Video is a powerful marketing tool that companies can use to promote their products or services and grow their business. According to a study conducted by Animoto, product videos are 400% more likely to be watched than read. And an article published by Forbes suggests that 59% of corporate executives prefer video over text. So, whether you operate a business-to-consumer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) company, video can help you achieve your professional goals. However, you’ll want to avoid making the following video marketing mistakes.
#1) Not Identifying Your Target Audience
You can’t expect to produce a successful marketing video without first identifying your target audience. In other words, for whom are you creating videos? Target audiences vary from business to business. A company that sells wedding dresses, for instance, would likely have a target audience consisting of newly engaged brides, whereas a company that sells aftermarket auto parts would have a target audience consisting of automotive hobbyists and auto parts stores.
#2) Boring Introduction
You only get one chance to make a good first impression, so don’t miss it. Statistics show that 20% of viewers stop watching a video after the first 10 seconds if it’s not interesting. Even if the rest of your video is captivating and interesting, viewers will stop watching if it has a boring introduction. To prevent this from happening, include a “hook” in the beginning of your video that catches the viewer’s attention and encourages him or her to keep watching.
#3) Creating Videos for a Single Purpose
Another common video marketing mistake is creating videos for a single purpose. Even if your primary goal is to sell a product or service, you can still have other goals for your video. For instance, you may want to build stronger brand recognition, or perhaps you want to educate your target audience about your company. Regardless, you should design videos with multiple purposes instead of a single purpose.
#4) Betting on ‘Going Viral’
Far too many business owners design their videos in hopes of them “going viral.” If your videos are picked up and shared by thousands of users, conventional wisdom should tell you that you’ll generate a ton of traffic and views. But the fact is that no one knows which videos will go viral and which ones won’t. Rather than trying to create viral videos, focus on videos that are interesting and relevant to your target audience. Doing so will yield the greatest benefit, and if you’re lucky, some of your videos may still have a viral effect.
#5) Overlooking Viewer Engagement
Don’t underestimate the importance of viewer engagement. Video marketing has changed in recent years, with business owners shifting their focus from a captive to an engaged audience. In other words, you should produce your videos so that it “connects” with the viewer and entices him or her to take action. Whether this action is to buy a product, sign up for your newsletter or simply research your company, you want to create an engaged audience with your marketing videos; otherwise, you’ll experience little-to-no benefit from your marketing efforts.
#6) Expecting Instant Results
Video marketing isn’t going to yield instant results. Rather, it takes time for users to find and watch your videos. An effective video marketing strategy should focus on long-term goals, not immediate goals. Granted, your videos may attract some initial traffic immediately after they are published, but most of the traffic will come later down the road.
#7) DIY Video Production
Don’t make the mistake of trying to produce your own marketing videos. Did we mention you only get one chance to make a first impression? This is one instance where it’s best to leave it in the hands of a professional. A professional video production company has the tools, experience and skills needed to produce exceptional-quality videos that get results. While opting for professional video production costs more than a DIY video, it’s a smart investment that will pay off in the long run.
#8) Quantity Over Quality
It’s not the amount of videos you produce that matters most; it’s the quality of those videos. Just a few high-quality marketing videos will prove far more valuable than dozens or even hundreds of sub-par videos.
#9) Not Promoting Your Video
Even if your video is well produced, it’s not going to help you achieve your marketing goals unless people know about it. Therefore, you need to promote your videos after publishing them. Sharing links to your video on Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks is a simple and effective way to promote them. Additionally, you can email your videos to customers and prospects.
#10) Not Optimizing Your Videos for Search Traffic
Finally, be sure to optimize your videos for search traffic. Assuming you want to reach the largest audience (hint: you do), you need to optimize your videos appropriately. If you publish videos on YouTube, for instance, include a unique and relevant title as well as a description of your video. You can also promote higher search rankings by linking to your videos from other websites.
