Understanding the Challenges of Video Marketing

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According to a study published by wyzowl, 86% of consumers prefer video over other forms of content. And according to 89% of marketers, video marketing can deliver a high ROI. So, why aren’t more brands using video? The inherent challenges of video marketing could be to blame.

There’s no shortage of studies that hit on the benefits of video marketing. However, what is missing is an in-depth look at the difficulties brands face using this tactic.

It’s important to identify these challenges and learn how to overcome them so that more small businesses can reap the benefits.

The Power of Video for Engaging Prospects Online

Video is both easily accessible and easy to digest. The increased exposure due to the internet and the fact that more people are on their smartphones have helped push video to the forefront of content consumption.

First, there was YouTube. Then there was TikTok. Now, all platforms are fighting to leverage the power of video. 

But what is it about video that makes it so engaging? And why is it worth the hassle of overcoming the challenges of video marketing?

Let’s take a closer look…

Higher Audience Engagement

Videos enable brands to convey messages in a more powerful and emotional way. It is an efficient way to tell a story and connect with an audience on a deeper level than text alone. 

Easy to Digest

The fact that video is so easily digestible is one of the main reasons videos are more engaging. It conveys the message more quickly. It also holds an audience’s attention longer than lengthy articles.

SEO Friendly

Search engines love video. It has a positive impact on SEO-related metrics, making it easier for your content to be found online for relevant searches. 

Ease of Retention

Videos make it easier for consumers to retain information about your brand or products and services. It’s vital when you want your brand to stay top of your prospects’ minds.

Customer Preference

As mentioned earlier, customers love video. If you can overcome the challenges of video marketing, it will pay off in the long run as you’ll receive higher engagement. 

Top Challenges of Video Marketing & How to Overcome Them

Female editor sitting at computer working on editing video while male colleague points to one of two displays.

So, you’ve finally decided to use video marketing for your brand? That’s great! But don’t start counting your profits just yet. 

Video requires more planning and resources on your end to produce. That’s why you need to identify the challenges of video marketing early on so you can find ways to overcome them.

It will also make it easier for you to build an efficient video marketing strategy that will achieve your goals—whether you want to increase leads, obtain higher engagement, or enhance your social media following. 

Here are 9 mistakes/challenges to be aware of… 

1) Neglecting to Develop a Plan

Lack of planning is not just one of the challenges of video marketing for most businesses; it’s also the number one reason many fail.

You must define your goals and objectives from the start. This will enable you to identify the pain points of your target audience and address them through your video content.

Your video marketing plan must segment your audience and the specific types of content you want to target for each. Furthermore, this plan should detail your short and long-term goals.

For example…

2) Not Creating a Compelling Headline or Thumbnail

Video might be the preferred content for online users. However, that doesn’t mean that they consume every video they find online. With millions of videos out there, especially on social media, it is a challenge to make yours stand out. 

That’s why you’ll need to pique viewers’ interest with a compelling headline and an equally compelling thumbnail. Sell your video even before your audience consumes the content. In doing so, you can increase the chances of videos you share on social media actually being watched.

3) Not Including a Call to Action

It’s been established that video content is more engaging. But it’s what you do with that engagement that counts toward achieving your marketing goals.

How you integrate your call to action (CTA) is one of the biggest challenges of video marketing. You’ve worked hard to deliver compelling content that offers value to your audience. Now, you have to switch back into marketing mode and incorporate a CTA, which can be awkward.

But opting not to add a CTA is missing the whole point of your marketing efforts. Be straightforward and let them know what action you want your audience to take. After all, if you provided value in your video, many will be willing to reciprocate.

4) Starting with a Call to Action

While a CTA is critical, don’t start your video that way. We get it—you don’t want your audience to miss out on your marketing message. But beginning with a CTA is like shoving that information down their throat.

You must earn their trust first. Offer them something of value so that they want to take the next action.

5) Not Considering SEO

SEO is a critical part of a good marketing strategy. That’s why you need to integrate it into your video marketing efforts, too.

Here are some of the methods you can implement to improve the SEO of your video content:

You can further optimize your video marketing campaign with these YouTube SEO tips

6) Missing Your Branding

When you don’t consider video marketing as part of your overall marketing plan, you could easily sacrifice your branding in the process. This goes back to the first point on this list of challenges of video marketing—lack of planning. 

Messaging in all aspects—whether written content or video—is essential to building brand awareness. Don’t forget to include your logo and optimize your URL and titles to make it easy for people to remember your brand. 

You’ve already leveraged a powerful and compelling tool. Make sure you make the most of it to push your brand out there. 

7) Not Collecting Data & Measuring Success

How do you know your video marketing efforts are producing the results you want? By collecting data!

Make it a habit to analyze data analytics and gain comparable insights about the video content you produce. Using key metrics for analysis will help you formulate ideas for your next videos without wasting time creating content your audience doesn’t want.

8) Creating Content That Lacks Value

Are you creating videos that you enjoy making or ones that your audience enjoys watching? Sometimes, these two are not in alignment with each other.

If your goal is to get more views and to spread your brand message to more people (and why wouldn’t it be?), then you must keep your audience’s interests in mind. 

What type of content do they want to see? 

How can you add value to their lives through your videos? 

Don’t erode the trust of your audience by promising to give them something and then failing to deliver on that. It’s one of the reasons why a lot of people have stopped watching videos on YouTube

9) Being Inconsistent

Posting frequent videos is vital to increasing your reach, so you must commit to posting videos consistently. But when you are constantly pushing out content, there is a tendency to sacrifice quality and value. 

This is one of the major challenges of video marketing that you need to overcome. Don’t just put out videos every week; also strive for consistency in the overall messaging for your brand. This will help to reinforce your brand’s credibility and reputation. 

Final Thoughts

The hunger for video content probably won’t die down in the next few years. In fact, marketing experts predict that it will continue to reign supreme over other types of content.

Don’t let your competition get away with the win. Understand the extent of the challenges of video marketing as outlined above and plan your way around them. When executed properly, your video marketing campaign might just be what you need to propel your business to the next level. 

Speaking of next level, why not take advantage of our free 50-Point Marketing Audit to see where you can improve? 

 


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Filed Under: Content Creation

About Andrew

Andrew specializes in audio, video, and digital content for the 21st century. He understands the importance of impactful digital content and how it can showcase clients in new and enticing ways.

Andrew has won numerous national awards for his leadership and productions, placing his projects alongside some of the top marketing works in the world. He is also well-versed as a personality in fast-paced, publicly visible environments for broadcast, event, and web channels.

The media landscape is ever-evolving with new platforms and techniques. With Andrew's broadcast, journalism, podcasting, and technological background, his mission is to create eye-catching and harmonious content for our clients that exceeds industry trends and practices.