5 Common Internet Video Mistakes

The Internet is great for selling products worldwide without the confines or cash constraints of more traditional retail outlets. Most brands online produce videos to help with customer acquisition. I’ve advised many startups on their go-to-market strategy and have found that when in comes to producing online marketing videos most people don’t know the proper guidelines. The ‘I’m going to produce a viral video and everyone will buy my product’ idea is a pipedream. In order to truly create viable content for the end-user, companies must take heed and follow these five simple rules:

1. Don’t think that e-commerce video and viral video are the same thing. 
E-commerce videos that work are about products. They don’t have to be exciting or emotional, they just have to convey the information that customers are looking for.

2. Don’t overproduce. 
Lots of retailers and brands think they need to hire an expensive agency and create Hollywood-quality video to sell product. Most successful e-commerce videos strike a balance between quality and cost.

3. Don’t go long.
 Viewers have short attention spans and the best e-commerce videos are short, around a minute or less. These are the ones that have the best click-through and conversion rates. Some products will have more features and need more explanation, so it’s okay to go long when you need to.

4. Don’t hide the videos on your site.
 Videos hidden behind a text link have only a .5 to 2 percent click-through rate. Those with a thumbnail link have a 6 to 14 percent click-through rate. Those embedded right on the page, however, have a 25 to 45 percent click-through rate. Producing video costs the same no matter how you place it, so get the most out of it.

5. Don’t isolate your videos on your shopping channel.
 Do more with your videos, once you have them. E-mail them to customers and embed them on social networks. Make sure they’re optimized for search so that the search engines can find you. Leverage that content and get it in front of as many people as possible.