Using Video on Your Site… It's Powerful!
If it’s true that “A picture is worth a thousand words,” then a video clip might be worth a MILLION.
In today’s marketing world, hosting a relevant video clip on your website — or even just embedding a meaningful video clip from YouTube — is a smart way to convey your company’s know-how and credibility.
In the past, a construction company might talk about all the great buildings they’ve built and post a few photos on their website. But today, such companies can feature engaging video tours of their projects from start to finish, and include client interviews discussing the company’s process, professional expertise, and relationship with the client, as well as any unique challenges that their company was able to surmount for the client.
Think of all the clever ways you could use video
to tell a story on YOUR company website!
Google structures its search engine rankings to REWARD companies who provide useful information (like videos) on their websites. Google isn’t interested in getting people to come to your website en masse; they’re interested in creating online relationships.
Here’s how it works:
If you take the time to create a helpful video for your viewers and ask them to comment on it, your visitors believe your website provides them with valuable content AND a meaningful interaction. Google rewards your company for creating this online relationship by increasing your search engine ranking. By coming up higher in Google’s rankings, your company’s website is deemed to be more important and more relevant among other websites in your industry.
What’s more — video keeps people at your website longer, which also improves your search engine ranking, since it tells Google that visitors aren’t just coming to your site, staying a few seconds, and then bailing out. They’re finding something to keep them engaged on your site that adds to their online experience with you. Plus, when visitors stay at your site longer, you increase the odds they’ll discover something to purchase. ANOTHER BONUS!
“But, making a video is a lot of hard work.”
Not so anymore! It used to be that trying to shoot and edit a video was a Herculean effort, requiring special talent, tools, and deep pockets. But today, not so much. With items such as iPads, Smartphones, and digital video cameras, it’s never been faster or easier to simply “point and shoot” to make a short video clip for your website. And web tools like YouTube and WordPress make it easy to upload your clip to the internet to share with customers (or potential customers).
Editing software is easy to use and affordable nowadays, too, although there is a learning curve. Have you ever seen those home improvement shows that demonstrate how to rebuild your entire kitchen in a 30-minute segment? They make it seem so effortless. Obviously, a project like that seems quick and easy if done by professionals, but for a novice, it takes much more time and effort. So it is with video editing.
If your project will take more video editing than you have time for right now, consider simply linking to a relevant existing video on YouTube or Vimeo. Both sites are essentially social networks, and the majority of videos offer the ability to embed and share. It's a great way to get your feet wet and make a video connection on your website for your customers.
CAUTION: While linking to or creating a well-done video can add a ton of value to your website marketing, linking to or creating a poorly made or cheesy video can be harmful to your brand and to the customer experience. Don’t add video to your site merely for the sake of having video. Ensure it serves a purpose in your larger marketing plan.
Has video ever influenced your decision to buy online?