The most common mistake in video marketing
Video marketing has become an essential part of marketing campaigns over the last few years. 15 years ago it was something ambitious for marketers to aspire for, but since has become essentially a tick box exercise for most marketing campaigns. Something that is expected as a deliverable; and hereby is where the mistake happens.
The most common mistake when using video in your marketing, is not really having a purpose for it. Quite often ticking the box for including a video, without truly considering its place and purpose in the wider campaign.
“We need a hero film”… typically a film that encapsulates it all, lists off the key messages and summarises the project. This lovely video will typically sit on the website landing page, the company YouTube channel, and of course the “could you just cut that down for our social media channels”. Although it’s great to have video, a little more consideration can go a long way.
Strategy is where video marketing comes into its own. A single video probably won’t bolster your campaign, although it will accompany it. Thinking more strategically, you should be considering how video(s) can be used across your campaign, or down your sales funnel, to attract, engage, and convert people into customers. A strategic video agency will guide and advise you on how best to utilise video as a marketing tool. This could still mean you need a ‘hero’ film, but it is also considering what accompanying video(s) can be produced to strengthen the messaging along each step of engagement. Also, how those films can be broken down and repurposed to maximise your investment and provide consistency and familiarity to your audience. It can go further than this; the design or visuals from a video can be used across the wider marketing collateral, from digital to print, to further reinforce the creative element of your campaign.
More often than not, video is the afterthought, it is considered after a creative approach has been decided upon. This might be reflective of the agency being used; for instance a traditional advertising agency wouldn’t have a video first approach to campaign creative, their traditional approach of creative ideology is focused around print and maybe even the Yellow Pages!
Whether producing a video inhouse, or using an external video supplier, just consider where in the campaign video will be first scene by your audience? If it’s at the top of the funnel, the messaging, the duration and the style should be focused on grabbing attention. Whilst video at the bottom of the funnel should be more focused on credibility and conversion. In terms of content, both have very different messaging, and neither is trying to achieve it all.
Also consider how the video can facilitate and advance people along the marketing journey. Encouraging a website visit, sign ups to newsletter, follows on social media. Video is the hook that gets attention and directs the viewer to what you want them to see, which is another reason why video shouldn’t cover everything; leave them wanting more!
Our advice is lean into the expertise of video agencies that you are approaching. Avoid asking them to map this strategy out for free as part of a proposal stage; either pay them for that initial service, or meet with all potential suppliers, in person, to have a chemistry meeting to discuss the project. Each video agency then has the opportunity to showcase that knowledge to you, which should help give you the confidence to choose the best video agency for your project, and tailor a video brief.
In summary, the most common mistake in video marketing is not truly having a purpose for a video. It is creating video for the sake of having a video. So if you are asking yourself why is my video marketing not working, the answer is great video is tailored to a purpose, with a specific goal in mind.