Putting video on your site might seem intimidating but it can add a lot of flavor and can save you time and money in the long run. And it could also be the difference between a visitor contacting you rather than a competitor.
You don’t need equipment costing thousands of dollars to create an effective video. You can get a good digital video camera for a couple hundred dollars and software to edit it can be inexpensive, too. But if you have the budget and video will be an integral part of your marketing, go ahead and hire a professional company to do the scripting, and editing of your video.
Here are some ways you can use video on your web site:
Product Demonstration
One of our clients has about 12 demonstration videos of the machinery they build and market. It’s a great way for visitors to see their product in action. You can do the same thing with your product.
We talked to a guy a couple months ago who had a unique product that he created a video of it in action. Though the rest of the site was a mess, the video was very impressive and gave a great view of the usefulness of the product.
Testimonials
Written testimonials are great but how much better would it be if you could get some of your customers get in front of a camera and tell how great you are. You may want to give them a general outline of the type of comments they might say without scripting it for them. The more spontaneous and genuine, the further these testimonials will go.
Video Podcasts
Sometimes people are better communicators in front of a camera rather than in print. If you feel comfortable in front of a camera, you can do a video podcast on a regular basis to talk about what’s going on in your industry or things going on in your company. You can then submit these video podcasts to directories or have an RSS feed so people can keep up to date with you.
An added bonus that you can have video podcast transcribed and then put it on your site. This will help with your search engine optimization. You can also strip out just the audio and use it for audio podcasts that people can subscribe to.
Interviewing Experts
Another way to get video content is to interview industry experts. If you know someone who knows a lot about something you think your visitor would be interested in, then ask them for an interview. You need to take some time to develop a good set of questions and let the interviewee see what you will ask so they’ll have time to formulate ideas. Again, you can transcribe the notes and put them up on your site as fodder for the search engines.
Vanity
We have a relationship with a local company that creates videos where a person walks onto the screen and starts talking. It’s a good way to introduce your company and to make the site seem more human. It doesn’t necessary mean that not having the video will make the site ineffective, but it does add a zing and might impress people to call you. It’s a cool technology.
You could also use video to introduce you and your team. You can have your people introduce themselves in their work environment so visitors can feel connected to your people, especially if you often work with clients remotely.
Customer Support
Sometime it’s better to use a video than written instructions that would be in response to a question. For example, if your products required maintenance, why not make a video demonstrating the different steps doing this, like replacing a filter or lubricating a piece of machinery. It will make your clients happier and will keep your tech support people off the phone and allow you to reduce your number of tech people, saving you money.
Adding Humor to Your Site
I have a section on my main web site that I use several videos just for the fun of it. It helps my clients get a laugh and helps communicate the type of company that I’m running – professional, yet able to have a good time, too.