It's getting easier and easier to add video to PowerPoint presentations and that can only mean one thing: more people are doing it – and doing it wrong. Case in point: 12 to 18 months ago, not a single participant in Richard Peterson's presentation seminars was using video, but all 10 participants in his most recent class had included it. And all 10 had done it wrong.

"It's an alarming trend, not unlike the evolution of PowerPoint usage in the 1990s," says Peterson, founder and chief presentation officer of The Presentation Coaching Institute. "Sales people are given architectural training so they know how to use the product, but they're not shown how to deliver a compelling presentation with it." Having witnessed countless sales presentations with embedded video, Peterson says he has identified five common mistakes:

1. Using video because you can. Just as there was a certain "wow" factor to using PowerPoint in its early days, many salespeople now use video because the technology is cool. Instead, embedded video should be carefully considered, should provide a strategic advantage, and should convey an idea better than it could be conveyed in any other medium. "When you're adding video, ask yourself each time, 'What is its purpose?' 'What's the strategic intent?'" says Peterson. "Just as every slide must fight for its life, so must every video."

2. Showing 10 minutes of video at a stretch. The 10-minute video is a common problem. But don't pat yourself on the back if your video is only eight minutes– any clip longer than 10 to 15 seconds is too long, says Peterson. That's all you need to make your point. Not convinced? Think about how much information is packed into a 15-second commercial. And think about how agonizing it is to sit through a commercial that's any longer than that. Now take another look at your 10-minute video. With inexpensive editing software, you can cut, cut, cut, and pare that video down to its most essential pieces.

3. Failing to provide viewing guidelines. Most reps launch their videos by saying something like, "Now I'm going to show you a short video." But that leaves the audience to figure out what's important and what's not. Instead, Peterson says you need to give audiences direction by saying something like, "In the first few seconds of the video, I want you to look for X. Then you'll see Y, and right after that I want you to focus on the lower left-hand corner of the screen where you'll see Z happening." After the video, discuss what everyone saw.

4. Playing video at the beginning of a presentation. This is the worst place to put a video, says Peterson. By starting your presentation with a video, you expose your audience to hundreds or thousands of images that they're trying to process, and you create dozens of questions in their minds. All of which means you've lost control of the presentation before you've even started.

5. Talking during the video. You may think you're being helpful, but you're really just a distraction if you talk while the video is playing. As error #3 points out, state ahead of the video what the audience should be looking for, then be quiet and let them watch.

So how do you do it right? Peterson says one of the most powerful ways to use the tool is with customer testimonials or third-party endorsements. Show a 10-second clip where an end user says a few sentences about the extraordinary results he or she attained with your product or service. Show their name and title in text at the bottom of the screen. And make sure the testimonial is from a heavyweight in the industry of the company to which you're presenting.

Another powerful way to use video is to demonstrate a product you can't demonstrate in a room, such as large machinery. But again, stick with a 10- or 15-second clip. Finally, use video to expose weaknesses. "If you can get access to the prospect's premises and can document some gaps in their processes or systems that they're not aware of, that's powerful," says Peterson.

Armed with this knowledge, go back now and take a look at your video. Is it too long? Is it necessary? Are you delivering it correctly? "If we don't fix these problems, video will get a bad rap, just as PowerPoint has because of users who create rambling, monster-size presentations," concludes Peterson.

For more information, visit http://www.presentationinstitute.com/.