Written by: Carmel Murphy, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Marketing can be confusing, complicated and time-consuming. When it comes to choosing a strategy and implementing it consistently, you’re not the only one who might be feeling a tad overwhelmed.
So, if there’s just one thing to prioritise this year in your marketing, I believe it has to be video content.
Why?
Because whether it’s promotional, sales, or social media, video trumps all other formats when it comes to Visibility & Engagement, Searchability, and Return On Investment.
Visibility & Engagement – look at any marketing research, and you’ll find video is eclipsing all other formats. For instance, video ranks as consumers favourite type of social media content from brands and 93% of marketers have gotten a new client thanks to a marketing video (Animoto).
Searchability – keyword load video titles and descriptions, and search engines will love them!
Return On Investment – once uploaded to sharing sites, videos can keep driving traffic to your website/sales funnel for years and years. Very different to text/image posts that literally disappear in hours… minutes…
But! As fantastic as videos can be for improving engagement, leads, sales, and clients… there are a few things to watch out for. Here are the 3 worst video marketing mistakes to avoid this year (with some handy tips to help you)!
Mistake No.1 Not doing it
If you’re avoiding video marketing… stop it! The time has passed where you could get away with NOT producing video marketing content. These days video is being prioritised and favoured by social media algorithms. And consumers are consuming it like never before.
But as I see too often, many businesses hesitate to add video creation to their list of things ‘to-do’. The most common beliefs holding people back are creating video content is too complicated (new tech to learn and equipment to set up), too expensive to outsource, and it feels too scary to put their face to camera – and become the ‘face’ of the business!
Then, of course, is the curse of not knowing what to say once you’ve decided to start…
If you’re NOT creating video content for any of these reasons, you’re not alone. The good news is creating videos doesn’t have to be complicated and time-consuming; it doesn’t have to be expensive, and you definitely don’t have to put your face on camera if you don’t want to! In fact, there are specific online video makers that allow you to streamline your video creation down to minutes…
The quickest I’ve made (including all editing) is under 10mins.
Yes, that includes music, animation and branding!
Mistake No.2 Boring viewers
If someone has stopped to watch your video… congratulations, you’ve passed the biggest hurdle in marketing – grabbing attention! Now comes the second hurdle… maintaining that attention to communicate your message. And you don’t have long before they click off! The first 3 to 10 seconds of any video is crucial. So, whatever is the most important thing you have to say – make sure it’s at the beginning of your video.
Now, the most important thing is likely NOT what you think it is. It’s not who you are. It’s not what you’re selling. It’s not the price. And it’s definitely not the fact that you’re ‘excited’ to show them something!
The most important thing to put at the front of any marketing video is something that identifies the viewer is in the right place – and needs to stick around!
What can you lead with?
How about a big-juicy promise of what they will get from watching, or how about leading with the most significant benefit to them, or the problem you can help fix. The key to this is it must speak directly to THEM. So ask yourself: What do they need to hear/see within the first 3-10 seconds to know this video is for them?
Then… keep the rest of the video as concise as possible. Videos under 3 minutes is an excellent goalpost to aim for.
Oh – and definitely find a script template to follow – proven script templates save many headaches.
Mistake No.3 Only making ONE
This is where the perceived COST seems to hold people back from consistently producing video content. Often because a business has had a promotional video made for their website in the past… and after spending thousands of dollars with a videographer… they can’t afford to do it again, and again, and again!
The big myth in video marketing is it has to be super professional, perfectly curated, expertly edited before being available to the public. Fears of looking ‘unprofessional’ get in the way of leveraging the video boom online.
If the rise of Tiktok and Reels and Live video tell you anything, it’s that consumers LOVE real, raw, authentic video content. But this doesn’t mean you have to dance, make silly faces, or become someone you’re not. All it means is you don’t have to pay someone to create videos to ‘movie’ standard. You simply need to find the right type of video creation that best suits you and your business.
Whether it’s animated text, whiteboard explainers, voiceovers, screen sharing, or face-to-camera. It doesn’t matter – just ensure you create them consistently and know how to put them to work for you BEYOND sitting on your website’s home page!
Let’s go!
As you can see – video marketing doesn’t have to be a big, expensive, scary thing anymore. But it does need to become a key component in your marketing strategy to stay ahead of the curve.
Video marketing is a priority in my business. Are you ready to make it in yours too?
I invite you to download >>The Top 5 Videos To Use In Your Marketing Now To Attract MORE Clients Online<<<. Inside there is also a link to training where you’ll discover which online video maker I use to cut my video creation from hours to minutes… and my favourite promo video script too.
Carmel Murphy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Carmel Murphy is known for being an out-of-the-box thinker and an expert in human behavior, marketing, and business strategies. Carmel’s passion for people, curiosity, know-how, business acumen, and background have come together to develop unique programs around marketing, copywriting, and videos designed to create higher conversion and increase sales and profit in business. Carmel coordinates, hosts, and delivers membership programs, workshops, and events to teach business owners how to build and market a sustainable online business.
