Top 5 Business Video Mistakes

May 12, 2016

If you are a business owner and want to increase awareness of your company, you need a business video.

Adding video to your business website, your corporate emails and your company’s social media platforms is one of the most effective ways to increase brand awareness, engage with your desired audience, generate leads, and convert leads into sales.

It’s true: numbers don’t lie. According to an infographic published by HighQ, the following can be said in favor of video marketing:

• 65% of online video viewers watch more than ¾ of the whole video.
• 78% of people watch videos online every week and 55% of people watch videos online every day.
• It’s predicted that by 2018, video will take up 79% of consumer Internet traffic.
• 67% found video marketing to be somewhat successful and 18% found video marketing to be VERY successful.
• Using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%, increases click-through rates by 65%, and reduces unsubscribes by 26%.
• A business website with a video will keep a visitor 2 minutes longer than a site with no video.

However, despite this evidence, I still see a lot of businesses putting out terrible corporate videos.

Having a badly produced corporate video represent your business can do more harm than having no video at all.

If you’re a business owner and you’re going to invest the time and resources into making a business video, you have to be smart. Many of the most common mistakes that businesses make when producing a corporate video are completely avoidable.

Here are 5 common mistakes that you should avoid at all costs when producing your business video.

MISTAKE #1: Your business video is too long.

People’s attention spans are shorter than ever nowadays. No one has the time or patience to sit through a long video that doesn’t grab their attention and gives them what they want right away.

According to NextWeb,  an online commercial spot should not be more than a minute long. Tutorial videos should not be longer than 90 seconds to 2 minutes long. Testimonial videos are best kept between 1 to 2 minutes long.

There are no hard and fast rules here, of course, and if your video content is compelling, you can comfortably go longer. However, when in doubt, shorter is better. It is always better to leave your audience wanting more.

 

MISTAKE #2: You don’t look at business video as an investment.

It is important to remember that your business video is an investment in your company. The decision to produce a business video is not one to be taken lightly.

Video is a powerful marketing tool. Sure, it’s easy for anyone to shoot a video on their phone these days, maybe do a little editing on their computer and upload it to the web, but is this really how you want to expose your brand to the world?

Your brand is your reputation. Think twice before risking your company’s reputation with a cheaply made video. Will your clients still want to invest in you if you tarnish your reputation with something that isn’t produced professionally?

Investing in a business video is as important as investing in your company’s marketing and branding. So invest wisely.

 

MISTAKE #3: You’re not thinking long-term.

I strongly recommend that you think of your business video as part of a larger strategy, not just a standalone project.

Seriously consider how your business video fits in a future series of videos, or as part of a larger, multimedia campaign, or how it can be re-purposed or re-edited for different platforms and formats.

The possibilities are endless, and you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot by thinking too small or too short-term right off the bat.

It can be challenging to see the big picture when it comes to video marketing strategies, so I encourage you to consult with a professional video producer to help you come up with innovative, yet proven and effective, ideas.

 

MISTAKE #4: You didn’t hire the right production company.

When hiring a production company to shoot and edit your business video, you want to make sure they are professional, reliable, and have the team and equipment needed to achieve the results you want.

Furthermore, you want someone who can tell YOUR story. That is, you want them to honor your brand the way you want it to be honored.

That said, you also don’t want to hire someone who just follows your orders. While you may be the expert of your company and your brand, professional videographers are experts in video. They should come to you with exciting and innovative ideas that never even occurred to you.

When someone hires me and my team, we listen carefully to our client so we understand what their objectives and concerns are. We also bring new ideas to the table. We aim to go well beyond what the client expects: we want to see jaws drop when our work is finally revealed.

 

MISTAKE #5: You didn’t plan ahead

In a professional video production, a lot of prep work needs to happen before the first day of shooting.

Pre-production is vital and it is the most important phase of any professional video production.

There can be many factors involved with your shoot, depending on the complexity of your idea. Regardless, when working with a professional video production company, there should be few if no surprises on set.

In fact, before arriving on set, your professional video crew should already know exactly how the finished, edited product is going to look.

Now that you know what the most common mistakes are when producing a business video, make sure you keep your business video short, attention-grabbing, and to-the-point. Understand that your business video is an investment in your company, and invest accordingly. Think long-term, hire the right production company for the job and most importantly, plan ahead.

If you are in the Pittsburgh area and looking for a production company to shoot your business video, contact Josh Birt at Josh Birt Media Productions today. We can travel to other states as well.