Three Pitfalls to Avoid When Making Your First Video Ad

'I Know a Guy'

The first pitfall to avoid is thinking, "I know a guy." Too often, business owners decide to cut their first corner by hiring a friend or family member to handle their video production needs because they love movies or are passionate about a TV show like The Sopranos or Game of Thrones. I'm a big fan ofER, but I have never been to medical school, and you don't want me to perform your colonoscopy. Avoid the "I'll get my nephew to do it" mindset and have a seasoned production company specializing in advertising make your commercial.

'To Thine Own Self Be True'

Often, clients lose sight of the "why" and want to create something flashy rather than show potential customers why they should choose their businesses.

On more than one occasion, I've had a client reference a commercial they saw during the Super Bowl. I always ask them two simple questions. What was the product or service from that ad? Who was the target demographic? In many instances, they can’t tell me if that flashy spot was for a car company, a light beer, or a dating app.

That becomes the eureka moment. At that point, most clients realize the importance of creating a clear message for their target demographic. Your business should have a straightforward, easily digestible message to your target audience. Focus on what matters most: lead generation to grow your business.

'The Path of Least Resistance'

In the "old days," an advertiser's job was to get the client to visit your place of business. As the world has become more sophisticated, we have inadvertently muddied the waters regarding achieving specific KPIs.

For example, I had a client who wanted to generate leads for his website. During the final stages of post-production, he requested that the street addresses of all three of his locations, phone numbers, and web addresses be shown on the screen alongside the call to action.

His first problem was too much information on the screen at a time.

When exposed to a visual like that, the human brain can only interpret a finite amount of information. However, the biggest problem was that adding store locations diluted the goal of attracting clients to his website.

To achieve your goals, you should provide your customer with the path of least resistance. If you want them to visit your website, provide the URL or a QR code that leads them directly there. When a customer gets to your site, it should direct them to your product, package deal, or store locations. Your commercial should make it easy for your audience to go from curious shoppers to regular customers.

In Conclusion

You're in business to make a profit. By avoiding these three pitfalls when you create your video ad, you'll increase the likelihood of a successful advertising campaign and of seeing a healthy return on your investment.

My advice is to work with your local Optimum Media advertising partner. Our team of experts will provide valuable expertise and guidance through the process and help ensure that your message reaches your target audience in the most compelling way possible. This journey is so much easier to navigate with the Optimum Media sales team on your side.

This article was written by Luis Gomez, Optimum Media Production Specialist

Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.

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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.