The Biggest Mistake Companies Make When Trying To Use Video Marketing

In the past few years, I’ve helped companies develop their video marketing strategies.

One of the biggest mistakes these companies make is not having any videos on their home page. Most companies don’t know how hard it is to get customers to come to their website, let alone watch a video. 

A surprising number of them also run into difficulty because they’re focused on putting ads everywhere instead of making useful content. 

The best way to attract customers with your video and turn them into loyal fans is by giving them something they want and need: meaningful information that will help solve a problem or answer a question they have. If you can do this in less than three minutes, all the better!

Takeaways
Failing to Plan Properly for Video Marketing Campaigns
Neglecting the Importance of Storytelling
Overlooking the Need for Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)
Ignoring Mobile-Friendly Video Optimization
Neglecting to Monitor and Analyze Performance Metrics
Not Balancing Self-Promotion with Valuable Content
Underestimating the Impact of High-Quality Production
Not Tailoring Videos to the Target Audience
Overcomplicating Videos Instead of Keeping Them Concise
Neglecting to Build a Consistent Brand Identity in Videos

There Are No Videos On The Home Page

You might be thinking, “What does the home page of my website have to do with video marketing?” I’m glad you asked.

The home page is the most important page on your website for a couple of reasons: it is the first thing that people see when they visit your site and it’s where they look for information about what you do, how you can help them, and why they should hire/buy from/do business with you. 

And as we all know by now, video gives everything an extra boost in terms of grabbing attention which means if there are no videos on your home page.

Then visitors probably won’t stick around long enough to read anything else or learn more about what makes you different than your competitors.

Now let’s talk about call-to-action buttons. While using a button like this can work well if used correctly (which is not always easy), having one at the top of your homepage means that when users arrive at this particular spot in their browsing journey (and not below somewhere else).

There isn’t any reason for them not to go ahead and click through immediately instead! So again…why would anyone want this?

Incorporating videos into your marketing strategy is a powerful way to engage your audience and convey your message. Learn more about why video marketing is an effective way to build a community and create lasting connections.

The Website Is Slow To Load

According to a survey by Akamai, the average webpage takes 6 seconds to load in the United States and 7 seconds in Europe. This may not seem like a lot of time, but if you multiply that by the number of people visiting your site every day, it can easily add up. 

For example: if 100 people visit your website every day and it takes an extra 2 seconds for each person’s page to load (because of their connection speed or other factors), that’s over 200 hours wasted per year just waiting for pages!

The solution? Make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices (where most online traffic comes from these days) and make sure you have fast servers so people don’t have to wait unnecessarily long for the content. 

If you don’t already know how fast your website loads for different devices and locations around the world, there are many tools available online that will allow you to test this information out with little effort on your part just Google “website speed test” along with whatever platform you use (e.g., WordPress).

The Videos Don’t Play On Mobile Devices

Video marketing should be a big part of your campaign. But if you’re making video mistakes, then all your efforts are going to waste. Here are some common video marketing mistakes that you can avoid:

Make sure the videos play on mobile devices. If the videos don’t play on mobile devices, then nobody is going to watch them! 

Make sure that your videos are optimized for mobile so people will be able to view them wherever they go – even if they can’t get online at the moment (like when they’re walking down the street). 

Also, make sure that whatever player you’re using allows users to save or replay clips as well as share them with others via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Don’t let your viewers get bored with long videos! Your audience will tune out after watching something too long, but keep it short enough so they won’t get bored either! 

The sweet spot is somewhere between 2-3 minutes – any longer than this and viewers will start looking elsewhere… but if it’s too short then there’s no time for engagement which means no chance of conversion rate optimization either!

Crafting stunning marketing videos requires careful planning and creativity. Discover 10 ways to make stunning B2C marketing videos that captivate your viewers and drive your brand message home.

The Videos Lack Calls To Action

The biggest mistake that companies make when trying to use video marketing is not giving the viewer a CTA, or call to action. 

The purpose of any video is to get your audience to take some sort of action, and if you don’t state what that action is in your video and on the website where it’s hosted, then there’s no point in making it.

To ensure that people are taking the correct actions after watching your videos (and thus making sure they aren’t wasting time), include multiple CTAs throughout:

• Include a CTA at the end of every video on YouTube and other platforms where viewers can subscribe if they enjoyed it.
• Include links in email signatures so people can find more information about how they can contact you if interested.

Your CTA Is Somewhere Else

When you’re watching a video, it’s all too easy to get distracted by what’s happening on screen and forget about the purpose of why you’re there in the first place. 

If you’re trying to drive viewers towards an action like buying or subscribing, make sure your call-to-action (CTA) is visible throughout the video not just at its end or in between cuts that may be too short for people’s attention spans. 

You should also consider adding CTAs in other places: in the description text, title text, thumbnails, and URLs as well as at each part breakpoint during playback if possible!

There Are Too Many CTAs

“Call-to-action” (CTA) is a term used to describe the action you want your customer to take after viewing the video. It’s an important component of any online marketing campaign and should always be included in your videos.

The most common mistake companies make when using CTAs is including too many of them. You may be thinking, “But my CTA is clear! I just told viewers what to do next!” 

