Why Video Content Fails to Engage and What to Do Instead

By Stewart Gandolf, Chief Executive Officer

If you buy into all the stats, everyone with a smartphone, tablet, laptop and/or desktop computer is immersed in “the year of video marketing.” And that’s pretty much everyone.

Marketing-smart professionals—from retail to health care providers and hospitals—recognize the potential power of the PLAY button to engage, convince and convert. Some of the often-quoted statistics about online video marketing are impressive:

By 2017, three-quarters of all Internet traffic will be video
Nearly all marketers (93 percent) use online video
Site visitors are more likely to buy a retail product if they watch a video
Video in an email boosts click-through rate by 200-300 percent

Effective video needs more than good intentions…

But don’t get caught-up in the immense volume. While the numbers are authentic, and the potential of video marketing to increase leads and conversions is strong…there’s a ton of video efforts that fail big time. Well-intended perhaps, but ineffective.

Here are some of the top reasons that video content will fail to engage visitor/viewers, and perhaps drive them to the arms of a competitor:

The forgotten target audience: Instead: Remember that you are not the intended audience. Dismiss what you like or want and put yourself in the mindset of the intended viewer.

No clear purpose, direction or call-to-action. Instead: Begin with the end in mind, and provide a clear path to the intended and purposeful next step.

Wrong length; too long. Instead: You have less than 10 seconds to grab attention and roughly two minutes to hold the viewer and communicate your message.

Poor story-telling structure. Instead: The human brain is hardwired (not a clinical term) to expect a clear beginning, middle and end. Your message can be lost or confusing without structure.

Multiple messages. Instead: The “more-you-tell-the-more-you-sell” notion doesn’t work here. Focus on delivering a singular idea and do it well.

Post it once and done. Instead: Consider the versatility of a video marketing message that can be appropriately leveraged across your website, YouTube Channel, Facebook page, blog, in email and elsewhere. Your video may not fit everywhere, but it probably can be posted in several locations.

Forget about video SEO. Instead: You may need some technical support for this, but there are specific healthcare Search Engine Optimization techniques for your video marketing messages to effectively reach the intended viewers.

Crummy production quality. Instead: Advances in video technology have driven down costs and increased capabilities, even for a “quick-and-dirty” do-it-yourself effort. But—and here’s the important part—if you want a professional production, know when to hire professional talent.

You’ll find more useful ideas and how-to information about video marketing in our free library, including these titles:

Janet Bowden