Whether your business is experimenting with video marketing techniques for the first time, or you’re just thinking of focusing your media efforts in a different way, it’s important to stay abreast of what companies similar to yours have done to find success during their respective content marketing efforts.

However, you also need to constantly be aware of typical video-related mistakes so you can steer clear of them when carrying out your own marketing plans.

Creating Videos That Are Too Long

Even if they’re already curious about what your company has to say via a video, customers tend to have shorter-than-expected attention spans. Be as concise as possible and make sure all the content within a video relates to the specified topic.

If you’re covering a very broad subject, it’s probably better to create a series of videos rather than overwhelming your viewers with one extremely long clip.

Other reasons to avoid very long videos are due to data consumption and connectivity. If a person is on a slow or heavily trafficked connection, or perhaps subscribes to a restrictive mobile data plan, they may not be willing to even start playing a video, let alone finish it.

Failing to Consider What the Audience Wants or Needs

Some companies are so eager to create videos, they stop short of actually thinking about what would best serve their audiences. People probably won’t respond very well to videos that are extremely promotional.

It’s also hard to get viewers engaged in video content if they perceive the media as being very out of touch with their lives and concerns.

An easy way to ensure your business genuinely understands what audience members want is to get feedback directly from them. You might ask them to fill out surveys in exchange for getting discounts on your products, or make a Facebook post that encourages people to give feedback through replies to the status update in hopes of possibly winning a prize after they give their views.

Also, consider taking a more formal approach by hosting focus groups. Once you get to that stage, it’s possible to show viewers raw cuts of potential videos and get them to give their impressions.

After hearing what they have to say, you may learn that parts of a video are confusing or don’t broadcast the intended message. Ignoring your audience or otherwise failing to get feedback from them is one of the biggest mistakes you can make regarding any sort of content marketing plan.

Making Content That Contradicts With Your Company’s Values

Video marketing may also backfire if you come up with clips that somehow contrast with the perceived values your company has.

For example, if people see your company as one that is very committed to environmental sustainability, but you release a video that talks about your new manufacturing method that is five times more efficient yet relies on practices obviously harm the Earth, the content will likely leave viewers feeling betrayed.

If the effect is too severe, they may wonder if your brand is really trustworthy.

On the other hand, if you’re firmly in touch with what your company stands for, a video can highlight those values and encourages viewers to embrace them. That has the effect of boosting your brand recognition and increasing customer loyalty.

HamptonCreek, a food technology company, aims to help people eat well, conveniently. It makes sense then, that the company’s YouTube channel is filled with content that shows viewers how simple it is to cook healthy and tasty things that don’t require hours of prep time.

This is just one example of a brand that’s using videos to its advantage by suggesting how people can realistically live out the values that make the company stand out in the marketplace.

Pouring Excessive Amounts of Money into an Untested Approach

Video marketing is no different than other ways of spreading content to the masses. Specifically, it’s best to start small and see how people respond before going all in by spending lots of time and money on something that hasn’t been tried by your company before.

Start small with just a few videos and gauge how people react. Pay close attention to feedback, and use it to determine the content of future videos, or help you decide if videos are an appropriate way to market the company.

Hopefully you now feel much more informed about how to avoid some all-too-common video marketing blunders. With an educated approach, your efforts could genuinely pay off.