At this point, you’ve probably heard about a million and one ways to make video marketing work for your brand. You’ve read the blogs. You’ve downloaded the guides. Heck, you’ve even bought the equipment. You’re armed with video marketing best practices and you’re ready to go, right?
Maybe.
But have you considered potential mistakes? In the frenzy of learning all the tips and tricks of what you should do, it’s possible that you didn’t identify the things you shouldn’t do. And this is a vital step in creating an impactful and successful video marketing campaign.
If video marketing mistakes aren’t something you’ve considered yet, then look no further. We’ve outlined 9 video marketing mistakes to avoid so that you can bring your A-game and create a killer video campaign.
Mistake #1: Not creating a strategy.
First and foremost, you need a video marketing strategy. A documented video marketing strategy keeps your content focused on your goals, keeps your messaging consistent, and allows you to identify what is and is not working. Just like any other aspect of marketing, your strategy should help you achieve your end-goal. So be sure to create videos that support your overall marketing strategy, and use them wisely!
Mistake #2: Not nailing down your message.
Focus on a single message in your video. Throwing out every pitch you have isn’t going to do you any favors. Stick to one message, one theme, one idea. This helps you create a more defined strategy for reaching your target audience.
Mistake #3: Not including a call-to-action.
The entire point of marketing is to generate demand. We know this. You know this. So if you’re creating videos that don’t include some kind of CTA, you are creating content that is essentially useless. Whether you want to drive viewers to a landing page, a social media account, an appointment link, or a demo form, you should include it as a verbal CTA in your video.
Mistake #4: Making videos for video’s sake.
Too much is too much. Creating videos just for the sake of creating videos won’t serve you better results. Focus on quality over quantity, and repurpose your videos throughout your entire marketing strategy. Content-rich and valuable videos can be pushed out via email, social media, or text message, so use all of these mediums to your advantage. Create a consistent video-creation calendar and focus on making those videos the best they can be.
Mistake #5: Making your video too long.
Let’s be honest: no one wants to hear you drone on about your product or service for minutes on end. Harsh, but true.
Recognize that you only have a matter of seconds to capture and retain your audience’s attention, and make your videos the appropriate length for the medium by which you distribute it.
Mistake #6: Not being consistent.
Like anything else in marketing, consistency is key. You gotta play the long game.
You don’t see results or reach your goals by launching isolated campaigns or creating one-off videos. You need a defined, consistent, and attainable video marketing strategy in order to see results. Keep at it. It will pay off in the long run.
Mistake #7: Not starting off with your selling points.
The likelihood of people making it to the end of your video decreases with every second the video is played. So if you put your top selling points at the end (or even in the middle) of your video, it’s possible people won’t even hear them. If you want your selling points to stand out, put them at the beginning of your video after a short introduction sentence.
Mistake #8: Not creating audience-specific content.
Sure, general overviews have their place. But if you have a product or service that benefits more than one target audience, you should create videos specifically for each vertical. Your audiences likely have different use cases or pain points, so be sure to address their specific needs in your video marketing campaigns.
Mistake #9: Winging it.
Before you whip out that camera and hit record, make a plan for your video. Not having a plan or outline for your video is detrimental to its success. We’re not saying you need to follow a script word for word (though we do recommend scripts if you have strict compliance standards), it is helpful to outline your talking points to keep you on track. The more succinct and concise your video message is, the more likely it is that viewers will watch it all the way through.
Are you making any of these crucial video marketing mistakes? We would love to show you how vidREACH can help you hone your strategy and start crushing your marketing goals with video.