traffic to your site and video, and rank your site in top search results.

Tip: Use proper video SEO techniques to increase the online visibility of your video.

Mistake #6: Failing to Address Your Target Audience

Sure, you have products and services that can benefit a wide audience, but your video can’t be a jack-of-all-trades. Don’t take the shotgun approach! Your video will be far more effective if you focus on one point and don’t cast too wide a net. Usually when you try to speak to everyone, you end up speaking to no one.

Tip: Focus your message on a specific and well-defined target audience.

Mistake #7: Expecting Instant Results

As the saying goes: Rome wasn’t built in a day! This same mantra can be applied when it comes to video marketing. Think about it like this. How many times did you see that tv commercial before it really sank in? Well, according to Herbert E. Krugman, author of “The Impact of Television Advertising: Learning without Involvement”, the average person needs to b exposed to a commercial 3 times before reacting.

Tip: Understand that a good video marketing strategy requires frequency, consistency, dedication, and patience.

Sure, online marketing videos are an effective, low cost opportunity for businesses to get visibility, improve their branding and generate leads. However, video marketing is as much of an art as it is a science. Understanding the crucial role that logic and emotion play in engaging the viewer is the first step to unlocking the full potential of your video marketing strategy.

The most effective video ads are based on a variety of best practices to comply with general advertising principles. If you want to maximize the return on investment and customer experience, then be sure to avoid these 7 common mistakes, otherwise you are unlikely to succeed.

Thoughts, Questions Or Comments? Let us know what you think below.