With hundreds of millions of registered users logging on and viewing YouTube every single day, it’s no surprise that more and more businesses are tapping into this powerful resource as part of their online marketing strategy. But as with anything, there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle video marketing and if you’re doing it wrong, you may very well be wasting valuable time and resources. Here are 4 common video marketing mistakes and tips on how you can avoid them for your business.

Failing to See the Value of Video Marketing – First and foremost, the biggest mistake a business can make when it comes to video marketing is not using it at all, or treating it as an afterthought. Given the fact that the need for fancy equipment and editing work no longer exists, and the massive worldwide audience of video sites like YouTube, there is really no excuse to not participate in video marketing. 

Assuming Every Video Will Automatically Go Viral – Virality is the goal of any social campaign, but it’s something that rarely happens all on its own. The “if you build it, they will come” concept doesn’t apply with video, especially with some 72 hours of video footage being uploaded to YouTube every minute. If you want your videos to be seen, you have to do some legwork. Promote them on your other social media channels, add them to your website and include them in your email newsletters. The more you get the word out, the better results you’ll get.

Not Paying Attention to the Metrics that Really Matter – Many businesses that embark on a video marketing campaign make the mistake of focusing only on the number of views when they’re assessing their results. The more important thing to consider is the social aspect. It’s more important that you get people talking and sharing your video than simply viewing it. That’s why it’s so important to create dynamic content – because that’s what will ultimately get you the results you want.

Not Approaching it as a Long-Term Endeavor – Just producing one or two videos isn’t going to do anything for your business in terms of successful marketing. Just like any other type of marketing tool, video marketing should be approached as a long-term endeavor that you continuously develop and build upon. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it and it’s something that takes time and patience. 

Video marketing is no longer an option for businesses – it’s becoming a necessity. But if you don’t do your homework and approach it from the right direction, you could find yourself wasting valuable time and resources. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can incorporate video into your overall web marketing strategy to make it much more robust and successful.