While this can sometimes work, it’s not ideal for engagement or conversions which means you need to rethink how many CTAs you include in each video.

The goal of having a CTA at all times should be to drive traffic back to your website and landing page with a clear call for action, in other words, don’t use vague phrases such as “visit our website” or “learn more about us.” 

Instead, tell viewers exactly what they can expect from visiting the landing page (e.g., free resources).

Utilizing Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into the performance of your marketing campaigns. Explore how to leverage data in a B2C marketing capacity to refine your strategies and enhance your video marketing efforts.

There’s No Effort To Drive Traffic

One of the most common mistakes companies makes when they first start using video marketing is not putting enough effort into driving traffic to their videos.

They simply upload a video to Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube and then cross their fingers that people will see it and engage with it. But this rarely works because you need to have a plan for driving traffic to your video for it to work effectively.

Think about where your audience hangs out online, and how you can reach them there (e.g., if they’re all on Twitter, then focus on creating compelling tweets). 

Then think about how you get them interested in watching your videos (e.g., if they mostly receive updates from email newsletters or direct messages).

You’re Trying To Push A Feature, Not Solve A Problem

The biggest mistake that companies make when trying to use video marketing is focusing on the product and not the customer.

Your target audience is not your product. The people who buy your products are not your customers they’re just potential customers, and there’s a big difference between the two! 

People don’t buy things because they love them or want them; they buy things because they have a problem or pain that needs fixing, and your product helps solve that problem better than any other solution on the market today.

People want solutions, not features! Focus on how well you can solve their problems by using your product or service before you focus on what makes it unique or how amazing it is compared to other products out there…

You’re Trying Having No Strategy

Without a strategy, you’re throwing your money away. You need to know your goals before you start and how you will achieve them. 

You also need to know your audience and how they will react to the videos that you create. This is called having an “audience persona” or what I like to call “knowing where your target audience lives.”

If the goal is not clear enough or if there are no results at all, then it’s time for some serious soul-searching and rethinking why this video marketing campaign was even initiated in the first place!

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The Video Doesn’t Cover Their Question Or Address An Issue They Have

The biggest mistake companies make when trying to use video marketing is that they don’t address the question or issue at all.

They figure that if something is important enough, people will watch your video and take action. But this isn’t how it works! If you’re going to spend time creating content, you need to make sure it covers their question or addresses an issue they have.

Your Video Is Hard To Find Or Takes Too Long To Get A Point Across

If you want people to watch your video, you need to make it easy for them. You need to make it easy for them to find the video and then you need to make it easy for them once they’re watching.

First of all, when you first enter a search term or keyword into Google, the results that appear on the top half of their page are based on how relevant the content is with those keywords. So if someone types in “how do I get rid of acne?” 

And your answer doesn’t show up anywhere in there – chances are very good that person will never see it!

The next thing is: once they go through all those pages and finally find your video (if they even find it at all), chances are pretty slim that they will be able to sit through all 10 minutes of it before clicking away because nothing was said in there that directly addressed their question.

So here’s my advice: keep it short!

Not Using Multiple Channels

You can’t just use one channel, because you won’t reach everyone. You need to make sure that your content is available on every platform on which your target audience spends time. So if they like Twitter, then make sure you have a Twitter account and that you post consistently there. 

If they prefer Instagram stories or direct messaging on Facebook Messenger, then create those accounts and use them regularly.

Don’t stop at just posting your videos on YouTube either – take advantage of other video-sharing platforms as well (like Vimeo or Dailymotion), as well as streaming sites like Twitch and Periscope. 

And if you have a particularly large audience on any one platform (like YouTube), consider creating an app where people can watch all of your videos from within the app itself – this will increase engagement even more!

Not Using YouTube

Ideally, your video marketing strategy should include YouTube. 

You might think that this is a no-brainer and you’re already using YouTube, but the truth is that many businesses are missing out on the opportunity to reach their target market on one of the most visited websites in the world.

You see, while Facebook may be a social network and Twitter may be more focused on newsfeeds and sharing content from other sources, there hasn’t been anything else quite like YouTube since its launch in 2005. 

And it’s not just about how many people use it (just shy of two billion monthly active users), but how much time they spend there as well: over 1 billion hours per day! 

That kind of engagement means you have an opportunity for your videos to get seen by millions if not billions of people every single day.

Not Leveraging The Power Of Social Media

The first mistake that companies make when trying to use video marketing is not leveraging the power of social media.

Social media is one of the most effective ways to spread your message, but you have to be committed to using a variety of platforms and tools. 

Some people focus on just Facebook or Twitter, but those are just two out of hundreds (maybe even thousands) of different platforms, each with its unique audience.

Instead, try using some other social media sites like Google+ or Instagram; there’s a good chance that they’re more relevant for your audience than what you currently have set up. 

If possible, consider hiring someone who can help manage multiple accounts at once using tools such as Hootsuite or Buffer so that you don’t spend all day posting content across multiple networks yourself!

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Inability To Measure ROI

Before you can begin to evaluate the ROI of your video marketing campaign, you need to know how it’s being measured. There are a few ways to go about this:

Cost-per-view (CPV): You’ll know your CPV when you see it, but if you want a little help, we’ve got that here.

