Mistakes happen all the time during marketing campaigns. Even the most detailed plans can be derailed thanks to unforeseen circumstances, unknown variables, and minor accidents. In most areas, mistakes are ugly and unfortunate, but they can be worth something once learned from. Unfortunately, in web video production, the stakes are a little higher.
All data points to video as one of the most effective marketing tools for any brand. It’s been proven time and again through surveys, market research, and anecdotes, that videos can generate leads, boost conversion rates, and bring in sales. Regardless of platform – whether social media ads or television commercials – videos can be used to deliver interactive, engaging, high-quality content.
The downside to that is that videos can literally make or break your marketing campaign. Thankfully, you can always learn from someone else’s mistakes – instead of making your own thousand-dollar car crash.
FAILING TO PROMOTE
With all the marketing avenues the digital age has provided us, the fact that some brands fail to promote their own video is just plain mind-blowing. The medium may have changed, but the advertising concept remains the same: get your name out to as many people as possible, in every way possible.
If you want people to see your video, know your name, buy your products, or try your services, promoting is an absolute must. Web video production is important, but it’s only half of the campaign. It doesn’t matter if your video is literally the best marketing video ever made. You can’t just upload it to YouTube or Facebook and expect it to be an overnight hit.
Do the “legwork” and cross-promote your video across different social media platforms. Use relevant hashtags. Invest in SEO. Spread it and ask friends to simply like or comment on it. Whatever works for you – just let people know your video exists.
FORGETTING YOUR AUDIENCE
It’s happened. Many, many, many times. We’ve seen perfectly decent videos crash and burn, all because they were tailored for the wrong audience.
The thing about video is that it’s meant to engage. It’s meant to entertain and educate, sure, but how do you expect to make an impact if the video doesn’t stick? Remember; we’re in the digital age. Competition online is fierce. 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute (that’s a little more than 2 days’ worth of video uploaded in one minute), and over 4 billion videos are viewed every day. With the numbers stacked that high, what are the odds of someone remembering your video?
For viewers, relatability is a huge factor in videos. Memorable videos tend to encourage the viewer to empathize with the storyline being presented.
Lesson of the day? Make your video relatable. And that can only be achieved when everything about your video – from the script to the storyline to the pop culture references, if any — attracts your specific target audience. You can’t use feminist themes in a video targeted for young male professionals, the same way you can’t slip millennial jargon in a video aimed at students.
Successful web video production is key to a great video, but never forget that video is still just a marketing tool. If you want a successful campaign that actually yields favorable outcome, study your audience and promote your video like crazy. The end results will be worth it.
