Website Video Production – 5 Mistakes to Avoid

goofy man holding movie clipboard

Small handheld video cameras and online video-sharing websites have led many businesses to believe that website video production is a simple process involving point, shoot, and upload. While that process is fine for personal videos, serious Web video production for business marketing purposes is a different matter. Complexities throughout the process make the entire video production vulnerable to mistakes. Some mistakes, such as failing to choose a reliable video production company, can be disastrous. Below are five common website video production mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

Website Video Production Mistake #1: Choosing the Wrong Video Production Company
Choosing a video production company to produce your Web video production is one of the most important decisions you will make. However, did you choose the right video production company for your project? Like many professional service providers, video production companies specialize in different fields such as consumer video (weddings, parties, and events), legal video (depositions, “day in the life” videos, etc.), and commercial / business website video production. Select a company that specializes in Web video production and you’ll be more likely to have a technical crew skilled in video production, online video formats, search engine optimization, video sharing, and online video marketing concepts.

Website Video Production Mistake #2: Not Using a Video Production Company
Think you can handle Web video production in house? While inexpensive HD video cameras and low-cost editing software have their appeal, putting website video production in the hands of the untrained could be a costly mistake. Not only is your Web video production more likely to look as if an amateur produced it, the time your employees spend scripting, producing, and editing the video could be better spent working in their areas of expertise.

Website Video Production Mistake #3: Failing to Script the Video Production
A high quality Web video production generally begins with a well-written script. The script serves as the roadmap for the entire production. If you fail to script your video, it will show in the final product. For example, speakers may ramble on without ever reaching their points or the editing may be excessively choppy as you attempt to piece various shots together so that they make sense. Avoid these problems altogether by scripting your Web video production. Depending on your preferences, you can write your own rough draft or ask your video production company to develop the script for you.

Website Video Production Mistake #4: Failing to Engage Your Audience
Even with the most qualified video production company working on your behalf, if you fail to engage your audience, the website video production will be a failure. Never lose sight of your audience, what problems it has, and how your products and services can solve those problems. Your video production company can keep the pace of the Web video production moving, but only you can truly keep your audience engaged by communicating the benefits of your offer.

Website Video Production Mistake #5: Allowing the Video to be too Long
Early in the planning process, schedule time with your video production company to discuss the appropriate video length. Depending on the nature of the Web video production and its intended audience, your video may be as short as 30 seconds or up to 10 minutes long. In general, opt for a short website video production, especially if your audience is primarily composed of prospects. A short Web video production can deliver the information you want to communicate and show prospects that you respect their time. As you build credibility and trust with your audience, you may later have the opportunity to present a longer website video production.

From hiring the wrong video production company or doing it on your own to failing to script the Web video production, failing to engage your audience, and allowing the video to run too long for your audience’s limited attention span, these five mistakes could doom your website video production.

Did we miss any deadly website video production mistakes? Which mistakes have you made? Share your experiences in the comments section below:

B2B Video Marketing: The Power of Content Marketing

b2b video marketing

When you think of B2B video marketing, do you think of it as its own marketing channel or as part of a larger content marketing strategy? Whether you think of your business video efforts separately or as part of a larger B2B marketing plan, B2B video marketing is a powerful option for businesses that want to get seen, get heard, and get results.

What is Content Marketing?

In order to best understand content and B2B marketing, let’s look at what “content” is. Content is a broad term used to describe the material that fills a website, blog, or other informational repository. For example, this blog post is “content.” A corporate video posted on a website’s About Us page is “content.” Photos, case studies, white papers, advertising, polls, games, user reviews, mobile apps, and forums, are all “content.” Generally speaking, branded media that you create and distribute, whether it’s an article, business video, or Facebook status update, is a form of content marketing.

In fact, according to study published by King Fish Media, Junta42, and HubSpot in June 2010, the most widely used form of content marketing for social media campaigns involves branded content that you create (73 percent). Expert videos were next (72 percent) followed by videos (51 percent), case studies (45 percent), and user content/reviews (41 percent).

With these figures in mind, think about how B2B video marketing fits in. First, you might create and distribute a corporate video as part of a B2B marketing campaign. This branded content that you create can also be shared by others if you provide an easy way to share or embed it.

As the figures above illustrate, 51 percent of social media content involves sharing videos. When this happens, not only have you done your part to get your branded B2B video marketing content seen by others, others have willingly shared your corporate video through their own social media channels. That’s the power of content marketing!

Planning B2B Video Marketing Content

No matter where you publish your business video, and no matter how easy you make sharing it, no one will embed your corporate video if it’s not engaging, entertaining, or informative in some way. Similarly, if the business video is excessively long or of poor quality, it’s not likely to “go viral.” Use a professional video production company to ensure the quality of your business video.

As you plan your B2B video marketing campaign, keep the above points in mind. In addition, take a “magnetic” approach. For example, with content marketing, your business video needs to pull business customers in – not push them away. You also want to entice customers to perform a specific action such as visit your website, watch additional videos, sign up for a newsletter, or call your office for a quote. To be most effective, your message B2B marketing message should focus on the benefits to your business customers; it should show that you understand their problems and have the best solution. And then it should prompt them to take a specific action.

Before you produce your business video, think about where your B2B marketing customers will view it. While you may initially post the corporate video on your website, someone else may embed a link to it into a social media platform such as Facebook. Because it’s likely that some viewers will watch your business video somewhere other than your original website, make sure that you include an overlay with your website address directing viewers back to your website.

Encouraging Others to Share Your Business Video

Once you’ve produced and posted your business video, make sure that it’s easy to share. Most website video players and plugins offer some sort of sharing or embed feature that you can turn on. However, this isn’t always enough. Ask your visitors to share it and you may be surprised at their generosity in sharing it. In addition, take advantage of your existing social media networks by posting links to the business video and asking others to share or retweet it.

What do you think about B2B video marketing and content marketing? Share your thoughts in the comments below: