Increase conversions using video marketing with these three insider tips.
Did you know that 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube each minute? Don’t worry, we’re not here to preach about how every single second of amateur video is a beautiful product of a creative and artistic society. In fact, it should come as no shock that the majority of videos drifting aimlessly about the web are complete trash. (Gasp!)
But consider the other side of the coin. According to a video marketing report by Vidyard and Demand Metric, successful video marketing techniques can increase your conversion rates by up to 80 percent. An excellent marketing video answers questions about your business, informs users how they can benefit from your product or service, engages with the audience, strikes an emotional chord and is visually appealing. In fact, video marketing can be one of the most highly influential aspects of your inbound marketing plan.
Now take into consideration that only 19 percent of marketers actually list conversion as a clear objective. Let that sink in for a moment. When conversions are essentially the strongest link in driving your business’s success, how can you possibly afford to conceptualize a marketing strategy without conversions as a goal?
Just because you slap a homemade video up on your site, you don’t automatically get a thousand new customers and a Best Business of the Year Award. Video marketing takes careful strategizing in order to convert. Here are a few basic insights that’ll help you stand out from all those YouTubers.
1. Emotionally Connect with Viewers
It’s no secret that people have short attention spans. In fact, we clocked in at just under the attention span of a goldfish the last we checked. Well, according to Forbes, one reason online video can be so effective is because it brings an actual human face to your business. Our brains are wired to connect with faces, and seeing a real, moving, talking face in a video is huge in building consumer trust. Add in the element of voice, and the result is doubly comforting, since emotion is readily conveyed through facial expression and voice intonation.
We’re not saying you should have a Dr. Phil session on your short video, but don’t just zoom in on your product and use simple text to describe it. You might as well have made a series of static graphics for that. If you’re using video, go the whole nine yards.
- Use an engaging script
- Make sure your image is sharp, focused and set under proper lighting
- Employ high quality audio
- Use interesting transitions between shots
- Consider music
2. Stick to the Five-Minute Rule
Five is one of those magic numbers that’s easy to remember. Conveniently enough, it’s also the maximum number of minutes your video should be. Let’s be honest here — how likely are you to watch a five-minute online video from start to finish? I’m talking about a marketing video, not something your friend uploaded or a montage of cats sleeping in weird places (the one case in which attention spans suddenly skyrocket).
According to statistics listed by Videobrewery, desktop users tend to watch videos for two minutes or less, smartphone users for up to three or four, and tablet users take the cake by keeping their eyes on the screen for a whopping five minutes. If you’ve got more than a couple of minutes worth of material, try speeding it up, as in this installment from the Vlogbrothers.
3. Include Calls to Action and Interactive Elements
Calls to action should be directly in your video. Don’t count on subliminal messages or subtle implications here, or your viewers might just drift away once your video ends. Don’t be shy about telling viewers explicitly what to do to learn more about your business or product.
You can also make your video interactive through the use of embedded hotspots. These hotspots allow users to click on certain parts of the video to be directed straight to the relevant web page, or add a certain product to their shopping cart. Adapting content to unique user pathways is becoming more and more necessary in order to stay afloat, and videos are a great place to practice personalizing the user experience.
Conclusion
Incorporating videos into your inbound marketing strategy can make a world of difference when it comes to your conversion rates and revenues. But using video marketing to increase conversions requires an understanding of why people respond to videos and how to use videos to your best advantage. Remember that watching your video should be an enjoyable experience. Allow users to enjoy your business with video, not get sucked into a terrible quality image, muffled sound and unclear messages.
How will you enhance the user experience with video marketing?
