We all make mistakes from time to time. However, when it comes to areas such as marketing, even minor mistakes can have a severe impact on the success of your company or organization. So, what steps can you take to put your company in the best possible position to make fewer video marketing blunders in the future?
From pre-production to filming, editing, and distribution, I’ve seen (and made) a fair share of video marketing blunders in everything from pre-production to distribution. In this piece, you’ll learn about 11 frequent video marketing blunders, as well as why (and how) to avoid doing them.
Having No Strategy
Creating video content without first developing an effective video marketing strategy will be our first and most important lesson. This may appear to some readers to be an apparent error, yet it occurs frequently enough that it warrants attention. Simply said, you cannot expect to see measurable outcomes from your video content unless you have a plan in place.
So, what exactly should you include in your video marketing strategy?
First and foremost, you must examine the objective and ultimate goal of the video material.
Lead generation, brand awareness, increasing engagement, increasing conversions, and improving consumer knowledge are all common video marketing objectives. While defining your aim, consider the message you want to send and to who you want to communicate it.
As a result, establishing a plan will assist you in ensuring that your video marketing efforts provide the desired outcomes for your business.
Don’t Expect it to “go viral”
Speaking of plans, I’m sorry to tell you that achieving a viral status for your video material is not a feasible goal, at least for the time being.
There I said it.
Sure, there are some things you can do to increase the likelihood that your video will go viral a little bit more than the average. However, whether or not your content ends up becoming the next viral sensation is mainly out of your hands at the end of the day.
There is a good chance that your brand has additional video marketing objectives that are both more relevant and more realistic than virality. Instead of focusing on putting your film in front of as many people as possible, try focusing on getting it in front of the appropriate individuals. To put it another way, concentrate on reaching your intended audience. The opinions you receive from them will be more valuable than views you receive from those who are not interested in your company.
FAILURE TO INCLUDE A STRONG CALL TO ACTION
A call to action (CTA) is a statement that instructs the audience to take a specified course of action. When you fail to add a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your video, you are passing up a critical opportunity to encourage viewers to take the required action.
There is a sense of anticipation created for viewers because they are unsure of what to do after watching the video. As a result, towards the conclusion of your video, include a clear call to action (CTA) to guide your audience in the appropriate route.
The following are some examples of effective video call-to-actions:
- Please see our website.
- Distribute this video.
- Follow us on social media to stay up to date.
- Please consider subscribing to our channel.
- Now is the time to shop/purchase
- Download our mobile application.
- Pay a visit to our store
- Now is the time to sign up.
- Begin your risk-free trial today.
DON’T OVER SELL
Of course, one of the most frequent video marketing objectives is to increase sales or conversions. Consumers, on the other hand, do not want to be sold to in an aggressive manner. A video that is highly commercial comes across as desperate and untrue to its subject.
Instead, your video should be about establishing a connection with your audience and addressing their desires and requirements. Above all, keep in mind the golden rule: show, don’t tell. As an example, rather than describing the features of your product or service, demonstrate to viewers how it might be beneficial to their lives. Storytelling is an excellent method for accomplishing this, as it can also help people form an emotional attachment to your business.
OVERLOOKING THE NEED TO BRAND YOUR VIDEO CONTENT
One of the most significant advantages of video marketing is the increase in brand recognition. In order for this to occur, your brand must be prominently shown throughout your film. Unfortunately, many businesses overlook the need to brand their video content. Don’t make the same mistakes they did.
I’m not proposing that your company’s brand should be the focus of your video (unless you’re doing a corporate film). As an alternative, it involves embedding components of your brand into the video content you create. Consider the tone, imagery, color palette, fonts, and graphic or animation style while creating a presentation.
Keep in mind that you will want viewers to become familiar with the emblem of your organization, so be sure to incorporate it. If in doubt, consult the style/brand guide for your organization.
Creating videos that are unnecessarily long
No matter how fantastic your video is, the majority of consumers do not have the time (or attention span) to sit through 10 or more minutes of video content from a company or organization.
