Nowadays, many businesses are using video as part of their online marketing campaigns. Many people out there would rather watch a video than read through lengthy text about a product or service.
Therefore, creating a unique and relevant video can be very effective strategy for attracting traffic and converting visitors into customers. However, simply creating and uploading a video does not guarantee success.
Here are some video marketing mistakes you need to avoid.
1. Being too promotional
When people watch your video, they want to be educated or entertained. If the video only talks about the features and benefits of your product or service, viewers are likely to be put off.
Therefore, make sure your videos are focused on providing valuable information to your audience. Content which is directly promotional should be added in a subtle way. It would be advisable to include a link to a landing page where anyone interested can get more details about your product or service.
It would be advisable to include a backlink to a landing page where anyone interested can get more details about your product or service.
2. Poor branding
The ultimate aim of video marketing should be to promote your products and services. After people have been entertained and educated, they should leave with a lasting image of your business or brand.
Therefore, make sure your video is branded with your official colors, website URL, logo and anything else that shows your identity.
Venngage offers a feature called My Brand Kit that helps you keep your branding consistent across all your visual and video marketing channels.
3. Lengthy videos
There is a lot of content online competing for people’s attention. As a result, most web users have a very short attention span. If your videos are too lengthy, viewers will simply click away and go elsewhere. Therefore, make sure your videos are as short and sweet as possible.
Unless it is for educational purposes, two minutes or less should suffice for a video. In case you have much content to share, you could break it down into a series of pithy videos.
Use your business communication channels to source content ideas and record video and audio content.
4. Too much information
An overload of information can make even a short video appear long. Therefore, avoid the temptation of stuffing your videos with too much information.
Your viewers will not only get bored, but they are also likely to get confused. Make sure your message is as direct and concise as possible.
Think of the information you would want to communicate and only include the most vital points in your video. Remember to include clear calls to action such as ‘Buy now’ or ‘Visit our website’ within your message. This will give show viewers what you want them to do after watching the video.
If you are using videos for lead generation, using conversation forms to turn your viewers into leads is a good idea.
5. Making use of only one channel
Though YouTube is the most popular video sharing site, there are many others out there. However, many people don’t bother uploading their videos on these other sites, thus missing the opportunity of reaching a wider audience. Therefore, don’t just upload your video on YouTube.
Take advantage of other video sharing sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo.
But while video marketing channels should all be utilized in your promotional strategy, don’t forget that your own site is your priority. Social media channels come and go but your site is your own asset that will remain yours forever.
If you don’t have a website, set one up right now.
Take some time to come up with a cool brand name for your video project. Again. branding is very important and you need to find a name that is easy to remember.
There’s also a great variety of WordPress video themes to use on your site and showcase your videos.
6. Boring videos
Videos should not only be informative and educational, but should also be interesting. No one wants to watch a bland and boring video. If people don’t find your videos interesting enough, they will simply click away and go elsewhere.
Therefore, when creating your videos, think of something that will appeal to your target audience. Carry out some research to find out what other people are doing and what trends are popular currently.
7. Not having a specific audience
When it comes to video marketing, trying to target anyone and everyone is a big mistake. To be effective, you need to focus your campaigns on a specific target audience. Therefore, before creating any video, you need to carry out some research to identify your audience. What are their ages?
What do they love? What challenges do they deal with? This will give you an idea of what strategies would be effective for your target audience.
Text Optimizer is a cool and easy-to-use tool to help you understand your niche better:
If you optimize your videos for organic search visibility, it is a good idea to set up position monitoring to keep a close eye on your progress.
It is also a good idea to engage your team and customers into video creation process. Publish interviews, curate reviews, and let them submit video ideas!
Video marketing works in just about any niche, but it needs some planning. Good luck!
(Psst, Venngage has a new Video Editor you can try!)