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The investment marketers are making in video is significant. In many cases, consumers simply prefer video, and the availability has made it a priority for marketers to develop. However, according to Kipp Bodnar, CMO of Hubspot, there are some areas where marketers are making mistakes with regards to video and some big opportunities to leverage video. Below are Bodnar’s thoughts.
Kimberly A. Whitler: As we head toward 2020, what do you think is the biggest opportunity with regards to video?
Kipp Bodnar: Right now, people spend 6 hours a day watching video, and that number is growing. So marketers know that there is a lot of opportunity with video, but many are getting a lot wrong. They are afraid of it. Going on camera causes a level of fear…it’s not the same as publishing a piece of content.
Whitler: Any examples of what marketers are getting wrong?
Bodnar: Marketers often measure success based on whether the video goes viral. But only .0001% of all videos reach that level. If that is success, then almost all marketers are failing. The availability of video has also allowed marketers to create more personal, authentic video, which 86% of consumers say that they want, but there are also mistakes being made. For example, marketers often try to have a video do too much because they can require a lot of work to produce. For example, a marketer will try and turn a video that was made for a specific audience at an event into a video ad or video for their email nurturing causing those programs to fail because that video isn't the right one for them.
Another example, marketers should make sure that they are building an experience around video—it shouldn’t be passive. The enables viewers to comment, share, and drive higher levels of engagement. Including in-video CTAs and forms can help make video interactive. Great video experiences are always contextual. So a CTA can't pop right up at the start of a video. Instead it needs to be tied to a moment in the video where there is a clear action to take that builds of the story you are telling.
Hubspot
Whitler: If you had to identify the single biggest mistake marketers make with video, what would it be?
Bodnar: The biggest mistake is not understanding the purpose of video. There are two types of video: 1) video that has a known audience (i.e., a conference, a video on a product page) – in these cases, you know who the target is and understand them deeply, and 2) video that doesn’t (i.e., building a YouTube channel). Marketers try to use the former to achieve the second objective. It doesn’t work.
As an example of the first type of video. We created a very highly polished video for the people at our conference. It was going to be on a big screen – professional quality. That same video on YouTube looks like an ad. All of the impact of the experience doesn’t come through on a small mobile device. And nobody wants to hear about our brand positioning on YouTube. To create videos that pull people in it might be a how-to video or here is our weekly live news show. That will pull new people in and subscribe to your channel.
Whitler: It sounds so obvious. Why do some make this mistake?
Bodnar: They get in love with the message they want people to know versus the message that people want to hear. They are inwardly focused as opposed to outwardly focused. The key is to stay focused on the type of audience and the purpose and let the video design flow from that.
Join the Discussion: @KimWhitler
