Seven Deadly Sins of Video

Seven Deadly Sins of Video

Posted 02/25/10

While online video becomes the medium of choice for many marketers, it is important to identify what makes a video effective. We have seen so many atrocious videos that fail to reach company objectives. For this reason, we created our seven deadly sins of online video that your business should avoid. Let us know what you think. What other critical mistakes you do think beginners need to avoid?

Whatever you do, don’t ...

1) Peak Too Soon

It’s a marathon not a sprint. Work up to success. Develop your skills. Communicate these goals internally, even externally to your customers and seek feedback.

Don’t just make one video - plan a series. Six short videos are better than one long one. There are many reasons why this is the case. One of them being, consumers need different kinds of information from a company at different stages of the buying cycle. Some may have just heard about you and want to see what you do, while others are evaluating different companies product and service offerings.

Keep your videos short. This way, viewers can sample your video content and easily find the clips that they are interested in watching. It’s more effective and you won’t get lost, and neither will your best work.

2) Feed the Jargon Monster

Your company might have a lot of things to say to an audience and it may be tempting to tell them your life story.  Keep in mind that viewers normally tune out after 90 seconds. With linear video, you have to watch the video until it reaches the spot that you were waiting for. With 1:1 video, there are a series of clips that are accessible with buttons inside the video, which puts the viewer in control of their path by selecting clips that interest them.

Don’t be too concise either. You need to know the key information your audience seeks and be able to provide enough for them to understand what your company can do for them.

3) Forget the Bandwidth

With greater access to broadband, more internet users are watching video and in HD. Although internet connection speeds are increasing, it’s important to choose a reliable online video hosting service.

You could be losing many potential viewers if your video continually buffers, which can ruin the viewer experience. TubeMogul conducted a recent study and found that more than 81 percent of viewers exit a video if it buffers more than once.

4) Preach

Online marketing isn’t about having a mass media message. It’s about speaking the language of your buyer’s personas and engaging in conversation. Know your audience and tell them what they need to hear.

Also clearly explain what you do and don’t make your video sound like an elevator pitch.  If you sound confident and convey a clear message, viewers will be more likely to connect with your company on a more personal level.

5) Work Alone

Set your benchmarks (decide who’s doing it well - in your space or not). Talk to them. Ask them for advice. Find out what they used (tools/companies/services), what they spent and what it did for them. Tell them what a great job they have done and they love to talk to you.

Don’t make it a one man show - show multiple faces from your company - let the talent shine. You will have a star in your ranks. Find them. Who works on camera and who doesn’t is just a matter of trial and error. Natural wins every time.

Use your real social network for feedback - suppliers, customer etc. Feature them in the video if that makes sense. Involve them. They have a perspective. Share it.

6) Control the Source

Set it free. If you have a video that you made, flaunt it! Put it on your home page, put it up on a site where your target audience is and promote it. Make it easy to share. Don’t expect it to go viral but try to make it easier for your target audience to find.

Embed your video in many places including your home page. Don’t just post it. Use social media - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other marketing channels.

7) Ignore Style

Don’t over produce, unless that’s what your audience expects. Don’t under produce either. When traveling you don’t always fly economy or business. Learn when it matters. Find your level. It has a direct effect on how people will perceive your business.  Understand that viewers prefer to watch a person that acts natural, not staged and obviously reading off a teleprompter. There are many different ways to make the same video - visual style, camera angles, content. What’s your style - get help in exploring the science of video. Remember that the style should also be unified with your company’s brand. It should have a similar and familiar look and feel.

Have you seen any online video’s that commit any of these seven sins? Please share them!

Posted by Tai Kolenko