Like all of the coolest kids in school, video has been subject to nasty rumors spread by haters. There are plenty of video marketing myths out there that lead to confusion and consternation when it comes to making decisions about whether or not move forward with a video project. If you’ve been holding back from fully embracing B2B video content because of these 5 video marketing myths, we’re here to set the record straight.
Myth #1: Shorter is always better.
TikToks and tweets have convinced a lot of us that shorter content is always better. Sure, we often turn to viral Facebook videos, Instagram reels, or YouTube videos for entertainment. But shorter is not synonymous with better. At least, not always.
Keeping your audience’s interest is far more important than keeping your video short.
There is no easy, cookie-cutter answer for how long your video needs to be. Often, it depends on where you are in the funnel (or flywheel, if that’s more your speed).
At the top of the funnel, you’re working with your largest audience. It’s filled with a bunch of strangers whose attention you crave. But as you move farther down the funnel, your video content speaks to a smaller, more segmented audiences –– and if they’re still in your funnel, that means they’re still interested in buying. As your messaging gets more specific, it can take more time to communicate. And that’s okay. Not only does your audience change lower in the funnel, but the purpose, intent –– and often, the length –– of your content changes, too.
Myth #2: Video is too expensive.
If you’ve read The Video Reformation manifesto, you already know that we believe video is an investment, not an expense.
An old video wives tale claims that you should generally pay $1,000 per minute of edited video. While that’s certainly possible, it’s also a terrible benchmark. We will gladly take $60,000 to deliver an unedited video of your hour-long company-wide presentation. But cutting that speech down to three minutes of groundbreaking wisdom will cost you a lot more than $3,000.
The truth is, video is now accessible at just about any price point. Your budget is simply one more constraint which helps determine the creative approach. Video can be as simple as someone on your customer service team sending a client a personalized video message over email filmed via their webcam. It can also be a Super Bowl ad. It can be an interactive piece of content that greets visitors on your homepage, or an off-the-cuff, inspirational iPhone video you publish to the company’s LinkedIn feed.
There are a million ways to approach video and each comes with its own requirements, and therefore, its own budget. If there’s a will, there’s a way in the video marketing world. Whatever you spend on the video should be a healthy and confident investment in your business.
Myth #3: Video ROI is impossible to track.
Speaking of treating video as an investment, it should also be measured as an investment (eh hem, if you haven’t read our manifesto yet, maybe now is the time).
Over the past decade, the ability to measure video has grown exponentially –– well beyond the YouTube view count.
Now, depending on the video hosting platform you use, you can look at individual viewer behavior, including which parts of the video a viewer watched repeatedly and how many times that video was shared. Additional metrics these platforms can track include:
- How video views have influenced deals
- Which individual contacts, leads, and accounts viewed which videos
- Video views by volume of content watched
- Video Click Through Rates (CTRs)
If you still think that the view count ticker is the only thing that matters when it comes to video, it’s time to renew your AARP card. And besides, viral videos don’t necessarily translate into a return on investment. If a million people watch your video but nobody buys, was it still a success? Instead, define your value metrics early on, track those metrics once you distribute your video, and use that information to determine whether or not the video was a good investment.
Myth #4: We can make it work with non-actors.
“Be wary of using Jerry.”
Often, companies think they can cut corners by utilizing employees as actors. Just because Jerry from HR was Pippin in his hometown’s community theatre summer production, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s right for the part in your company’s recruiting video. Real actors have experience being on set, taking notes from directors, understanding the lingo, and performing in front of a camera.
Using a non-actor will take more time and may end up costing you more in the long run. An actor typically only runs a couple hundred dollars per day, but will undoubtedly save you time and help ensure that your video comes across as polished and professional.
Don’t mistake this advice as contradictory to our personalized video approach; sales team members communicating with prospects and even CEOs delivering messages to new customers are valuable because they are somewhat unpolished (read: authentic). It’s all comes back to understanding the purpose of the video. No, Jerry from HR doesn’t have to star in your “About Us” video, but he should have the permission and resources to welcome new hires to the team through video.
Myth #5: All video statistics you hear are true.
Bad statistics usually become popular because they’re too easy to calculate and even easier to remember. Our least favorite stat, made popular by Forrester Research, claims one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. This bit of subjective nonsense is based off of the hyperbolic saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If a picture is worth 1,000 words and video shoots at 30 frames per second, then the math equates to 1.8 million words for a 60 second video. Though it’s a nice sentiment, calling it a statistic as Forrester does is, well, cray cray.
Another video marketing statistic thrown around is that 82% of internet traffic is video. This one is misleading at best. The originators measured the storage space each medium was taking up, not the amount of content. Of course video will occupy most of the internet; it has the greatest bandwidth of any type of content! Whether you’re watching a live stream, a movie on Netflix, or a cat playing the piano, bandwidth is going to be higher when it comes to video.
Bustin’ myths
Thankfully, the potential for video to transform the way you do business speaks for itself. Here’s one statistic we stand behind: 100% of B2B businesses could benefit from adopting video across their marketing, sales, and customer success teams. See what we did there?
Take a deeper dive into these myths and more in The Video Reformation Podcast, Ep. 20: Busting Video Marketing Myths.