Video is nothing new, at least not any more. People are still calling it the next big thing online but the truth is it’s already here now. Whether you’re looking to procrastinate so you can avoid working for a while, or maybe a friend as sent you a link to an amazing YouTube video or perhaps you’ve come across some video embedded in an article you’re reading, video is everywhere and we’re lapping it up. Next time you’re uploading content for your site you might want to think about how you can incorporate some video into it too.
Introduction Videos
One of the most common reasons many businesses shy away from online video is because they don’t know how or what they’d video about. No matter whether you’re selling IT solutions, flips flops or time shares in the Bahamas you’re going to have a brand identity so make it more sociable. Most websites these days still have the classic ‘about us’ page. This usually has little SEO value but it can help with conversions so why not put a video on it? Instead of a page of text from the CEO with a photo have a five minute video where they explain who they are in person and talk about why they set up the business. This will add an extra level of personalisation which helps install trust in your sites visitors which in turn can help increase conversion levels.
Product Demos
This is a perfect idea for any ecom site. If you sell something show it off, show how it works and what its best features are. If you have a website selling clothes have a video of a catwalk, if you sell household appliances have some simple cookery videos that showcase your products and how they can be used around the home, if you sell furniture have a video giving simple DIY or interior design tips. Always try and add some context to your videos so your site visitors can see some practical applications for your products. You should always be proud of your products so let people see how they work.
Testimonials
Everyone knows the value of a testimonial; after all if you’re going to spend money on something you want to know you’re going to be getting your moneys worth. The more sceptical might doubt the validity of these testimonials; after all it wouldn’t be too hard for a web developer to write a few testimonials just to flesh the site out a bit. Now imagine these testimonials are in video format and you can actually see who is singing the praises of that particular product or service? All of a sudden those testimonials have much more power and validity. Of course you can’t send a film crew round to all you customers but you could offer 20% off their next purchase if they simply film a short video of themselves and email it through.
As much as the search engines claim they love video, the spiders crawling your site can’t actually read it so you need to let them know it’s there. Add your videos to your XML sitemap and make sure they’re accepted in your Webmaster Tools account.
Kim works for Solopress press who are a printing company who specialises in leaflet printing