Cost-per-click (CPC): This is cost divided by clicks on a specific ad or piece of content. 

The higher the CPC is for an ad or piece of content, the more expensive it will be for you and your company but also the better chance you have at getting views and engagement from potential customers interested in what they see when they click through!

Weak Branding

Your brand is the first thing that people see, hear, and feel when they interact with your company. It’s their first impression of you and has a huge impact on whether or not they decide to engage further.

Branding should be an important part of every marketing campaign because it sets the tone for what kind of message you are trying to convey to your audience. 

The more consistent your branding is across all mediums (for example website design, and social media posts), the better chance there will be that people recognize who you are and what products/services you offer.

Lack Of Customer-Centric Approach

This is the mistake that I see most often when companies try to use video marketing. In other words, it’s about understanding your target audience. 

It’s about understanding the problem your target audience is trying to solve. It’s about understanding their pain points and what makes them tick (and not tick).

To help you get a better sense of these things, here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself:

• What are our customers’ biggest pain points?
• What do they want in their lives? What do they wish could change but can’t right now? How can we help them achieve this goal through our product or service?

Not Telling A Story

You’ve probably heard the term “storytelling” used a lot recently, but what does that mean?

A story is a piece of fiction or non-fiction that unfolds over time in a way that grips the listener or reader. A story has characters and a plot, but those aren’t exactly what makes it a story. 

A good story is defined by how it makes you feel when you listen to or read it – whether that’s excitement or sadness or even boredom (in which case you probably need to find another book).

Whether you’re writing for your business blog, creating videos for YouTube and Facebook, or making podcasts for iTunes – telling your audience stories makes them more likely to trust and remember your brand.

So why do we tell stories? One reason is that people love being entertained by other people’s experiences! 

People also respond positively when they feel like they’re being spoken directly to instead of from above with some generic sales pitch about why YOU need THEIR product/service.

Unnecessary Length

It’s a common misconception that longer videos are better. While this may be true in some cases, it’s not always the case. Shorter videos are more engaging than longer ones and can increase your conversion rates. 

Consuming content on mobile devices is now the norm, so if you’re targeting mobile users keep your video short and sweet to ensure they don’t immediately bounce off of your page!

Poor Production Quality

Poor production quality can make your video hard to watch, unappealing, and even unprofessional.

If the video is blurry or grainy, it’s going to be hard for viewers to understand what’s being said and/or see what you’re talking about.

Bad audio can make your video feel unprofessional and of low quality. Your audience won’t want to watch if they have trouble hearing you or the music in the background drowns out any dialogue that’s important for understanding what you’re saying.

Poor lighting is another major problem people run into when producing videos on a budget or without proper equipment and this issue doesn’t just affect the visual experience of watching something; 

Bad lighting can also cause headaches due to eyestrain if there are harsh contrasts between light levels in different areas of a shot (such as when someone has their face lit up while everything else around them is pitch black).

Conclusion

So, if you can avoid these mistakes as you start to implement videos into your marketing plan, you’ll be on the right track. Even more importantly, don’t let them scare you away from taking the plunge and trying videos out for yourself. 

We have a lot of experience with these issues and we know that with some careful planning, great storytelling, and a little bit of hard work, your videos will be bringing in customers in no time! So don’t waste any more time: start making those videos today.

Further Reading

Common Mistakes Companies Make in Video Marketing Campaigns Short Description: Explore the most common mistakes that companies tend to make during their video marketing campaigns and discover how to avoid them.

10 Common Video Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Short Description: Dive into a list of ten frequent video marketing mistakes that businesses should steer clear of to ensure the success of their campaigns.

Avoid These 10 Biggest Video Marketing Mistakes Short Description: Learn about the ten significant video marketing mistakes that can hinder your efforts and gain insights on how to prevent them.

And here’s the “FAQs” section with semantic-based questions and answers:

FAQs

What are some common mistakes in video marketing campaigns?

Video marketing campaigns can encounter various challenges. Some common mistakes include poor storytelling, lack of clear CTAs, neglecting mobile optimization, excessive self-promotion, and ignoring analytics.

How can I avoid making video marketing mistakes?

To avoid video marketing mistakes, focus on creating compelling narratives, incorporating clear and engaging CTAs, optimizing videos for mobile viewers, balancing promotion with valuable content, and regularly analyzing performance metrics.

What role does storytelling play in video marketing success?

Storytelling is crucial in video marketing as it captures the audience’s attention, builds an emotional connection, and makes your message memorable. Crafting narratives that resonate with your target audience can significantly enhance your video marketing efforts.

Why is it important to analyze video marketing campaign performance?

Analyzing video marketing campaign performance helps you understand what’s working and what’s not. It enables you to refine your strategies, optimize content, and make informed decisions to improve engagement, conversions, and overall success.

How can I create effective CTAs in video marketing?

Effective CTAs in video marketing should be clear, actionable, and relevant to the video’s content. They should guide viewers toward the desired action, whether it’s visiting a website, subscribing, or making a purchase, and should be strategically placed within the video.