Attempting the Hard Sell
Making Videos Very Long
This rule of thumb doesn’t apply to every situation, but for most online videos, length should be kept down between 60 and 90 seconds. After all, 20% of people exit a video within 10 seconds if it does not promptly engage them. Adding too much time to this only increases the chances they will close your ad.
Centering Too Much on the Purchase
The absolute goal of video marketing is to bring in new business, but it is essential to not make this so obvious. People are not going to be enthusiastic about videos that equate to nothing more than several minutes of an advertisement. They want practical content.
Instead of making a long ad, try to insert the product into useful content. Explain an awesome recipe while showcasing the use of branded pottery. Take a lesson from Google Earth, who made an ad that merely showed how their service brought a family back together. In reality, find a way to advertise without directly advertising.
Upload Across Platforms
While YouTube might be the industry icon for online videos, it doesn’t hold a monopoly. You can upload to Dailymotion, Vimeo and even Facebook. Uploading to several platforms increases backlinks to the main site and adds to the likelihood a video will get seen. And consequently, this is the real goal, right?
Online video is certainly one of the most valuable content marketing tools out there. This only remains true, though, if you utilize the tool appropriately. Thank goodness, half of this battle is just staying away from mistakes like the aforementioned.
