Video marketing online: 5 Most Common Myths

It’s more than official, the mainstream has embraced online videos. Video marketing continues to be a rising way to reach new audiences in an engaging and dynamic way.

Many have come to realize the impact of incorporating videos and strategically placing video ads, but the same principles for video development and placement that apply to other mediums don’t necessarily transfer to online video marketing.  So let’s debunk some of the most common myths about video marketing.

Doesn’t replace TV
One of the most common myths that some believe about video marketing is that the Internet will replace TV.  TV inherently is the medium that reaches mass audiences.  The rule with television media buying is to maximize frequency to reach the highest number of people.  Taking it beyond the one sided communication channel of TV, the Internet is different because it is the medium that engages so viral videos aren’t the same as TV commercials.  Why? Well because the online video reach is only as good as the engagement of the viewer.  The content, message and presentation of the online video is dependent on the success of the exposure, the frequency that TV naturally provides.  But we know that most online video viewers will share videos with others, actually 57% of online adults admit they pass video links on, since this increases website traffic, energies should be towards making dynamic, interesting video content instead of expecting a ho-hum TVeske spot to produce great results.

Can’t just recycle
Another myth about video marketing that seems to be common is that it’s okay to reuse a company’s 30-second TV spot for their online video.  While in short it may increase website traffic, more is expected from the online video community because they are searching for authentic, relevant information – not generic commercials.  The name of the game is engaging material so think about who your audience is and speak to them directly.  The majority of adult internet users seek news content through online videos, if you’re looking for ideas to shape your video around – start there – think newsworthiness.

Don’t mistake tactics for strategy
The myth that a digital strategy is simply posting a viral video seems to be what many businesses hang their hats on.  While viral video is an online tactic to increase website traffic, it still lies within a strategy.  Your video will be passed on if the content must be surprising and catchy.  Videos online are viewed the most in the first three day of being posted, and as mentioned, we know it is very likely that viral videos will be passed on to people’s friends, family and colleagues – the trick is to give the campaign strategy longer legs to give you more website traffic.  What happens after your video is viewed – has your content motivated the viewer to take a next step? Are they intrigued enough to complete a survey, participate in a blog conversation, etc…the viral video should be one part of the overall campaign strategy, not the sole strategy.

Overkill does hurt you
Another popular myth that happens way too often is the improper over-submission of online videos in an effort to increase your video SEO rankings.  Yes it likely will increase website traffic, but most search engines are wise to attempts to abuse of their systems and doing so can hurt your search rankings longer term.  Your time will be better suited establishing clear objectives for your online video marketing. Develop keywords accordingly, and post to relevant sites instead of taking the very time-consuming road of posting your video everywhere (unless of course, you are using a service which automates this process to relevant video sharing sites).

Newness always
The last myth that can be easily avoided is believing that once you’ve posted online videos you don’t need to stay fresh with new video content to get more website traffic.  Not only do businesses need to be relevant, they too need to remain fresh.  Not just for SEO reasons, but because of what was mentioned earlier – the average shelf life of online videos is 3 days.  So after that, it’s on to the next.  To stay in front of potential customers and increase your SEO rankings, remember to stay current.  Don’t get complacent – you don’t want to give your competition the chance to outmaneuver you.

Because 74% of those with high-speed connections watch or download videos, online video marketing is all about engagement – the job of successful companies is to continuously court and nurture new relationships with potential customers – and that takes time to strategize, understand your audience and speak to them appropriately and dynamically.  Take advantage of knowing the truth about the common myths of video marketing and get started being a more powerful online marketer.

image credits to Yaniv Golan

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