17 June 2016

7 Common Promotional Video Mistakes to Avoid

Video Creation Tips Comments are off

Last Updated on April 13, 2022

Video sells. Over 65% of people who buy have viewed a video prior to purchasing. People respond to moving pictures more than still images and text. While it’s great to have a good blog and other content, your promotional video that you put out for the world to see is perhaps the most important factor in your success as a business owner.

The Benefits of Animation over Talking Head Videos

People enjoy a cartoon. Perhaps this is one aspect of our childhood we never outgrow. But research shows that people prefer an animated video to talking head and tend to stay with it longer as well.

What Do You Want to Say?

What message will you communicate to your targeted audience? Will you focus on the product or service itself or something else? There are many strategies that have proven to be effective for some site owners, such as using whiteboard animation or animations. These techniques appeal to a wider audience and increase traffic in most cases as well.

While video is a great medium to use to promote your brand, there are 7 common mistakes people make with their promotional video that you should avoid.

7 Promotional Video Mistakes to Avoid

Trying to say too much in one video – Let’s face it, you only have about 2 minutes at the most to capture and keep your audience’s attention. For this reason, you need to focus on what is most important. Many people try to include too many facts in that 2 minutes, which can lead to confusion among viewers on what the message is. So, instead of trying to go over all of the qualities of your business or product, focus on 1 or 2 aspects that appeal to your targeted audience. Start with a sound concept or message and the rest will follow naturally.
Bad Script – When is the last time you saw a movie and asked yourself, “Who wrote this?” Whenever the storyline is bad, the entire movie is bad. Follow the rule of thumb that Hollywood producers have been trying to tell us for years and start with a good script. The script is important whether it is a 2-hour movie or a 2-minute explainer video.
Putting the focus on production – While you want your video promotion to be good, you don’t want the focus to be on the production process. A video that is overproduced may include too many special effects may have too much dialogue or animations, or the message may be confusing. Consider the production process as the necessary vehicle to bring your customers your message but always focus on the message itself. Keep it simple.
Lack of focus on customer “pain points” – Remember that, in order to really appeal to your intended audience, you first have to understand them and their needs. For example, if you are a web hosting site and you want to appeal to web designers, think about what it is that drives them nuts. What are the problems inherent in web design? Do you think your customers have trouble with design aspects, making their site mobile friendly, or other similar problems? If so, then you can use your promotional video to address these pain points and provide a solution. If you have done your research beforehand, you can use survey results to know what these are. Then show how your business can help them with their problem.
Technical glitches/lack of mobile-friendliness – Nothing is more frustrating to a viewer and potential customer than coming across a video that will not play correctly. Little glitches or technical errors in your video that involve the audio, video quality, or overall technical quality may frustrate your viewers so much that they exit your site much faster than you wanted them to. And this results in a lost sale. Check your video for technical errors before posting on your site to avoid these issues.
Forgetting the ‘call to action’ – Many site owners forget to ask their viewers to do something at the end of the video. What do you want your customers to do? Sign up for your newsletter? Visit your sales page? Make a purchase? Tell them what you want them to do by stating it in a positive way, such as: “Thank you for watching our video on our services. Please click on the link below to learn more about this.” This is a common mistake when creating promotional videos that many business owners make. But it is important to tell the viewer what you would like them to do.
Lack of purpose – Always have the purpose of your message apparent before you start. Viewers will be confused if this is not clear. Is it a sales video, a corporate video, explainer video, or a PR video? All of these types of videos are done differently and customers expect something different from each one. So try to define the type of video before you begin production.

What is an Explainer Video?

An explainer video is a video that explains a process, product, or service. It tends to be more informative than actual promotional videos but the message, though subtle, is still there. The purpose of this type of video is to subtly suggest that your company is their best solution without using obvious sales tactics. This must be done subtly and professionally and viewers can see through it if it is not.

Blowing Away the Smoke and Mirrors

We know a lot of this can be confusing for the business owner who has never created a promotional or explainer video before. That’s why it helps to have some professionals to help you along with this process. Sure, you could do it yourself. However, consider these 7 mistakes that business owners often make and ask yourself if you feel skilled enough to know how to handle them in the best way possible.

Is it Worth the Risk to DIY?

Another question you should ask yourself is whether or not you can afford to take the risk that the videos will fail, once you put them out there.

We know that, in business, we are going to make mistakes, but you don’t want those mistakes to be something that so many people will judge you for as in a promotional video. Can you really afford to put out a bad or confusing video and lose that many potential customers?

Got Time?

Another consideration on producing your own animated video is whether or not you have the time to do it right. While video production is not as difficult as it used to be, due to the numerous video editing software solutions that are out there now, it does take time to plan the script, produce the video, and create the animations. And animations require skills that are unique and that will get your message across in an attractive and dynamic way.

The Solution to Video Frustrations and Time Constraints

If your time could be used for other things, perhaps the best solution is to contract with an animation company that knows the process and let them do it for you. Our team at AnimatedVideo.com spends all of their time producing high-quality animations for businesses.

Benefits of Hiring an Animated Video Company

They know the difference in types of video that you need to properly promote your business
They know how to optimize your videos to make them “mobile-friendly” which makes Google (and your customers) happy
They know how to combine high-quality animation and sound to create the perfect video for your business
It saves you time and money over the long haul, due to the fact that you do not have to worry about the process – only the result.