Video has evolved. No longer only associated with television, video has made its impact on the web in various forms. Whether it’s user-uploaded video clips (YouTube) or full episodes of TV shows (as most major TV networks have done), the online community is now up to speed, literally, to not only store long video clips, but also offer easy playback ability via the web. Updated technology such as Flash Video allows conversion of once very large AVI and MPEG clips to be compressed to a file format that can serve not only quickly and smoothly, but with a manageable file size to be viewed by anyone with an internet connection.
But how can you use video on your own website to enhance your product and branding?
To start, keeping it simple is always the way to go. Video is a way to push a lot of content and visuals directly to the user via a single source, so use that to your advantage. A simple greeting video from the president of the company, along with some strong statements about the services offered, is always an effective personal introduction to a potential client.
Using a video for presentation purposes is another effective use. Instead of having a PowerPoint file of a presentation posted to the site as a downloadable link and entrusting a user to download and play the file back locally, setting up the presentation in video format along with an insightful narration has many benefits. You can set up the visual presentation along with your specific narrative, noting key points to what the user is seeing on the screen, and pacing the video as you would when giving a face-to-face presentation. This allows a more personalized and targeted message that you want to convey to any site user interested in your product.
It’s all about enhancing the user experience. A website’s main purpose is to present information on your product/business to users who are interested in it, and to get them to contact you regarding your services. Most users quickly browse websites looking for specific content related to their needs, using a search engine or directory portal to guide them to the most relevant sites. But studies show that most users will watch a video if presented with one on a site.
In the end, the biggest goal is closing the sale of your product. Increasing the percentage of sales to the amount site visitors is what matters, and video can be a most effective tool in converting visitors to clients.