The 4 biggest video marketing mistakes and how to avoid them

In this guest blog post Connor Chambers from Chalkboard Creative shares his top tips on how to avoid the common pitfalls of video marketing.

Video is one of the most impactful marketing techniques but if you get it wrong, it can look unprofessional and there’s a chance you’ve wasted a lot of time and money.

But what are the most common mistakes and how do you avoid them?

Not having a clear objective

It’s the age old classic of ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and as tempting as it is to simply pick up a camera and shoot any old thing, planning and having a clear goal is super important. Without a clear objective you the end product will leave audiences confused and unsure of what to do next.

Before you start creating content ask yourself the following questions:

  • What do I want to achieve?
  • Who is my target audience?
  • What do I want their response to be?

Think carefully about what you want the outcome to be, find one overarching message and start from there. What type of video will best reflect your message and get the greatest outcome? This is when working with a professional filmmaker works best, their knowledge of trends and your knowledge of your company will go hand in hand.

Losing the message and point of the video

The most engaging and clear content are those with a single or only few messages. The formula is simple – filling your video with messages = confusing & unclear product.

Every video should have a specific goal and this should be decided on with your team and your supplier in the pre-production process. This will make your content more direct and digestible whilst giving your following the exact message you want.

Having fewer messages also makes your video shorter which is always a bonus, especially with the competition you face online. Give the people what they want and be direct.

You’ve got your video – it’s time to share

One of the biggest mistakes we see is companies who spend money on video production, but then throw away any chance of ROI by forgetting to implement a strategy for sharing.

In your strategy decide on the platforms that you want to post the videos, all of them right? Not quite. Find where your target audience is and how that platform operates with video. In the editing process create a version that suits that platform, or (in most cases) create multiple edits for different platforms to maximise your impact.

The main thing you need to add into your strategy is how you plan to hit your target audience with your content. Email campaigns? Social media? The ways of reaching are endless but only a few will fit your target audience. Research and implement or ask your video provider for help on this.

 

You’ve posted the video – now what?

You did it! You completed your video project and it has been uploaded. You have implemented your strategy so it must be hitting your target audience with astronomical results, right?. One very common mistake is not monitoring the impact that your new video is having. Without monitoring the metrics there is no way of knowing how well your strategy has worked. This not only shows where you have succeeded but also how you can improve your video marketing in the future.

Some metrics to look at should include:

  • Views
  • Engagement
  • Shares
  • Click through rate
  • Conversion rate

 

Not everything needs be award winning

One thing that often stops people from using video in their business is that they lack the budget to hire professional companies to create it for them. Prices in video production range drastically so find someone who fits your budget or… dare I say it, do it yourself.

This isn’t as scary as it sounds and you’d be surprised how much *good* video content is created by people who didn’t know how to create videos before. Following some simple tips and learning some very basic editing skills can provide you with a powerful and free marketing tool.

 

Those five mistakes can easily be avoided with a detailed pre-production process and by creating a plan of how the content will be produced, it’s distribution and its results. Think about these points when planning your new video marketing strategy whether or not you are working with a professional video production company.

You’re now equipped with some knowledge to go out into the world of video but if all of this sounds pretty daunting, get in touch and we can help with any stage of the process, whether it be strategy or production. Take a look at some of the different kinds of video for businesses on our website at www.chalkboardcreative.co.uk.

 

Chalkboard Creative Ltd are a video and photography marketing company that work with all different types of brands and businesses. We provide you with expert knowledge and experience, market your business to maximum potential and most importantly, help you stand out from the crowd. With cinematography, creativity and passion, we create powerful marketing material to transform your businesses presence.