Video sharing websites are some of the most powerful social media tools that you can take advantage of to expose your business, market your products and services, or interact with your target audience. Among the video sharing sites in the Internet, YouTube has taken the dominant seat. Billions of users view YouTube videos in a day, providing you a vast avenue to broaden your market.

Unfortunately, marketing through YouTube does not entail a simple video upload. Indeed, lots of potholes need to be avoided in order to make all the money and effort in producing your video worth it. We spoke to top experts in the video marketing arena, and they provided us common mistakes that SMEs should avoid when it comes to using this platform.

1. Having Too Much Expectations

Some SMEs and even large corporations think that they just need to upload a video commercial to YouTube and wait for millions of viewers to watch it and be wowed by it. But this rarely happens, according to Sarah Wood, founder of social video distribution and engagement company Unruly Media.

“Yes, there is a massive appetite for online video content, but there are 35 hours of video content uploaded to YouTube every minute, so the competition for eyeballs is intense,” explains Wood.

Thus, you have to be realistic about expectations when it comes to the success of your YouTube video. In fact, there are thousands of high-quality company-made videos in YouTube that only has a few thousand views.

To increase your chances of success, you need a thorough promotion and distribution plan. “You need to think through why you’re on YouTube and what you want out of it, then tailor the content and the delivery strategy appropriately,” says Matt Smith, director of strategy The Viral Factory, a digital agency. “Putting content on YouTube is step one, step two is getting out there and promoting it.”

Social media strategist for creative video agency Bars + Tone Justin Gonzales believes that businesses must devote time and resources so their videos would go viral.

“Try using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to get your social strategy started—then promote your video using those vehicles. At the very least, friends and family are a great way to get a video to start circulating,” advised Gonzalez. “After all, you put money into making the video, so you better do it justice and get it in front of the right people.”

2. Limiting yourself

Just because you have to keep your expectations realistic does not mean that viral video success is out of the question. Innovative social media tools, which include video-sharing sites, have made the playing field level so you can compete with larger businesses.

“There are plenty of small brands that think they need to be a Nike or an Adidas to be successful in social video,” Wood said. “This is simply not true! Any brand, large or small, can score a hit in social video.”

A great example would be the Alphabet Photography’s Christmas Food Court Flash Mob (search on YouTube).  In 2010, it was one of the surprise hits over the holiday. It had more than 30 million views and almost 773,000 shares on the blogosphere, Twitter, and Facebook.

3.  Treating Your Video Just Like a Commercial

Some businesses think that when uploading a video in YouTube, they are broadcasting a TV advertisement only that it is done free of charge in the Internet. An SME can reach a global audience rather than a localized one.

However, you have to remember that YouTube is mainly a social medium, not advertising medium. It is about engagement and interaction, not solely promotion. If you are entering the platform with an old media perspective in mind, then you are missing out a lot.

“When you go into online video with the understanding that it can do more than just sell a product or service, you’re already ahead of the game,” Gonzalez explains.

You have to realize that YouTube is a social channel where people want watch fun and engaging content that strike their emotions. Furthermore, they want to discuss the content with others, airing out opinions, clarifying information, or even engage in a debate. Thus, hitting them smack with a pure and strong sales pitch is not going to work well for you.

“YouTube requires as much thought as any other social media channel and shouldn’t be looked at as a dumping ground for marketing videos,” Gonzalez advises. “Everything you post should represent your brand’s personality and inspire some type of reaction from your viewers—whether it’s provoking thought, laughing out loud or making a purchase.”

4. Focusing only on YouTube

YouTube may be the biggest video-sharing platform there is, but it is not the only video-sharing website in the world. Also, because of the overabundance of uploaded videos, it is increasingly difficult to create a video that will rise to viral status.

Thus, utilize other video sharing sites. For instance, Vimeo is preferred by creative professionals since they regard it as a more credible platform the YouTube. SMEs that are in the action-sports industry can upload their videos to Mpora. Funny or Die is an effective outlet if you want to expose comedic videos. These platforms have fewer subscribers than in YouTube. With fewer subscribers, you have lesser competition.

“Businesses that want to leverage the word of mouth potential of social video need to focus away from just YouTube and explore the world of social video that exists beyond YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook,” Wood recommends.

5. Considering the Number of Views as Basis for Success

Many businesses upload their videos hoping to get millions of viewers. But does that ultimately translate to sales and accomplishment of your company goals? In the video-sharing arena, stats are not indivative of success—meaningful content is.

Wood states, “At Unruly, we place a greater emphasis on brand engagement, so we also look at the number of times a video has been shared on various social media platforms, time spent with the video and uplift in relevant brand metrics.”

Gonzales agrees with Wood’s explanation. “Sometimes, marketers get bogged down in looking at the metrics and trying to determine whether the number of video views really made a difference in the bottom line, or whether it was just enough to build buzz around the product or service. When you can clearly define why it’s necessary for your business to be on YouTube, you’re ready to move on to the next steps.”

Use YouTube wisely to let your business soar to greater heights.