There are endless opportunities to succeed when it comes to your video marketing strategy, so don’t let these common mistakes trip you up. Here are some ideas to chew on before you embark on your next video campaign.
1. Not incorporating any personality
Professionalism is key, but infusing and injecting personality into your video will help separate you from your competition. Don’t spend all your time and resources into a video that’s bland, filled with corporate jargon, and forgettable. Video should humanize your brand. This sizzle highlights how Gas South is an integral part of the restaurant industry in a lively, punchy and authentic way.
2. Doing video just to “do video”
Video can be an investment, and thus it warrants some careful consideration. While it’s not rocket science, you still need a clear objective, target audience, and message in mind before embarking on any video campaign. “A common mistake for collaborative creative work is jumping in and starting because ‘you need something’ before you know the what, and the why. You’re stabbing in the dark, and sometimes that’s a very, very expensive stab,” says our Art Director Abby. Your brand deserves the extra care and thought!
3. Choosing the wrong spokesperson for your video
Think thoroughly about who you feature in your video. You don’t want a roster of brand ambassadors that are only from your marketing team or VP team. Think about also featuring your everyday worker–the warehouse employee, the engineers, the franchise owners–who form the heart and soul of your brand. Be sure to feature spokespeople that reflect the diversity of your company as well. This feature Bread n Butter created for DIRECTV is a good example of how it’s “DIRECTV For Business” package helps small businesses like Fuzzy’s Taco Shop thrive by showing customized local content and with support for its franchise partners.
4. Not optimizing for mobile
Like it or not, we live in a mobile world. How your video appears on your target audience’s smartphones and tablet should be an extremely high consideration. Consider formatting videos in a 9×16 aspect ratio and using :15 second cutdowns so that your video stands a chance on the small screen. Ensure that your videos are responsive, load quickly, and provide an excellent viewing experience across all screen sizes to reach and resonate with your audience wherever they are. For example, American Express effectively and simply shows off its dazzling new centurion lounge and meets its audience where they like to be most–on mobile.
5. Overthinking the process
While you don’t want to “underthink” your video project, on the flip side, you don’t want to hold up your project with delay after delay or missed opportunities. Video projects with multiple layers of approval and feedback are not going to only delay your end product, but run the risk of the end product being devoid of creativity and personality. “Always try to be authentic… that’s what people connect to. Sometimes certain things that are too scripted don’t come off feeling real,” says our Marketing VP and cofounder, Jon Teplow. Keep it simple, and keep your video marketing efforts moving forward!
6. Forgetting about your call to action
Not every video calls for one, but more often than not, it’s a good to have a strong call-to- action in mind to remind your viewers to not just watch, but try your product or service. Slack uses a strikingly simple video that outlines how Slack can solve for a shared headache amongst corporate workers: pointless meetings. “Maybe it’s time to try Slack” is a really fun and cheeky call-to-action that doesn’t scream at you, but effectively suggests in a way that feels authentic and natural.
