By Kemya L. Scott
We live in an exciting time where video is more simple to create and easier to watch and interact with on any device. What’s more, marketing studies show that video converts at higher rates than other types of content. Video means better user engagement, more sharing, more commenting, and more sales. The benefits of adding video grow daily:
- Get your point across more easily – If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million words. You can get across a point, a “how to”, or an explanation of anything in a video much easier than you can with written text.
- Engage your users better – Google Search loves videos. You’ll get more visitors to your website by using original videos on your website due to that fact. Plus, once your audience is there, they’ll spend more time on your site watching videos than doing other things. They may even share your video on social media. According to Zuumsocial.com, video is the most shared form of content on Facebook.
- Video drives more traffic – Naturally, due to coming up more in Google Search, and being shared more than any other form of content on Facebook, it just makes sense that the next benefit is that you’ll boost your traffic by including video on your website.
- Videos are fun – You don’t have to just do serious “how to” videos on your website. You can get creative with explainer videos, and other types of video to make them funny and interesting while also being effective and informative. Use your imagination when creating videos. Today, due to the awesome technology available, ordinary people have the equipment needed to make really good videos. But, you can outsource video creation inexpensively too.
- Differentiate yourself from your competition – Maybe your competition is already doing video, maybe not. Either way, once you create videos, your audience will see how you are different in a way that they may not have realized before. You can feature yourself in videos and build relationships with your audience in a whole new way.
- Videos encourage repeat visitors – Like regular blog posts, a regular video series will increase repeat visitors. As you create a content schedule, your website visitors will enjoy being notified of new additions to your videos, thus increasing their returns to your website. More returns equal more purchases.
These benefits make it clear how important it is that you start thinking of adding video to your websites. Here are some tips to ensure that they work for your users.
- Use HTML5 video tags – Prior to the advent of HTML5, you could only add video using a plug-in of some kind, typically involving Flash. This often meant that many people could not view your video, especially if they were using a mobile device that did not allow Flash. On the other hand, HTML5 has multi-browser support and is the most efficient way to display videos on your website.
- Use plug-ins – If you’re not sure how to code things yourself, you can use certain plug-ins if you use WordPress. A great plug-in to ensure videos can be seen is to use Video.js, an HTML5 video player for WordPress. This can be the best of both worlds. You’ll have HTML5 and Flash available.
- Use YouTube – If you want to be really simple, and don’t mind having YouTube branding on your videos, just upload them to YouTube first, and then use their code to embed into your website. This can actually be an effective way to get new traffic from YouTube directly to your website.
- Use Google Plus – Using Google Hangouts, you can create wonderful videos that you can then upload to your website using either YouTube or other methods mentioned in this section. People love to watch videos with many people talking about a subject of interest to them.
- Ensure that your video has meaning – Don’t just throw up meaningless videos; have a point in each video that you create. Along with a reason for being, have a planned call to action for every single video that you put on your site.
- Keep videos short – Do not put super long videos on your website, as a rule. You can create longer videos if you want to, but in general make them 30 to 60 seconds long. If you want to create longer ones, make them for eCourses or membership websites, and not for the general population who tires quickly with too much information.
You don’t need complicated equipment to create effective and well-made videos. You can use software such as Camtasia Studio, Microsoft Movie Maker, iMovie for Macs, your iPhone, your webcam, and more. You can find what you need from free to very high priced. Take a look around at the different choices, and use a trial run out the free options before spending money.
About the Author
Kemya L. Scott, marketing and social media strategist, teaches her clients how to build a digital presence and increase revenue. Known simply as “Miss Kemya”, she uses a results-focused, “how to” approach when creating effective strategies so clients enjoy tangible results quickly and easily. Connect with her at misskemya.com.
