Is Video Marketing All Hype and Failed Promises?

Online Business Video Marketing

Have you ever read a sales letter for a video marketing product that makes video marketing sound like a foolproof magic bullet destined to bring you untold riches?

I sure have.

Even if I count all the less astronomical claims, video marketing is indeed touted as one of the greatest things since sliced bread.

Even articles here on Video Production Tips certainly have exuded the exuberance and passion I feel about the possibilities of online video marketing.

And I gotta admit, as much as I love sliced bread, (esp. toasted and dripping with butter) I get even more excited about online video.

That does not mean however, that I think any old video loaded onto your website is a foolproof magic bullet destined to bring you untold riches!  Let’s keep things in perspective.  Over hyping stuff usually backfires so let’s back up for a minute.

The Pros of Using Online Video

• Video can indeed enhance whatever you’re doing online.
• It can absolutely increase sales and conversions.
• Personal talking head videos increase the feeling of familiarity viewers have with you, which in turn increases that all-important trust factor.
• Product demos increase customer trust as well.  People want to see a product before they buy and video is the best medium that allows them to do that.
• Videos can also be fun, which means people are more inclined to listen to your message.
• Some people simply do not want to read, they’d rather watch.

The Cons of Using Online Video

However video can also backfire.

• If the video doesn’t load and play within 2 seconds, people get easily frustrated and click away. That was not a typo.  Two seconds is all most people give a video to “work” so watch your file sizes carefully.
• Some people like to be overly critical so your feelings and hopes can be hurt by online trolls leaving  hateful comments.

On one of my YouTube videos there was quite a discussion about whether my unusual-sounding voice meant I was a woman, a man, or something in between. Lucky for me, stuff like that makes me laugh. I told them my weird voice meant I was from outer space.  🙂

As with most things, video online has its drawbacks and limitations.

I recently read an article about people experiencing crushing disappointments with online video.

They had been under the impression that video was going to catapult them to their goals, be it riches, fame or online sales glory.

When their dreams did not materialize, apparently they felt so let down they decided video was just a bunch of hooey!  Total garbage!  Not worth messing with!  It’s all a big fat LIE!

Although I am sympathetic to their letdowns, let’s not go over board and throw our precious baby out with the bathwater.

This graph was used and described as depicting “initial overly optimistic expectations followed by a crash in confidence and then rebounding to more realistic expectations.”

Realistic expectation are  indeed key when it comes to the results you’ll get from using video.

It’s certainly not easy to get a viral sensation with ten million views, but a well produced video with a core message promoting your business or ideas will indeed win over more converts than a block of text.

There is absolutely no doubt video will show off a product better than a still picture.

Research has shown about a 35% increase in sales when video demos are added to a webpage.  35% is quite an increase but if you’ve been led to believe that your sales will double or triple, then 35% can seem like a real let down.

I am, always have been, and will continue to be, a huge proponent of using video, online and off.    I truly DO think video is one of the greatest things since sliced bread!

However I am also a realist and want you to set realistic, obtainable goals.

Video Production Techniques and Quality Do Matter

Any video you create and put online needs to play well, have decent lighting and decent sound.  If your sound is horrible, people will click away.  If it takes too long to buffer, people will click away.  (That is usually a function of the file size being too large.) 

If you ramble and never get to the point, people will click away.

If you produce a hopelessly crappy video then you will not get good results.  In fact, it might even hurt your efforts.  That does not mean you have to create an Oscar-worthy video by any stretch of the imagination.  The  most important considerations are lighting, sound, being concise and buffering time.    I believe those are in reverse order, so buffering time is actually the #1 issue that causes people to click away.

Assuming you get those four things right, then a video will absolutely be of benefit, I’m just warning you to not expect miracles.  Unless you get some lucky mojo behind you, a video will not make you an internet sensation, nor will it make you rich.  Video is NOT a magic bullet.  It is however, a really awesome strategy that can indeed boost the bottom line.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips!
Lorraine Grula

Lorraine is a professional video producer with around 30 years of experience producing, shooting, editing and writing videos of all kinds.  Contact her today for one-on-one personal video coaching and consulting.