With a high percentage of online traffic being driven by video these days having your very own corporate video on your website is a must. In fact in a few years it’s more likely you’ll be watching this article rather than reading it, with video to make up 80% of internet traffic by 2019 (it’s already 61%). With online video quickly becoming a key means for people to satisfy their information and entertainment needs, businesses that fail to include it in their internet marketing strategies will do so at their peril. But not just any old video will do. Every aspect of your content reflects an image of your company so it’s important that it sends the right message. So here are our favourite tips on how to avoid some common video mistakes.

1. The Plan – How many times have you gone shopping while hungry and without a clear idea of what you need i.e. no shopping list? And how many times has this resulted in you leaving the store with an arm full of doughnuts, pizza and a whole heap of empty, nutritionless carbs? Well making a video without a plan is like going shopping hungry, without a list. It’s empty, meaningless and won’t sustain any kind of positive company growth.
2. The script – The script is not only your blueprint for the entire project it is also the thing which can make or break the entire video. An unprofessional unpolished script can ruin the entire tone.
3. Too Much Information. Don’t overload your audience with facts and figures and the history of your company going back to 1654. Know what the desired outcome of the video should be and tailor the message to achieve that goal. Keep it to one clear purpose.
4. Write It Like An Essay. Storytelling is at the forefront of any great video, we’re not talking about a novel here, the above rule about too much information still counts, but we are talking about a beginning middle and end. ‘Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them?’ Sound familiar? We of course want to avoid repetition but we also want to be clear about our message and we want it to flow from beginning to end.
5. Know your audience/ tone – Cracking knock knock jokes in front of your CEO or a group of international bankers might not be the best selling strategy. Understand the tone you need to use in your video, this applies to everything from, script, visual style, sound, composition etc. If you understand your audience you should be able to find a tone that fits, just do your research.
6. Professional Finish. For the love of a Bacon Cheeseburger! Please don’t think ‘Oh hey that seems pretty straight forward, maybe we’ll just do it ourselves and save a bomb!’ If you want to come across as a professional business you need a professional finish, with so many factors such as light, sound, script, equipment, editing, the list goes on…it is so easy to do a bad job so invest in a great company who can give you a top quality product within your budget.
7. Choose the right media company – Don’t go wild asking every media company on the planet to pitch, do your research and pick a top 3 or 4. Otherwise you’re wasting your time and theirs.
8. Know your budget from the outset, the waiting list for a morgan freeman voiceover is not a last minute decision. You can get excellent video content from great agencies on a budget but keep in mind, if it seems too good too be true it usually is, don’t spend more than you’ll see in the return, no video is better than a bad video.
9. Too many cooks – delegate the final say to one or two people, not everyone needs to be heard for one video, if there are too many people all trying to have their say demanding that their information is the most important etc. you end up with the aforementioned busy, over informative, unclear video that nobody wants to see.