Top 5 Video Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Video is one of the most powerful tools in content marketing today. When done right, it can engage your audience, build brand trust, and drive conversions. But when done wrong, it can push potential customers away before they even finish watching.

At Chatter Marketing Tulsa, we’ve seen businesses make the same video marketing mistakes time and time again. To help you maximize the impact of your video content, we’re breaking down five common mistakes and how to avoid them so your videos drive real results.

Mistake #1: The Hard Sell

Have you ever wanted to hang up on a cold caller or ignore a pushy salesperson? That’s exactly how viewers feel when they watch a video that’s all about selling.

Today’s audience doesn’t want a sales pitch—they want value. Video marketing should educate, entertain, and inspire rather than aggressively push products.

How to Fix It:

• Focus on storytelling instead of sales.
• Showcase the problem your product solves rather than just listing features.
• Use video to build brand awareness and trust before introducing an offer.

Great video marketing guides the audience through a journey, leading them to a buying decision naturally—without feeling pressured.

Mistake #2: No Subtitles

Did you know that 85% of Facebook users watch videos without sound? If your video doesn’t have subtitles, you’re missing a massive portion of your audience.

With mobile-first content dominating social media, autoplay videos are often muted, and viewers are less likely to turn up the volume—especially in public places.

How to Fix It:

• Add captions or subtitles to every video to keep viewers engaged, even with the sound off.
• Highlight key takeaways using on-screen text to reinforce your message.
• Work with Chatter Marketing Tulsa to create professional videos with embedded subtitles for maximum reach.

If your audience can’t hear your message, they won’t stick around long enough to take action. Make every word count—even on mute.

Mistake #3: Videos That Are Too Long

Shorter is almost always better when it comes to video marketing. Social media platforms favor short-form content, and so do viewers.

The Data Says It All:

• Videos under 90 seconds retain 53% of viewers.
• Videos over 30 minutes retain just 10% of viewers.
• Twitter and Instagram limit video length because short videos perform better.

How to Fix It:

• Keep social media videos under 90 seconds whenever possible.
• For longer content, hook the viewer in the first 10 seconds to keep them engaged.
• Break long topics into shorter, bite-sized videos rather than cramming everything into one.

Attention spans are short—make every second count.

Mistake #4: Too Many Messages in One Video

A common mistake businesses make is trying to cram too much information into a single video. If your video has multiple messages, viewers won’t know what to focus on—and they’ll lose interest fast.

How to Fix It:

• Stick to one core message per video.
• If you have multiple points, turn them into a series instead of one long, confusing video.
• Make sure your call to action is clear—what do you want viewers to do next?

A focused video is a successful video. Instead of overwhelming your audience, give them one key takeaway that sticks.

Mistake #5: Making It All About You

Your audience doesn’t care about your company—they care about how your company can help them. Too many brands create videos that focus on themselves, their team, and their products, instead of addressing customer pain points.

How to Fix It:

• Shift the focus from your business to your audience.
• Create videos that answer common questions, solve problems, and provide value.
• Show real-world examples of how your product or service benefits customers.

Instead of talking about your business, make your audience the hero. That’s how you capture attention and build lasting connections.

Final Thoughts: Elevate Your Video Marketing Strategy

Avoiding these five common video marketing mistakes can help your brand create engaging, high-performing content that connects with your audience. Whether you’re producing videos for social media, ads, or website content, the key is to keep it concise, customer-focused, and engaging.

At Chatter Marketing Tulsa, we specialize in creating professional, high-impact video content that gets results. If you’re ready to take your video marketing to the next level, contact us today to start crafting videos that truly make an impact.