Whether you’re a startup or a seasoned enterprise, diving into the world of video marketing is non-negotiable in today’s digital playground. Why? Because videos are incredibly effective at grabbing people’s attention and keeping them engaged.
Did you know? 96% of consumers turn to video to learn more about a product or service. In the U.S. alone, 239M of us engage with video content on YouTube.
YouTube Marketing is a great way to grow your brand and reach new customers, but it also requires some planning and strategy to avoid common pitfalls. You’ll set your brand up for success on platforms like YouTube by steering clear of these five pitfalls.
Five YouTube Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Navigating the following video marketing blunders empowers brands to harness the full potential of video content.
#1 Neglecting to Strike the Right Balance between Advertising and Content
On YouTube, users are particularly attuned to advertising. With the barrage of paid ads and constant pleas from YouTubers to “smash that subscribe button,” viewers crave content that offers genuine value rather than overt promotion.
The essence of YouTube lies in fostering lasting connections and building brand equity through authentic user engagement. Therefore, instead of channeling resources into advertising content that may not resonate with your audience, prioritize delivering content that enriches their experience.
Takeaway: Focus on creating content that provides tangible benefits to your audience rather than relying solely on overt advertising. By offering value and fostering genuine engagement, you can cultivate a loyal following and establish your brand as a trusted authority in your niche.
Which Brand is Doing it Right? Hello Fresh UK’s YouTube channel does include some promotional pieces but is nicely balanced with some lifestyle content that shows the value of the service. UK TV favorites Stacey Soloman and Joe Swash play into their role as one of the country’s most-loved (and tolerated) couples to show how they incorporate Hello Fresh into their family life. It’s entertaining and relatable and works well as a marketing campaign:
#2 Overlooking Measurement and Analysis of Video Performance
Evaluating the effectiveness of your video marketing endeavors is essential for discerning successes and shortcomings. Metrics like views and social likes, while appealing, may not offer substantive insights into your videos’ actual impact on business objectives. Instead, prioritize metrics directly correlated with your strategy and goals. Brands should leverage YouTube analytics to measure success for several compelling reasons:
Insight into Audience Behavior: YouTube analytics provides detailed data on viewer demographics, viewing habits, and engagement metrics. Understanding who is watching your videos and how they interact with your content allows you to tailor future videos to suit your audience’s preferences better.
Evaluation of Performance: By analyzing metrics such as watch time, view duration, and retention rates, brands can assess the effectiveness of their content. Identifying which videos perform well and which ones fall short enables you to refine your strategy and create more engaging content in the future.
Identification of Trends and Patterns: YouTube analytics helps brands uncover trends and patterns in viewer behavior over time. This allows you to capitalize on successful strategies, adapt to changing audience preferences, and stay ahead of the competition.
Measurement of ROI: Understanding the impact of your YouTube efforts on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, lead generation, and conversions is crucial for demonstrating the ROI of your video marketing initiatives. YouTube analytics provides the necessary data to track these metrics and assess the overall success of your campaigns.
Optimization of Content Strategy: With insights from YouTube analytics, brands can optimize their content strategy to maximize results. Whether it’s adjusting the frequency of uploads, experimenting with different formats, or refining targeting strategies, data-driven decisions lead to more effective campaigns and better outcomes.
Takeaway: In summary, utilizing YouTube analytics allows brands to gain valuable insights, evaluate performance, identify trends, measure ROI, and optimize their content strategy—all of which are essential for achieving success in the competitive world of online video marketing.
#3 Neglecting to Include a Direct Call-to-Action
Every video needs a straightforward call-to-action (CTA) that encourages or guides viewers to take the next step. Whether it’s directing them to your website, prompting a purchase, inviting them to a webinar, or encouraging newsletter sign-ups, a carefully crafted CTA can significantly boost conversions and help guide your audience along their buyer’s journey.
Takeaway: Ensure that each video has its own distinct CTA that aligns with the video’s purpose and goals. Tailor your CTAs to fit the platform where the video will be shared, considering the typical user behavior on each platform.
Which Brand is Doing it Right? Grammarly uses video to demonstrate how their product empowers teams and individuals with communication. In this video, they present a real-life solution to a common corporate problem and end the clip with a strong CTA to download the software. The company doubles down on the CTA by including it above the fold in the video’s description:
#4 Neglecting Comment Moderation on YouTube Content
Failure to moderate content can have significant repercussions for your YouTube channel. Every visitor absorbs not only your curated content but also the entire viewing experience, including the comments section. Therefore, it’s imperative to actively moderate comments to eliminate spam and harmful remarks. This can be accomplished through personal oversight, hiring an external moderator, or utilizing YouTube’s moderation and community management tools to filter out inappropriate comments and approve those aligning with your channel’s ethos.
While YouTube marketing presents a lucrative avenue for brand promotion, neglecting moderation can derail your entire campaign. To effectively connect with a broader audience, enhance brand visibility, and drive sales, it’s crucial to avoid these common pitfalls. By remaining vigilant, you can ensure your YouTube marketing efforts reach their fullest potential.
Takeaway: A cluttered or hostile comment section can detract from the overall user experience and discourage viewers from engaging with the content. On the upside, actively moderating comments allows brands to gather valuable feedback, insights, and suggestions from their audience. By monitoring comments, brands can identify trends, address concerns, and tailor their content better to meet the needs and preferences of their viewers. Make the moderation of comments a priority.
Which Brand is Doing it Right? Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is an absolute magnet for venomous comments, so hats off to the moderation team for letting the conversation flow but cutting out much of the vitriol. Here’s an example of the top comments from the show’s Chuck E Cheese story. No spam or cuss words in sight:
#5: Constantly Chasing Viral Video Success
A common misstep among brands seeking online recognition on YouTube is the pursuit of virality. While a viral video can attract significant attention, the reality is that most organic fail to achieve huge views. Even if they were to succeed, it doesn’t guarantee a surge in leads.
Attempting to engineer virality is a recipe for disappointment. It’s an attempt to coerce a reaction from an audience rather than genuinely engaging them.
Takeaway: Prioritizing virality as the primary goal of your channel can undermine trust among followers and tarnish your brand’s reputation. Quality and credibility should always take precedence; cultivating a loyal audience is more valuable than fleeting attention from disinterested spectators.
Which Brand is Doing it Right? Adidas certainly has a handful of videos on its YouTube channel that have generated over a million views (likely from a paid marketing push, which is completely valid). Still, most of its content attracts a more modest number of views and engagements. However, the brand’s consistent upload schedule keeps its channel active and its audience updated with the latest content from the company and its partners:
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