At this point, just about everyone knows video is the most effective content online.
Text isn’t dead, but it doesn’t work alone anymore. No matter what line of work you’re in, your customers (and future customers!) are looking for video first. Many of them are on micro-video platforms, where delivering the message in a succinct and memorable way is the only chance to invite them to get to know you.
Video used to have a high barrier to entry because of factors like equipment, lighting, software, and sound. Now, the barrier is cognitive: making your message work in a way that speaks to your audience. That is crucial, even if you plan to work with a video production company in Tampa: it gives you a reality check on your assumptions about success.
And if you’ve been doing your video marketing alone?
You need this article even more.
Odds are good that corporate video production errors are dragging down your results, even if your videos look and sound great. It’s not enough to just put brand messaging in video: you need to stick with marketing video best practices that will help you stand out from the crowd.
To have an effective video marketing strategy, it’s not enough to just understand where video excels. You’ve got to use it in the right ways to get the positive attention you want. That’s where most Tampa businesses go wrong today. They’ve got video, but the way they’re thinking about it and using it shoots them in the foot.
Luckily, you can learn from their mistakes.
Paper Jacket does the mechanics of video right, but that’s just the start. We’ll help you figure out the nuts and bolts of getting maximum value from everything you’ll publish. And if you want intensive help getting the most from video content, we can make recommendations for a Tampa marketing agency that fits the bill.
Here’s how to make the splash you want with video.
The Three Biggest Video Marketing Mistakes Tampa Companies Make
Smart businesses in Tampa approach video by focusing on strategy, marketing alignment, and messaging clarity. When everything is lined up, video goes from a curiosity or a convenience to one of your most powerful tools. As the next best thing to being there, it’ll help people to know, like, and trust you before they even meet you.
Lots of Tampa businesses are doing it wrong.
But they’re doing it wrong in predictable ways.
Here are the three video marketing killers: mistakes so bad they can sink a video marketing strategy.
1. Unclear Messaging
Video should look good, but that’s only the start.
If you want people to remember and act on it, it has to be understood clearly.
Donald Miller, the author of Building a Story Brand and its sequels, has an insightful way of thinking about this. No matter how complex your products or services are, you should strive to present them so simply that a caveman could understand them. That means making sure your “what,” “why,” and “where to buy” are clear within seconds.
Text and video both have to achieve this. But text asks a whole lot more of your audience. They’ve got to work their way through it and put the facts together. With video, you can make sure the message is crystal clear from the start. Plus, it can get repeated in the most effective, least obtrusive ways, so it really sinks in.
When Miller’s caveman wakes up with a headache, he needs to know “me buy aspirin, me feel better fast, get at Walgreens.” Your audience is a lot more advanced than cavemen, but that doesn’t mean they have a lot of time or energy to decode your takeaways. Always front-load them at the beginning of your video.
And once you’ve got them clear, repeat them at the end with a strong call to action.
Text content needs a CTA. The same is true of video, or else it can still fall flat.
So, how do you clarify your message to make it unmistakable?
- Start by hammering out your value proposition until it’s as clear as crystal.
- Then, ensure you know exactly what you want your viewers to do next.
- Work hard on your video’s script, not just on the visuals surrounding it.
- Partner with a video production company to align the script and visuals.
2. Overvaluing Visuals Without Strategy
Speaking of those visuals …
A video should look good. No doubt about it.
But guess what? Not everyone will actually look at your video once they click “play.” They’ll be listening, and maybe half-heartedly at that. So, everything you want to put across needs to work without the visuals, even if those visuals are excellent. Even if they reinforce your message perfectly.
A marketing video isn’t a blockbuster film. Audiences aren’t going to be spellbound from start to finish.
So, recognize that you need more than just one piece of the equation. You need everything working together.
That means always looking at the big picture. Not just what you want to say, but when your audience will hear it. Are they completely new to your brand? Have they engaged with your content before? Or are they on the brink of a purchase? The best video strategy is granular and meets the viewer where they are.
Video often works as “top of the funnel” content for people totally new to you. Still, it has other uses. For example, our video-first approach helps Tampa business leaders become experts that others sit up and pay attention to: by ensuring your podcast episodes hit the top podcast platforms and YouTube, the video leader.
The extra strategic touch grounds your videos in your overall digital outreach strategy. This way, you know that even if prospects catch your videos while commuting, at the gym, or doing chores around the house, they are still getting the message in full. And they are more likely to delve into your full content library.
Your visuals don’t go to waste. Many will watch them (the second time if not the first).
But the visuals are the icing, not the whole cake.
3. Lack Of Distribution Planning
If you build it, they will come.
That might have been true back in 1997, but now there are approximately 1.1 billion websites and more than 114 million active YouTube channels in the world. Only a fraction of that content is made by your direct competitors, but it’s all potentially distracting from what you have to say.
That’s why you need a distribution strategy in place from the start.
We’ve already mentioned how podcast platforms (like Spotify) can be terrific for podcasts. Naturally, YouTube is the perfect starting point for video: you’ll get all the benefits of YouTube’s built-in audience of 122 million people per day, plus the ability to show up in even more Google searches.
Paper Jacket videos are designed with an eye toward distribution, including organic shareability. We ensure all videos use the right resolution, audio quality, and optional features like captioning so they can make an impact. Every piece is fully shareable on your most valuable social media platforms, too.
Remember, upwards of 90% of your social following might not see a video the first time you share it. It’s not a crime to rotate the videos you share and repeat yourself – in fact, it’ll extend your content’s reach. At the same time, Paper Jacket will keep your video marketing pipeline full.
Paper Jacket Is The Tampa Content Creation Agency That Gets You And Gets Video
You shouldn’t hire just any video marketing company. Asking the right questions is crucial.
We’re here to answer them for you – and keep you on the right path for Tampa video marketing success.
Videos need to be more than clever to be memorable. They need to be professional, tailored to your brand, and crafted with your audience’s needs in mind. DIY videos can turn people away, but there’s no point investing in sharp-looking videos unless they’re anchored in digital marketing best practices.
With Paper Jacket, you can be sure your video marketing campaigns are firing on all cylinders.
Contact us to get started.
