Is video important for a business website? There’s no doubt about it. Savvy businesses want to capitalize on this effective marketing technique and are adding video to their websites and Social Media profiles in an effort to better communicate with prospective clients and customers.
These potential clients and customers are busy and don’t have much time to spend reading sales copy, but will take the time to watch a short video of a business that they are considering buying from. With video, businesses can engage customers in ways that motivate them to take action.
Video marketing works whether that business is a B2B or B2C. It allows companies to add a more human aspect because videos can feature the president or the owner of the company speaking to potential customers. As the old saying goes, people do business with other people. In other words, people like to buy from others they feel they know or have a connection. Through the use of videos, it allows the company to make a personal connection and seem more accessible. Videos show your business, product or service in a light that words simply cannot.
Another benefit of adding video to your marketing program is that videos allow a behind-the-scenes look at your corporation. So, for example, a potential client who is 1,000 miles away is still able to get a look at your warehouse operations or see a product demo. Video is also mobile so most video can be viewed on any device in any situation where the person has wifi.
So, what about the statistics? Does video help improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and your organic listings? You bet it does. One of the first reasons is that Google owns You Tube and videos are indexed very quickly. Adding video to your site can actually help it come up higher in search engine ranking. It is important to put keywords in the description to help get ranked by search engines as well.
Got a Facebook Fan page for your business? Video helps with that too. Facebook no longer ranks status updates by the most recent. While their exact algorithm is unknown, it is true that video and images do help your page to rank higher in the status listings with your fans than those that don’t have it. Of course, the more exposure of this nature, the better.
Dos and Don’ts of a Marketing Video
Do:
- Keep is short – one minute and under
- Include pictures of your office, workers and satisfied customers
- Tie the message to your customer’s current state of mind (ex. Relate it to a holiday)
Don’t:
- Use copyrighted music
- Make a video where it is hard to hear or understand you
- Leave them wondering, “What next?” – Have a call to action
Technology has made it easier to than ever to create videos. Webcams can capture your message and there are several inexpensive video-editing programs on the market today. If you still don’t feel comfortable editing or making them yourself, try sites like Elance.com, Guru.com or Odesk.com. Whether your business is large or small, there’s simply no reason not to embrace video marketing.
