1. You’re selling again! It’s probably one of the most challenging aspects of being on camera to promote your business and that is, not to sell. Being on camera, no matter how experienced you are on stage or on the courtroom floor, is still somewhat uncomfortable. Our first inclination is to start pitching our services and that’s why it’s important to really prepare what you will be saying on camera prior to your videotaping. Answering questions on camera can create compelling content or use video testimonials and let your satisfied clients do the selling for you!

2. You publish on YouTube and that’s it! While YouTube is part of an overall marketing strategy for a successful video campaign, it should not be the only place you publish your videos. The key is creating lots of interesting content and publishing it on many channels.

3. You go the DIY route! Quality matters for many things and video is no exception. If your video will be used to represent your firm or business, then it should be a good one. This means good sound quality, lighting, visuals, and performance. People will judge your firm based on the first impression they get from your videos.

4. You only have one! While one video is better than no video, the fact is that the more videos you publish online, the better chance you’ll have of getting them found on search engines.

5. It’s too long! The best kinds of videos are short 2 minute clips that engage the viewer with a topic that he or she is interested in. Remember that less is more when it comes to the length of your videos.

6. Your video is not a video! Today the term ‘video’ is used loosely. Some call PowerPoints with audio a video, or a photo montage with audio a video, but the fact is, a video of you as you share valuable information to your online audience will go a lot further in building trust than photos with music.

7. You look uncomfortable! As we mentioned, being on camera can be tricky and unless you’re on camera all the time, it can be challenging to appear natural. But that’s what you must do, be natural, look relaxed. This is where an experienced production team can help as they direct you.

8. You’re not tracking the results! There are several ways to determine how a video is performing. Since videos are used both to drive traffic and convert web visitors, the responses are of course, different. You can track your search results by using Google Alerts (Just make sure you match the titles of your videos with the terms you want to keep track of), but tracking conversion is more challenging. There are custom video players you can purchase that will give data or you can simply ask your prospects personally if they’ve seen your videos. Most likely they will say “yes, that’s why I called.”

9. Your videos are buried in your website! Remember that you only have a very short window in which to capture your web visitors’ attention and video has been proven to add “stickiness” to websites to keep visitors from leaving so soon. Put video on the home page and make sure it’s on the upper half of the page not lower. Having video on the home page could make all the difference between your visitor staying longer on your site or clicking out quickly to your competition.

10. You didn’t tell your network! When you create your educational/informational videos, remember to promote them within your personal network. Promoting them on your website and on search engines is important, but don’t leave out those associates and friends in your inner circle who can support you by sharing them with others on social sites.