6 Most Common Myths of Video Marketing

Video is a new and fast-growing content marketing medium, but as with anything that becomes rapidly popular, there are several misconceptions that come with it. Quite often, marketers are put off using video purely because they have been misled by the following myths, so hopefully we can clear things up in this post.

 

Myth 1: YouTube is the Best Platform

The biggest – yes, but most certainly not the best. The main issue here is that many marketers see YouTube as the only video hosting option, but there are so many better alternatives such as Wistia, Vimeo, Vidyard etc.

Unlike YouTube, these sites are better equipped for business purposes. With Wistia for example, you are able to analyse at what point your audience have stopped watching by taking advantage of their detailed analytics tool.

 

Myth 2: Videos Are Expensive and Hard to Make

This is one of the biggest misconceptions that puts marketers off using video. It is true that making a video can sometimes be time consuming, but with the accessibility of modern technology, it couldn’t be any easier to get started on making your own.

Your first video doesn’t need to be anything fancy, and you most certainly don’t need to invest a lot of money into it. All you need to start off with is a smartphone camera and a background, whether it’s the office or a blank wall (it doesn’t have to be a green screen).

Once you get used to filming videos, you can start playing around with lighting, camera effects, editing software, mics and exploring different styles of video.

 

Myth 3: It Has to Go Viral

There are some amazing viral marketing campaigns out there; brands such as Dollar Shave Club and Old Spice have received worldwide recognition due to the power of viral marketing, but a video doesn’t necessarily have to go viral in order to have a strong impact.

getting your video to go viral isn’t an easy task, and it probably won’t happen unless you’re targeting a global audience. If you’re targeting a specific audience, which is the case for most companies, then you should focus on making your video appeal to them. The easy way to do this is simply by showing your audience what they want to see.

 

Myth 4: Views = Success

Unfortunately views don’t make you successful, but the one thing that does matter is what your viewers do after they have watched the video. The ultimate goal when using your marketing video should be catching your viewers’ attention and then luring them to your website.

As mentioned in the last point, you should create videos with your audience in mind, so give them what they want to see and explain how they can benefit from your product or service rather than just listing the features. Even if your video doesn’t attract much attention, 10 interested viewers are more valuable than a hundred random ones.

 

Myth 5: Videos are only Used to Get More Leads

This is one of the most popular applications of video, but videos can have a far wider range of uses than just marketing and promotion. Videos can be used internally for things like training and teaching in schools. They are also commonly used by non-profit organisations to create awareness of their mission and promote events.

 

Myth 6: The Shorter, the Better

If you’re looking to introduce your product to a new wave of traffic, then a short video is what you need, but they’re not always the answer to everything.

Lets say you have some users who have visited your site previously, but have returned because they are interested; they’ll be wanting to find out more about what you do. To satisfy their needs, you should make a longer video that goes into detail about your product, service or whatever it is you want to explain.

If you were to put this type of video on your homepage, people would start watching and drop off after about a minute due to boredom. A more suitable place to put it would be on your product page because people will go there in search of clearer, more detailed information. This also means that they’ll have a longer attention span, and would be more willing to watch a 5 minute video without falling asleep.

Hopefully by now you understand that all of these video marketing myths aren’t true at all.