In order to get around the average user’s short attention span, the majority of the films I generate are between 1 and 3 minutes in length.
If you go on much longer, you run the danger of boring them or turning them off to your content.
Of course, there are several exceptions to this rule. Some types of movies, such as training videos, demos, and tutorials, require a longer run-time than others.
However, if your content initially appears to be rather lengthy, consider breaking it up into a series of small and easily digestible videos instead. Another option is to consider whether you are overloading your video with too much information.
In addition to affecting the video’s runtime, providing too much information might be overwhelming to viewers.
Also, keep in mind that the opening ten seconds of your video are critical if you want viewers to continue watching it beyond that. It is important not to spend too much time on a lengthy and intricate introduction. Instead, plunge viewers right into the action and give them a reason to stick around for the rest of the show.
POOR QUALITY AUDIO AND VISUALS
This blunder has the potential to cause significant damage to your company’s reputation. Indeed, would you put your faith in the quality of a corporation that publishes content that is low-resolution and shoddily produced?
No, you would want to work with a company that is concerned about the quality of the information it shares with you. As a result, don’t skimp on the quality.
This does not imply that your video must have a production value comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster (or budget). A good quality camera or screen recording software, as well as an external microphone of reasonable quality and good lighting, are all you need. You can hire a video production company to complete the necessary tasks for you in order to ensure that your video content is professional-looking.
ASSURING VIEWERS WILL WATCH VIDEO WITH AUDIO INSTRUCTIONS
The consideration of a soundless video experience can no longer be left to the last minute. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, as well as consumers in general, rely on this to communicate effectively with them.
An investigation by Verizon discovered that 69 percent of consumers watch movies in public locations with the sound turned off. Additionally, videos on social media tend to autoplay with the sound turned off. This means that accounts must rely solely on visual content to entice viewers to continue watching..
In order to account for this in your video material, consider the following: Captions and/or transcriptions for your video content are an obvious alternative, and they can be provided for free. Some video-sharing platforms generate captions for videos on their own initiative. The problem is that these are not always accurate.
IGNORING VIDEO SEARCH OPTIMISATION
If you believe that search engine optimization is only for websites and text-based content, you are mistaken.
Because optimizing your video content for search engines is essential if you want people to find and enjoy your video material on their own. In order to drive organic search engine traffic, video SEO entails everything from developing a keyword strategy to optimizing your titles, descriptions, and even thumbnails (see the next tip) for your videos. And when we say search engines, we don’t simply mean Google, Bing, and the rest of the pack. In fact, YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world, after Google.
Do you have any video content that you upload on YouTube? In the event that you do not currently do so, it may be a good time to begin
NOT GENERATING A COMPELLING VIDEO THUMBNAIL
Yes, the majority of platforms will build a thumbnail for your video for you automatically. Because this requires no work on the part of the person or company who is uploading the video, some businesses will simply sit back and let the platform do its job. However, this can result in thumbnails that are drab, blurred, and unprofessional in appearance.
As a result, if you want more people to watch your videos, you can’t rely on auto-generated thumbnails to get the job done. After all, thumbnails are sometimes the first thing that people see before deciding whether or not to watch a movie in its entirety.
POSTING OR SHARING YOUR VIDEO ONCE IS ENOUGH
Last but not least, you should avoid making the error of merely posting your film in one location. Any video marketing strategy must include distribution as a key component. If you have high-quality video material, it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible within your target demographic. Posting and sharing video content is possible on a large number of digital platforms and services. You can submit your video in a variety of locations, as follows:
- Your web site’s home page.
- Landing pages for campaigns
- YouTube
- Your Google Business profile (if you have one)
- Instagram (feed/reels/stories) Facebook (feed)
- LinkedIn (company page/profile) is an excellent resource.
- TikTok
- Email marketing campaigns (this is a hot topic right now)
- Vimeo
Its a Wrap
So, there you have it. 11 things that you simply should not do when video marketing in 2022. Hopefully, this information has educated and inspired you to do video marketing properly. When done right, it’s one of the most effective forms of marketing there is.
