Video is a fantastically effective tool in marketing but only if it’s done right. Advances in video editing technology available to everyone with a smartphone has lead to an explosion of videos in every sphere you can think of and not all of these are of professional quality by any means.

The fact is, when customers view a poorly put-together marketing video, they’re going to come away with a negative image of the brand or the company. With today’s customers more tech-savvy and eager to jump on any mistakes, and all too eager to post damaging feedback, you can’t afford to make any of these common video marketing mistakes.

1 The Hard Sell

Forget the days of pushy salesmen (and women) determined to sell you a product at all cost. Today’s customers make it clear that they are turned off by aggressive sales techniques. Instead, try to connect with them on a personal, friendly level but at the same time get to the point quickly. They want to see and hear your product in action to know how it will work for them and why they should buy it. Keywords: empathy, connection, directness.

2 Forgetting About SEO

It can be hard to match a video to search engine requirements but you need to do this in order to climb the rankings, reach your audience and grow revenue. This means incorporating closed captions and keywords into your video titles and descriptions. Include text in the description boxes but use words which are snappy, relevant to the product and which are easy for the customer to understand. To improve SEO even further use metadata to its best effect; this is text which describes the recording date, location, copyright information, tags and so on and which can also include short keywords inserted into the most important areas.  All this is essential if you want to rise through search engine rankings and make it easier for your customers to find you. Submitting a video sitemap to Google (a text file about your video contents) will ensure search engines will know that your video is alive and ready.

3 Limiting Your Reach

The two big video platform names which spring to mind are of course YouTube and Facebook but you need to cast your net wider than this and look at other places to reach your audience. Use everything that social media and email can offer and do your research to find out where your customers spend time online. Consider other platforms like Slideshare, Twitter and Linkedin. Outbrain or Taboola work with publishing partners to reach a much wider and more diverse audience to spread your brand.

4 Keep It Short!

Don’t assume your customers have the time or inclination to wade through reams of information. Too much information can be confusing as well as tedious. Your video should be simple but concise with a message which is instantly recognisable and easy to follow. The ideal marketing strategy should incorporate several videos. Keep them short, snappy and to the point and you can’t go wrong.