In today’s digital landscape where online marketing is at its peak, many businesses turn to video marketing as a powerful tool for their businesses. Not only do videos engage their audience and build brand awareness, it can also help to drive customer conversions. However, while there are many benefits to marketing videos, a business can still struggle to achieve the desired results due to a few common mistakes. From failing to define a clear message to neglecting production quality, here are a few critical video marketing mistakes to avoid.
1. Lack of a Clear Message
One of the most common mistakes in video marketing is failing to define a clear message. Your video should have a specific purpose and convey a distinct message to your audience. Without a clear message, viewers may become confused or disengaged, and you ultimately will lose the effectiveness of your video. Before creating any video content, take the time to identify your target audience and determine what key message you want to communicate. Keep your message concise, relevant, and aligned with your overall marketing goals.
Here’s a video that has a good, clear message:
2. Treating Videos as Sales Pitches
Many businesses make the mistake of using videos solely as sales pitches, bombarding viewers with promotional content instead of providing value. While it’s essential to promote your products or services, overly promotional videos can turn off viewers. Instead, focus on creating content that educates, entertains, or inspires your audience. Share valuable insights, tell compelling stories, or showcase how your products or services can solve a problem for your customers. By providing genuine value, you’ll establish trust with your audience and increase engagement with your videos.
A sample video that shares a compelling story of the founders and why they created their product:
3. Captivating Audience
These days, the audiences tend to have an even shorter attention span and your videos have to peak their interest within the first few seconds in order to engage them to stay and watch the video to the end. Are your videos captivating and attention grabbing in the first few seconds? If your answer is “No” or “Maybe” then it would be time to reevaluate how to engage your audience quicker in your videos.
A quick, attention grabbing video sample:
4. Long and Boring Videos
Audiences are quick to catch on to messages and they do not need a 5-minute video if a 1 minute video can convey everything in a shorter period of time. Opt for the short, sweet, attention grabbing and to the point video. The audience has less patience to sit through a long video and after a while when boredom starts to set in, you would have lost a potential customer instead of gaining one.
A short 1-min video that conveys an effective campaign:
5. Unclear Call to Action
A clear call to action (CTA) is essential for guiding viewers to take the desired next step after watching your video. Whether it’s visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase, your CTA should be straightforward and compelling. Use actionable language and provide clear instructions on how viewers can engage further with your brand. Place your CTA strategically within your video and reinforce it with on-screen graphics and text to maximise its effectiveness.
Video sample with a call to action to the public:
6. Ignoring SEO Optimisation
While creating engaging video content is essential, it’s equally important to optimise your videos for search engines to maximise visibility and reach. Many businesses overlook the importance of SEO optimisation for their video content, resulting in missed opportunities for organic traffic and discovery. To improve the searchability of your videos, conduct keyword research to identify relevant terms and phrases related to your content. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve your chances of ranking higher in search results. Additionally, consider hosting your videos on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, which offer unbeatable SEO features and can help drive organic traffic to your website.
7. Providing Too Much Information
Usually when we use marketing videos the tendency would be to stuff as much information as possible into the video because let’s face it; we want people to know absolutely everything there is to know about us, our services or our products. But squeezing too much information can lead to an information overload for your audience. Instead, only include the most essential information and make sure you lead your audiences through it clearly. Always keep in mind that if they want to know more information that they can always contact you or check out your website.
A video sample that shows simple website navigation information:
8. Not Optimizing Your Video for Mobile Devices
An increasing number of consumers and clients are accessing video content on their handphone devices while they are on the go. Neglecting to optimise your videos for handphone viewing can alienate a significant portion of your audience and limit the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Ensure that your videos are formatted and optimised for handphone devices with responsive designs that adapt to different screen sizes and resolutions. Pay attention to factors such as video resolution, aspect ratio, and file size to provide a seamless viewing experience across all devices. Remember, it might even come down to how the video is shot, choosing to shoot it vertically over the usual horizontal format. By prioritising mobile optimisation, you’ll reach a broader audience and enhance the accessibility of your video content.
9. Poor Production Quality
In the age of high-definition (HD) video content, poor production quality can quickly detract from the overall impact of your marketing videos. Low-quality visuals, shaky camera work, and unclear audio can make your videos appear unprofessional and amateurish. Invest in proper equipment, such as high-quality cameras, microphones, and lighting, to ensure your videos are visually appealing and polished. Additionally, pay attention to factors such as framing, composition, and editing to create a professional-looking final product. Remember, first impressions matter, and high production quality can significantly enhance the credibility and effectiveness of your video content. Hiring a professional who can make your videos look the part is a worthwhile investment.
If you would like to know how our Stories video production team can help you develop a more effective marketing video, reach out to us today.
