The Benefits of Using Video on a Website
If your company’s website is currently running without any video, you’re missing out on some serious perks. Jonathan Sitbon points out that visitors to your website will stay an average of two minutes longer if the site features video content. He stresses that no other form of content can increase conversion and engagement rates like video. So what kinds of opportunities come with using video on your business website?
Your Website is an Experience
First, we have to understand that, as Doug Ridley puts it, websites are no longer “static brochure[s].” Video allows your visitors to have a fuller, more interesting experience of your site. Often, video can be a sort of temporary escape.
You certainly don’t want visitors to seek an escape from your website. But website videos can provide a controlled escape directly into the world of your brand. By including strong visual storytelling and enjoyable content in your video, you reward visitors for watching and direct them to your original goal even more.
Video also allows you to give your customers better explanations of your products or services. A picture might famously be worth a thousand words, but research shows that a minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. Explainer videos can do a much better job of reaching visitors than text.
With two minutes of video showing the product, the way it works, and most importantly, its benefits to customers, you’ll have far more time spent on your website per visit and far more conversions.
Google Loves Video
Video can substantially increase SEO (Search Engine Optimization). You want your company’s name and products to show up at the top of the list when people search for them, and Google loves videos. A website that contains video is 53 times more likely to show up first on Google than one that doesn’t. Use exciting and enticing titles and captions for your video, and you’ll see even better search engine results.
Show, Don’t Just Tell
Video on your website also creates stronger customer testimonials. Testimonials matter to customers, a lot more than advertisements. Fully 42% of American adults report that they trust consumer reviews online. But only 10% trust website ads and only 9% trust messages from brands. Trust of testimonials increases when the testimonial is delivered in video form.
Think about how a written sentence, attributed to a customer, compares in credibility to a filmed customer praising your product. The written testimonial feels flimsy, and brings only the bare minimum of a personal touch. The video testimonial feels far more authentic to the audience. It brings something more engaging to experience—a moving, speaking person that promotes your brand.
When you use video on your website, you’ve also got a chance to show off your company’s culture. Like the video testimonial, it’s a place to send a truly human message. “This is who we are, why we’re unique, and why we’re proud to provide the products or services that we provide”. It’s a way to promote your company without an overt focus on sales.
People want to know the company they’re buying from on a human level; they don’t want to simply be a revenue opportunity for a faceless organization. So the next time you have a company event, film it. Show off your smiling employees. Let your visitors see that your company celebrates its people.
Visual Storytelling Connects with Viewers
You can also use website videos to explain to tell your business’ origin story. There’s a reason the ‘origin story’ approach is so common in superhero films. People can relate better to your company if you’re open to discussing pre-success stages and the personal stories of founders and early team members. It’s a great way to show that you’re not just a logo seeking profits.
Most companies start as a dream, and grow through hard work—that’s a great story to tell. It’s also a story that, like a culture video, increases customer loyalty to you as a company, not just as a product line. When your customers believe in your people and respect your mission, they’ll be easier to retain and more likely to recommend your business to friends and family.
And then there’s one more great personal touch that video can accomplish for your website: gratitude. When you make a video that thanks your customers, as author Alex Ioannidis explains, you make them want to come back. While a lot of the above personal elements of video resulted in higher engagement, this kind of video is about retention.
The best part? When you thank your customers, you don’t need to make a video with Hollywood-scaled production costs. In fact, a little roughness tends to feel more authentic to a customer. Think of the warmth of a hand-written, paper thank-you note when compared to an email template.
Give Customers an Inside Look at Your Company
Another great reason to have video on your website is to give customers an inside look at events and presentations. These are the types of content that customers normally don’t have access to unless they were invited. They likely don’t even know about the trade shows or seminars your company has attended or hosted. What’s more, a text-only discussion of a recent event won’t cut it. Viewers know that events are heavily photographed and filmed. So show them the video they already expect you to have made. It’ll combine some of the best parts of the ‘personal touch’ approach with a bit of a look behind the curtain at your industry.
With this above-and-beyond effort to show customers the big moments in your year, you’ll leave viewers feeling more trusted and connected to your brand. Remember, customers want to trust and value your brand. But they also want to feel that you trust and value them. Event videos on your website can send a strong message of trust and value to customers.
Keep Viewers Coming Back to Your Website
Finally, a consistent use of video on your website can encourage repeated visits of your website. Customers will check back with a website that’s known to update frequently with fun and engaging video content. “Every time someone comes back to your website, it is an opportunity to expose them to your value propositions and encourage them to take specific buying actions,” explains Grant Epstein.
Use the techniques discussed above (include thank-you videos, behind-the-scenes looks at events, and other connective and entertaining video content) and you’ll show customers that your site is a wellspring of interesting and worthwhile videos. With repeated visits, one-time customers will come back for more and more. And new visitors will convert to paying customers at drastically higher rates.
Key Takeaways
When you use video on your website, you open the door to a host of options to engage and retain customers.
You can use video to explain your products and services and increase your search engine optimization.
Video can let you showcase testimonials, give customer appreciation, tell your origin story, or provide a look into your company’s culture.
It can even let you bring your customer into the crowd at one of your events.
And once you’ve shown your website to be a consistent source of strong and engaging video, you’ll have customers staying on your site longer and coming back more often.
It’s time to take advantage of these benefits by using video on your business website.