As Youtube and the many other video streaming services continue to eclipse broadcast media, the landscape of advertising and digital marketing is changing. Many people don’t read much any more and prefer to find information through other mediums than written text. For this reason, many businesses use video content to promote their message and sell their goods or services. In a constantly changing digital landscape, adapting to the trends is essential if you want to avoid being left behind. Though text-based content will always be necessary, it makes sense to embrace different platforms to maximise the potential number of users who are seeing your campaigns. In this article, we discuss the reasons you need video content on your website in 2019.
Brevity and Clarity
A popular trend in video marketing content is short, concise and clear productions that are easy to understand and very direct. If you can hold your audience’s attention for sixty seconds or so, you can potentially convey a lot of information that they will remember and be able to react to immediately. Unlike a page of say three to five hundred words that can take a while to read, especially for those who perhaps don’t read for pleasure or who don’t have well developed English skills, a video can be consumed and more importantly, understood by a wider selection of potential customers. Logos, colour schemes and more abstract things like your brand tone of voice can all be presented in the first few seconds of a recorded video, which makes this medium a popular choice for landing pages or about us sections. Website users can simply click on the video link and watch for a minute, rather than having to click around your whole site to get an idea of what you do. Though you will still need to have written content that offers a little more depth than a basic, quick video, as a tool to engage people initially, this is one of the most powerful available in 2019.
Using video on your site allows you to put a face to your brand or business, which is generally something consumers respond well to. Videos that include staff or business owners talking openly and honestly have been proven to increase customer confidence quite significantly. When people feel as if they can connect with the real people behind the website, the logo and the campaigns, they often feel more confident when making a purchase or using a service. Some of the most successful organisations regularly post “day in the life” style videos that show what happens during an average working day. This can work for a couple of reasons. Firstly, web users often like to sit back and be entertained rather than having to actively engage with a body of text. Secondly, allowing people an insight into how your business works, who carry out the day to day tasks and how they are done demonstrates that you are proud and confident of the what you are doing.
Whether you’re embedding the video on to your site directly or using a platform like Youtube, you always have the option to add direct links to your online store or service in the description. This simplifies and speeds up the whole process significantly. In videos that talk about new products, you can mention that consumers can simply click on the link below, rather than searching through an online store, which saves time for everybody concerned. This technique is particularly effective for websites that host a lot of products in numerous different categories. People are busy in 2019 and they often don’t have the time or the inclination to spend more than a couple of minutes looking for what they need. If you post a series of videos that promote your newest or best-selling products in a prominent place on your site, you’re giving your business the best chance of maximising sales. Though you don’t necessarily have to use a “hard sell” approach, signing off a simple, conversational video that talks about your new products by explaining how to order immediately is tried and tested technique that works for almost everybody.
Keep Your Users Coming Back For More
Ultimately, you want to ensure that your visitors are spending as much time as possible on your website. If you’re honest with yourself, how many times have you spent a little longer than you intended watching videos on youtube, rather than doing the work you are supposed to be getting on with? Procrastination is human nature and people love entertainment. Its possible to use this fact to your advantage. Weekly vlogs or roundup style videos can be great as they encourage people to come back to your site on a regular basis. Similarly, series style videos that explore certain product lines or even news trends in your sector can encourage users to continue watching for longer, which is great news for things like SEO and your web statistics. Providing entertainment, information or news as well as the products and services you offer means that your users are more likely to make your site one of their “go to” or regularly visited places online. Though it may seem a little simplistic, the more time people are spending on your site, the more likely they are to use your products and services. There’s no need to extol the virtues of what you do in a particularly overt way if you already have genuinely engaging video content that your users want to see. Try to think about video content from the perspective of a casual internet user, rather than a business owner. If you find yourself bored, confused or otherwise disengaged, the chances are that your customers will feel exactly the same way. Focus on content that makes you want to keep watching, rather than content that seems like a blatant, one-dimensional advert.
