Sunday 3 November 2013

Why a business video is the best marketing tool

Why a business video is the best marketing tool

As a business, you have invested dollars, time and effort in your website. And you understand the importance of attention-grabbing content for converting visitors into customers. Fresh, eye-catching content is a must, and the video is the best marketing tool you can have.
As an exercise, search the keywords for your business and check the results for video thumbnails. If there are none or few, you have a potential advantage if your website has a video.
Ultimately, the main elements of a quality video are great music, good writing and clever design. So, where do you start?
First, not just any old video will do. The bar has been well and truly raised. Second, video production is a complex undertaking, which is why you may need the assistance of a professional videographer. However, even before you engage a videographer, here are some tips for producing a video that people will want to watch. Remember, people skim text, but a moving picture will grab their attention every time.

Everyone loves a story

Everyone loves to be entertained by a story. More and more companies are beginning to understand the important of the narrative. It’s all about capturing hearts and mind. When you tell a story, you are more likely to engage your viewer in a deep, personal way. For inspiration, see Activate Your Business’s video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uyz3Fi7zDs. It was voted the world’s best small business video in 2010.

What’s in it for me?

The viewer wants to know: “What’s in it for me?” People come to your website because they are looking for a solution, so skip the facts and figures and focus on the benefits. Be direct about why they should take notice. Use quantifiable numbers, for example, “This will reduce your production costs by 30%” or “When you use this product, you’ll only have to reorder every six months instead of every two.”

Have a hook

A hook is vital for engaging the viewer. Think of the way television commercials hook you in. Remember the Guiness ads? See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69MpLiYhsXw.

Think visually

Video is a visual medium, with sights and sounds, and great for showing rather than telling. Combining sights and sounds in a story will stay with your audience for much longer than words alone.

Call to action


What do you want the viewer to do? Tell them. Ask for that order. Explain how they go about purchasing your service or product. You've told the story, you've provided the solution, now it’s time to sell your service or product.

Until next time,
Paul

Seven Reasons to have Website Videos

Seven Reasons to have a Website Video

With millions of websites on the internet and all of them competing for consumer attention, it’s important to make your presence known as effectively as possible. It is one thing to get someone to view your website, but it’s an entirely different story to get them to stay on your website, look around, and actually purchase your products or services. Having a website video is just the thing you need to make your website stand out among the millions of websites available on the internet.

Grab Their Attention
Most consumers are busy and have limited time to surf the web. Therefore, you need something that will grab their attention the moment they arrive at your site and keep them there. A website video will enhance your site, give your viewers an interactive experience, and increase your chance of making a sale.

Watch not Read
Many people like to multi-task. If you have a video on your website, it will allow viewers to watch and or listen to your presentation while doing other things at the same time. Often times if a viewer only has the choice of reading what is on your website; they will skim through it hitting the high points and will skip everything else. This can lead to boredom, not getting full information regarding your products and services and may decrease the likelihood of making a sale.

Demonstrations
A website video is the perfect way to show off your products. Everyone loves new products but they are sometimes hesitant to make a purchase unless they fully understand the functionality of the product. You should consider making a website video demonstration, highlighting how a particular product works or to describe your services in detail.

Optimization
The whole purpose of search engine optimization is to maximize the visibility of your website among the millions of other sites currently on the internet. Having a video on your website will help drive a higher volume of traffic to your site and traffic equals sale.

Omnipresence
Amid busy lives and hectic schedules, we would all love the ability to be everywhere and accessible to everyone all at once. A website video enables you to do just that. Web video is fast becoming as commonplace as text on a website just much more convenient and informative to viewers. Simply put, if you don’t have a website video, you are behind the times and losing potential sales.

ROI
Websites offer a better return on investment versus traditional text filled web pages by improving the favorability of your brand, products, or services. Website video helps consumers become more aware of your brand, which in turn will improve sales.

Believability
Website videos help lend believability to your company, products, and services because it enables viewers to see your business in action and have a one on one experience. In addition, a video can highlight testimonials of past customers, which will help lend credibility to your company and increase sales.

As you can see, there are many reasons for having a website video. If you are trying to heighten visibility, give potential customers a more interactive experience, and encourage more sales, you should seriously consider creating a video.


Until next time,
Paul