Video is now an essential component of digital marketing and its popularity is continuing to rise. If you want to attract and retain visitors to your website, it’s highly important to include video. However, it isn’t appropriate on every page. Here’s why and how to use video strategically on your website to engage audiences and increase conversions.
Consumers love video. It really is that simple. On average, users spend a full 88 percent longer on websites that include video, which allows your brand message to sink in much more effectively. In addition, including video on your website can increase your organic traffic from search results by 157 percent!
This is partly because video makes your website easier to find online. Websites including video now account for 70 of the top 100 listings in search results.
This demonstrates that if you want your website to be working for you as effectively as possible, you need to include video. But there are certain do’s and don’ts which it’s advisable to follow if you want your videos to add value and provide the best possible user experience for your customers. Here’s where you should be using them.
Homepage videos
Including a video on your homepage is the ideal way of creating a great first impression for new visitors to your site. Research shows that 70 percent of consumers will have a more positive opinion of a brand after watching a video about it. This, in turn, leads them to want to explore the rest of your website, which is why including a video on your homepage can increase your click-through rate by 30 percent.
Getting ready for the video shoot
A video on your homepage should be a way of introducing people to your business – a company overview video featuring staff members and highlighting the main functions of the business often works particularly well here. Your home page video can also include an explanation of how to navigate the rest of the site, encouraging viewers to explore it further.
Landing page videos
Landing page videos, just like landing pages themselves, are specifically designed for one purpose – usually for direct sales, lead generation or building customer relationships. They are often created solely for specifically paid search or social media advertising campaigns, ensuring that every viewer who clicks on your ad receives the exact message you want them to see.
Because of this, a landing page video usually contains a very direct call to action, such as encouraging viewers to fill out a form or call a phone number. It does not explain anything about the rest of the site or give a company overview as these things detract from the main message.
Capturing the action at clients HQ
Video is a highly effective medium for landing pages because it is so memorable – people retain an average of 95 percent of the information they receive in video, compared to just 10 percent in written text. This is why landing page videos work so well – including a video on a landing page has been shown to increase conversions by over 80 percent, and can make your page 53 percent more likely to show up on the first page of search results.
Video testimonials
Testimonials are a hugely effective way of boosting the profile of your business. Everyone feels more comfortable buying into something that other people have tried and tested, and digital technology has revolutionised the way we obtain the information we need. When it comes to making purchase decisions, 78 percent of consumers now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from people they know. Add this to the fact that 90 percent of us now use video to inform our decisions about the things we buy, and you can begin to see why video testimonials are such a successful marketing tool.
If you don’t have a webpage that focuses on testimonials, you should. This page should contain your written and video testimonials and reviews. In fact, research shows that marketers now rate video testimonials as the most effective type of content. This is because we as consumers have become increasingly cynical about businesses professing their own greatness online – we’d much rather hear about the experiences of real people like ourselves who have tried the product or service before us and had a positive experience with it. Video testimonials add even more of a human touch than written reviews – we can see the person’s facial expressions and read their body language, convincing us even further that they are telling the truth.
This leads on to the golden rule of video testimonials – make sure they are honest and genuine. Consumers are hugely adept at spotting fakes, and being seen as untrustworthy will harm the reputation of your business.
Video on the About page
Just as video testimonials work by providing us with a human experience of a product or service, you can do the same for your company by including a video on your About page. Profile videos featuring the owners, CEO and key staff members enable viewers to put human faces to your business, making you seem more approachable and trustworthy. This creates an emotional connection which encourages long-term brand loyalty. By seeming to speak directly to customers, making them feel valued and special, you will motivate them more to continue to purchase from you in the future.
Video Shoot on Kerferd Road Pier
Videos featuring staff members and your company culture can also yield impressive results when it comes to recruitment. Businesses which are seen to have a talented workforce attract 2.5 times more job applications than those which are not.
Videos detailing your products and services
This is the area where video really scores, whether you’re selling B2B or B2C – four times as many consumers, and 59 percent of business decision makers, would prefer to watch a video about a product or service than to read about it. This is because video enables you to engage your audience, teaching them about what your company offers in an entertaining and involving way. Video can make it easier to explain how things work or generate interest in a service by sparking a human connection with the viewer in a way that no other medium can.
The statistics speak for themselves – 77 percent of consumers have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video about it. This has a direct and dramatic impact on sales across the board, but particularly if you run an e-commerce store, where product videos can increase sales by a huge 144 percent!
Video is the future of marketing, so it’s important to make the most of the opportunities it offers. By including honest, engaging, professional videos on your website, you can boost the profile of your brand, increase your sales and build relationships with customers that will last a long time.
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