It's Easy as Pie to Add Video to Your Website
Video is a great accompaniment to your website and a tool you should not underestimate. Video can be a very persuasive medium as it personalizes your content and grabs the attention of your audience right out of the starting gate. You’d be surprised how often video isn’t used on many websites. High-quality video will most definitely capture interest and help increase your conversions. And it’s not hard at all. There are a few simple steps to follow to film, edit, and promote your video to add that extra bit of magic to your website.
Begin with Research
Before you grab the camera and start rolling, you need to find out what is already out there. Do your competitors use video on their websites? If so, you need to know about it. You can use the ever popular YouTube to research some of your keywords and see what pops up. Learn from what you see. Are the videos funny or serious? What format are your competitors using? Are they high-quality and professional or amateurish? How many videos have your competitors posted? These are all questions you need to ask yourself that will help you make your own videos. It should also give you a better idea if you want to attempt to make the videos yourself or hire professionally.
You Need A Video-Friendly Format
If you can decide on a format first, this will help narrow your focus for a video topic. There are many formats out there, so it’s okay to be creative. Probably the most popular format is storytelling. This will afford you the opportunity to narrate an experience, which lends an extra dose of personal appeal to your video.
Reviews are also a great format to use. Not only will your audience actually get to see the product, but you can identity those specific elements of the product that you would like to highlight and show off while talking about it. This is your opportunity to show what is so great about your products and services.
Instructional how-do videos are also very commonly search for online. This is where you show your skills to demonstrate something new to your audience. You can give them a step-by-step tutorial, which is a great bonus because so many people learn visually. They need see how a product works rather than reading instructions or looking at pictures.
What is Your Call To Action
What is the purpose of your video? After watching the video, what do you want your audience to do? Usually, the end result is to join a mailing list, or visit your website for more information and to make a purchase. If your goal is to get more email subscriptions, make sure you have an email opt-in form at the end of your video. If you want to drive more traffic to your website, make sure you have a link available for people to click. Even better, have a link that directs people to a specific portion of your website that relates to what your video was about. Make it easy and efficient for people to find what they are interested in.
Quiet on the Set - We’re Recording
Remember all that research you did at the beginning? Now is the time to put it into action. Were the bulk of the videos you viewed high-quality and polished? If so, you will want to seriously consider hiring a videographer for the job. If that just isn’t within the budget, you can do it yourself. Mobile devices have remarkable camera technology these days and can make a high-quality video. The webcam on your computer can also work well for such things as product reviews. Just remember, take your time. Videos are not something to be rushed. It’s going to take time and probably many recordings to get just the right tone for your video.
Edit and Polish
Now that you have all your raw footage, it’s time to piece it together to make your video look spectacular. This is where you might need a bit of extra help, either from a professional video editor or a professional piece of software. If you’re going to be doing more videos in the future, this will be an investment worth doing. If you’re going to edit yourself, be patient. This isn’t something to be learned in a day. It’s also worth checking out YouTube’s Video Editor if you need a less expensive option.
Time to Upload and Post Right?
Ummm…no. You’ve spent a lot of effort to make a stunning video and you don’t want to just post it and hope that people will look at it. To make sure your video gets the most bang, post your video to your social media accounts and promoting it on forums.
Adding video is a great strategy to refresh your content and give your website a bit of a boost. Video can have a long extending reach and can help you gain followers for your business. But with any new skill, it takes time and patience to learn. The effort will definitely be worth it and should give you great results.