Using Video To Sell On Your Website
With online stores popping up everywhere, small businesses may feel like they will never be able to keep up and don’t spend a lot of time building up a web presence. Unfortunately that approach is dead wrong! Even for local businesses establishing an online presence is important because that is where the majority of discovery is happening.
97 percent of people learn more about a local business online than anywhere else. - SEO Tribunal
Even if your business is down the street people are still going to be looking to the internet for information about it -- so why not use that to try and help make the sale?
Here is where video comes in.
And right there, the word video, that may have caused a few winces...but it shouldn’t. At this point shooting and posting a simple video can be just as easy as uploading a still image. You can shoot and edit the entire thing on your phone with a whole host of free and simple apps and helpers.
Video is uniquely effective because it can add much needed context and personality to a webpage. You can see someone’s personality, you can see how a product works in real time, you can watch someone assemble something or tell a story.
When used in the correct way, video can take a boring website and make it feel much more personable and add information that will help the customer make purchasing decisions before they walk into the shop or make an appointment.
Add An ‘About’ Video
Many business websites have an “About” or “Contact” page that tells the customers a little about the owner or the history of the business. This is a great place to add a short video telling that story.
If you are the owner, tell the customers a little bit about how you got there, why this is your passion and what you hope to achieve with your business. Make sure your passion comes across in the video. You don’t have to tell your whole story, either! Just a short 60 second clip where you speak should be enough with the text that is already there.
The purpose of the video is to humanize the company and add some personality to the page. People feel a deeper connection when they see the people behind the scenes.
Home Page Video
The first page of your website is the most important and should reflect what you want your customers to see when they first land on your page. A great idea is adding a video to this page that you periodically change to reflect whatever you have going on at your business.
If you sell physical products this can be changed each season to show off what you have in stock, some of your best sellers or a video showing how to use a popular product that people have trouble with. Answering questions that customers often ask with video is a great way to get people to stay on the page.
If you have a service-based business you can highlight a new service you are offering or take the customer through their options. For something like a salon or nail salon you might want to show off some of your work -- you can easily create a slideshow and upload as a video if that is something you find easier.
The big thing with a homepage video is to make sure it is relevant, up-to-date and interesting! What would catch your customer’s eye and keep them on the page?
Testimonials
Another great use of video on a webpage is for customer testimonials. Video testimonials are simply just reviews that are recorded on video. Adding a few of these to your home page or to a page that showcases your reviews can be a nice way to show you are well regarded in the community.
Video testimonials are not only good because they are a switch up from the typical text review format but they also show more legitimacy because it is much much harder to fake a video review!
The downside is just finding people to record a review since people don’t love being on camera. The best people to ask are customers who are regulars and enjoy your business. You can record it yourself or ask them to just simply record themselves on their phones and send it to you. There are no rules in regards to length so even a 15 second clip is worthy of a spot on your site.
Product/Service Videos
One of the best ways to show a product or explain a service is to use video. Even if you don’t have an e-commerce interface you can still utilize video!
On the pages that talk about your inventory or the menu of the services you offer, pick a few of the products or services that are highly sought after and create short videos about them showing how they work, explaining them or showing the process. If you sell candles you can do a glamor shot of it next to two other candles for scale followed by you lighting it. If you own a nail salon you can do a short video showing someone in the process of getting a manicure or showing off a fresh one!
The key here is adding a little extra information to the products that may need it or the ones that customers are often looking for the most.
Final Thoughts
Video doesn’t have to be a scary word. You can make effective video without ring lights, backdrops and tripods (though a tripod is a good idea). Spending a little extra time adding context and personality to your website will make converting those sales a little easier when the customer walks in the door or picks up the phone to make an appointment. Happy filming!