6 Video Marketing Mistakes That Cost You Customers
Are you using video marketing to grow your small business online? Don’t fall for these newbie mistakes!
MISTAKE #1: FORGETTING TO MAKE GOALS
Always create a video with a goal in mind — preferably a business goal. Do you want to find new leads? Educate leads about your product? Establish yourself as an expert? …
When you create without a goal, you run the risk of creating videos that do not support your business objectives. (That goes for all your other types of content, including your website and blog!) That means low or no ROI. And Forbes agrees:
“When you fail to make a plan, you plan to fail.” — Forbes
How to avoid it:
- Write down a list of your business goals. Every time you plan a video, make sure it helps you achieve a goal on that list.
MISTAKE #2: IGNORING THE TARGET VIEWER
Video also have to be created for someone — your target viewer. No, this cannot be everyone. When you try to speak to everyone, you don’t speak to anyone well. Each video should be targeted at a specific customer segment. Your target viewer guides what content is included, where the video is distributed, and what CTA is used.
How to avoid it:
- Create a customer persona for every one of your customer groups. Then make sure every video you create fits nicely with 1 of those personas.
MISTAKE #3: GIVING UP AFTER 1 VIDEO
No, one video is not enough to have serious business impact. Results come from consistent effort. So if your first video flopped, stay calm and keep video marketing. Then check out this post to find out how many videos you need.
How to avoid it:
- Track your videos’ engagement overtime. If you’re seeing a positive trend in engagement (no matter how small at first), keep going. If you’re not seeing any improvement after while, time to dig into why the content isn’t working.
MISTAKE #4: CREATING OFF-NICHE VIDEOS
It’s so tempting to put up videos of your kids and cats or something not-at-all related to your business. Yes, you can upload those videos. But not to your business’s branded channels — not to your YouTube channel, your company’s Facebook page or any other “business” channel. Keep your brand consistent, and share your personal videos on your personal accounts.
How to avoid it:
- Make separate video / social media channels for your business, and only upload business-related content there!
MISTAKE #5: PILING ON TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Just like with the target viewer, your video should have ONE clear message. Piling on too much information makes even shorter videos seem boring and long, according to Sitepoint. You only have about 10–30 seconds to capture the viewer’s interest, so make those first seconds count.
How to avoid it:
- Stick to one clear and direct message per video, and only include the most important information.
MISTAKE #6: FORGETTING TO MARKET YOUR MARKETING
Having helpful, educational and quality videos is great! But no one will know about them, unless you spread the word. So yes, you have to market your marketing. Share videos on social media, to your email list, on StumbleUpon, or create a video ad. But don’t upload a video and expect people to discover it without some help.
How to avoid it:
- Create a video promotion plan for your videos.
WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST VIDEO MARKETING MISTAKE?
We want to hear from you! Share your biggest video marketing mistake the comment box below.
