The oldest existing video is the Roundhay Garden Scene. It is a two-second clip of people dancing or walking in a circle. Now videos go viral with a few million views within 3-7 days. But how did video marketing become what it is today? In 1941, a watch company called Bulova ran their first commercial on a New York TV station. In 2006, Google finally realized the endless possibilities of videos in search and marketing. Today studies have found that 64% of consumers purchase a product after watching branded social videos.
Further, 93% of marketers in 2021 who use video say that it is a crucial part of their strategy. The most common ones are social media videos, presentation videos, sales videos, video ads, and explainer videos. But certain common mistakes will not help achieve your goals. So, take a look at which ones to avoid for high-end audience engagement.
1. Long-Form Video on Social Media
Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are meant for short videos. They capture the viewer’s attention and come with a good retention rate. Long-form content comes with a beginning, middle, and end, and has breaks (mid-roll) as well. These are usually 10 minutes or longer. The ideal video length on social platforms is two minutes. Further, plan your video content types and determine the type that works best for your brand, like educational tutorials on Monday mornings or inspirational lessons on Wednesday afternoons. Whatever you do, try to keep it short and to the point.
2. Too Sales-Oriented
Rapidly declining social interaction, trials not converting, and increased unsubscribes are indications that you could be overselling your customers. So, try to mellow down the aggressive approach. Address the solutions and aim to build relationships instead of being too salesy. A mix of education, entertainment, and information is a great combination to aim for in your videos. It might encourage viewers to inquire about your products.
3. Focusing Solely on Products
Your video must target a specific audience instead of simply selling products. Research their buyer persona, pain points, needs, and the inquiries that come in. It is crucial to design videos according to particular demographics. For example, millennials like visual content over text-only content. Boomers, on the other hand, do not prefer terms like ‘old’ or ‘elderly’. Keep these in mind while crafting a clip to keep your audience from disengaging.
4. Missing the CTA
Calls-to-action helps your audience make the first move. It is a powerful lead generation tool as well. So, it is a good idea to add CTAs like ‘Join Us Today’ or ‘Subscribe Now’ to your videos. Make it low risk, use persuasive writing skills, create a sense of urgency, and make it sound authoritative. It must stand out to grab attention. Choose the right words and phrases to nudge your viewers. This can influence them to take the final leap and make the decision to buy from you.
5. Not Promoting Your Videos Enough
Create useful thumbnails. Include the ‘Share’ feature. Use the right kind of social media for a niche audience. Make it SEO friendly with appropriate meta-descriptions and tags. These are a few of the most effective ways to reach out to potential customers.
Putting these tips into action when creating your video marketing content will keep you from getting lost in the flood of competitors. If you have the budget for it, you might consider working with a premier marketing agency to get the desired results.
By Seanna Iraci
