If you’re going to start using videos on your website as part of your marketing plan, there are a few important things you’ll need to keep in mind when doing any video market research.
Certain elements must be present, both in the video itself and in the way it’s presented, if it’s going to work for you.
If you skimp too much on these things, you might find that your online video is less effective than you hoped it would be.
It needs To Be Strategically Placed
To begin with, if the video is going to do what you plan it to do and be effective for video marketing it needs to be one of the first things anyone sees when they arrive at your website.
One of the main purposes of this video is to introduce people to your business and keep them on the site long enough that they can explore your products or services in more detail.
If they have to go looking through your website to find the video itself, they’re likely not going to stay, and they’ll never see it. So make it very prominent on the first screen they see when they land at your site.
Keep Your Video Production Short And Informative
Another factor that will be important is to let these first-time visitors know the video is short.
The reason you’re using a video in the first place is that unless they’re already interested, nobody has the time to sit and read several long paragraphs of text. For the same reason, they’re not going to sit through a ten-minute video. So you’ll need to keep it short, no longer than two minutes and preferably less, and you need to let them know ahead of time how long the video is.
Make the time stamp quite prominent, and don’t make them guess, or they won’t click on it.
Now, what about the video itself?
What should it contain, in order to be an effective marketing tool for you?
First of all, it should be lively. If you show a video of someone just sitting there talking about the company, like they’re in a board room presenting a report, you won’t keep the visitor watching longer than a few seconds, if that.
That would be the equivalent of making them sit and read long paragraphs of text, which you’re already trying to avoid. So the video has to have some life to it.
Don’t stay on one static shot longer than five seconds; keep things moving. This doesn’t mean you are constantly flashing pictures or shots every five seconds, but that there is constant progress from one thing to another. Take your cue from successful television commercials, and tell a story. Keep viewers wanting to know what the next thing will be, and make them want to know “how it ends.”
Background And Settings Are Also Very Important.
If possible, develop a consistent color scheme, background, and so on, that will project a bit of your company’s identity. And remember that you’re reaching the visitor through at least two different senses: vision and hearing. So it’s just as important to choose a dynamic background soundtrack, with positive music that is upbeat but not overpowering or grating. And choose a good voice for the narration, one that’s strong but not pushy, friendly, and enjoyable to listen to.
This is just an overview, of course, and as you create your video you’ll need to explore each of these elements in detail, to get them right. It could take a lot of trial and error before you’ve got the perfect combination of elements. But all of them have to be there, and once you’ve got everything just right, you’ll be surprised and gratified to discover what good results you’ll achieve.
You will also find a variety of video marketing services who will allow you to upload your marketing videos.