6 Reasons Why Videos May Not Work for Your Small Business

Are you falling under the spell of all the social media Zen Masters telling you the next big thing in social media marketing is adding video to your repertoire? There’s a reason why many are predicting great things for video in the upcoming year. And it’s not just because some are in the video production business and stand to gain from the trend.

It actually goes way beyond all that. What the Oracles of the Internet are observing is the number of daily downloads on YouTube, which are staggering. You may not have realized but YouTube now registers more than 2 billion video downloads every day. That’s a ridiculously large number. For the non-mathematically inclined (like me!), try imaging 2 billion minutes strung together. In only 24 hours, we humans are watching some 7,600 years of video footage on the Internet!

Starting to see what the excitement’s all about? Marketers, as you can imagine, are emitting nervous giggles as they ponder the potential: create a viral video and watch your product will go nuclear overnight, or at least that’s how it’s supposed to happen.

Nowadays every company is wondering how they can harness the power of video to generate leads, educate customers and boost their brand. Some call it “edutainment.” Most consider it part of a smart marketing strategy.

Before you run out and hire a video production company, you may want to learn why videos may NOT work for lots of small companies. [Caveat: videos can work for some companies, perhaps even yours; but care must be taken to make sure it’s truly the wisest way to spend your precious marketing dollars.]

1. Cost: Unless you’re a video professional and can write a good script on your own, paying a professional to make a video can be expensive. When you compare the cost to the potential benefits, it doesn’t always make financial sense. Just be sure the ROI justifies the cost.
2. Not all videos go viral: Some companies are better suited to go viral – consumer product companies are an obvious example. Many B2B companies, however, aren’t suited for viral videos given the often irreverent, campy or off-color ingredient that goes into the making of viral videos. Customers of B2B companies expect information about complex products and services, not an attempt to be clever and humorous. If anything, B2B videos should address helpful value-add topics like how to get more out of a product or software.
3. Time crunch: Videos can be good communication tools but they take time to view. And time is a commodity in short supply among business professionals. Here’s the thing, videos must be viewed in linear fashion to be processed effectively, which means a busy executive may not have the patience to wait for a 5 minute video make its point. Written communication, on the other hand, can be scanned and processed allowing the seed of your marketing message to get planted for later nurturing.
4. Lost in Space: As videos become more popular for marketing, finding a way to differentiate your company becomes harder. Making a memorable video is a lot harder than it looks. [All you have to do is take a look at some of my home videos!] What that means is if you’re going to produce material that impresses the senses and engages the Gray Matter, you’ll have to spend more money to raise the overall production quality. Eventually, video marketing a business will become passé as tons of content is created for way too little interest – every Tom, Dick and Mary in marketing will make sure of that.
5. Beware experts: One thing social media marketing has proven over the last 5 years or so since it arrived on the marketing scene is that self-professed experts are a dime a dozen. One sure fire reason why some companies will fail at using video is that some will hire a video expert only to find out, belatedly, of course, that the expert is one in name only and lacks the experience that goes with the title. A recently laid-off corporate lifer who goes out and purchases some video equipment, takes some video courses and sets up a website is not necessarily the best resource for your video production needs. Make sure you fully vet those so-called experts before engaging their services. Talk to their customers and review their previous work closely to make sure it aligns with your company’s marketing requirements.
6. Talking heads: News flash! Not everybody wants to see us try and make videos in our home office. Mispronunciations, umms and ahhs, poor lighting and sketchy sound make us look like amateurs, which is what most of us are! Unless you are a professional or are working with one, it’s probably wise to stop trying to be the next David Letterman of marketing.

If you still think video is the right tool to use when communicating with customers, prospects and the general public, then do yourself a favor by conducting some due diligence before settling on a provider. Don’t be afraid to ask them if your company would truly benefit from video marketing. Some firms – the honest ones – will shoot straight with you and let you know if you’re wasting your money or not.

Even though I’m a print oriented guy because of my PR and marketing communications background, I see how video can be a great way to get your message out. I am, however, reluctant to march headlong into video just because thought leaders are beating the drum. The true impact of social media on branding and sales is still so hard to quantify that, unless video is just perfect for your market and industry – and you have the budget! – it’s probably prudent to postpone the investment.

The Oscars can wait until next year.