Five Mistakes You Are Making When Creating Video Content Your video content proves your work dynamically, hence it should be a priority to make sure it's well produced and adds to your marketing strategy.

Producing engaging video content for your business can widen your customer and audience reach. If done right, it serves as an effective marketing tool to enhance your brand's market presence. Your video content proves your work dynamically, hence it should be a priority to make sure it's well produced and adds to your marketing strategy. Here are five mistakes that companies often make when they go about creating video content:

1. Producing poor quality video The days of relying on your phone and producing a shaky poor quality video in the name of "authenticity" are gone. The audience now expects a more polished viewing experience. Don't forget that your video content is an extension of your brand. Produce a poor quality video, and the audience will start to believe you are promoting a poor quality service or product. Perception is reality.

2. Ignoring the importance of sound Audio comprises 50% of your viewing experience. Poor audio can result in your audience giving up on watching the video all together. Make sure to pay attention if filming in public areas. Can an alternate location be used? Is it time to invest in a microphone to ensure smooth sound? The answer is, probably, yes!

3. Over-selling Companies need to remember that viewers tune into video content online to be informed or entertained, not to be sold to. Companies that force their brand and product throughout their video content are unlikely to see the ROI that they need. The most googled terms are "how to" and "how do I," which means your video content will have the highest engagement if it is answering a question and providing knowledge, as opposed to directly promoting your services.

Related: Boosting Online Retail In The Middle East With Video Marketing

4. Expecting too much from one video This is when you believe you've produced one great video, and you don't understand why sales haven't flooded in. Like with most things, this takes time, and video content needs a consistent strategy. It can take 2-3 months to start to see an uptake in your video content. The more visible you are, coupled with the more knowledge you share, will ensure that when clients are ready to pay for your service, since you are at the forefront of their mind.

5. Talking about everything you do in one long video Your video content should never feel like a shopping list. This is not an opportunity to talk about everything you do in one video. A better strategy would be to create shorter 30 second to one-minute videos, each focused on one topic. The average audience online retention is currently at one minute and 40 seconds, and it is consistently getting shorter. That coupled with the optimum durations for different platforms means that in most cases, 30 seconds to one minute and 30 seconds is sufficient to get your message across.

This article was developed in collaboration with Young Arab Leaders (YAL), a pan-Arab, non-profit organization that seeks to promote modern leadership and entrepreneurship among Arab youth, men and women, with a view to improving the socio-economic situation in the Arab world.

As a YAL member, Reim El Houni notes that the caliber of events she has attended with the organization has been unmatched. "They provide exclusive opportunities for members to get up close and personal with some of the UAE's most influential businesswomen and men, offering insight into industries that you may not normally be exposed to," El Houni says. "Their events are exclusive and highly curated and are always worth the time investment. Whether it's their Power Lunches, or their Executive Meetups, you're guaranteed to walk away with a new perspective and insight into the world of business."

To learn more about YAL and be a part of its network, check out yaleaders.org.

Related: Three Steps To Creating Awesome Social Video Content