In case you didn’t know it already, video is now one of the fastest growing segments of the internet advertising market and is firmly established as a darling of internet users – 80% of us now watch online videos.
So why is video a must-have for businesses looking to promote themselves online? There are so many reasons why but for the time sensitive folk out there, I’m going to stick to the key ones.
So here goes…
Video creates trust
Having a great looking website is one thing but customers want to see more than just text. We want to see the actual people or products behind the website. You’re more likely to build trust with customers when you ‘show’ and ‘tell’ them about your business.
Video improves conversion
The easier you make it for your customers to engage with your great products, your services (and not forgetting – you) the more likely they are to contact your business. According to Treepodia, the retail sector has seen that visitors who watch product page videos convert more than twice as often than those who don’t.
Video improves a website’s search engine ranking
As that wise man Jason Cornier from Search Engine Watch mentioned, Forrester research highlights that web pages with video stand a 50 percent better chance than text pages alone of showing up on the first page of Google search results.
In fact, experts are even predicting that by as early as 2012, major search engines may not even list a site if it does not include video.
And finally…
Video doesn’t need to be expensive!
The perception is that getting an online video is going to cost the earth but it really doesn’t have to. Video production and editing services are now available for just a few hundred pounds, while sites like YouTube and Flickr make it easy (and free!) to share your videos with millions of potential customers.
So it’s time get into video. Just make sure that your video recreates the type of front-of-house experience online that you would want your customers to get in reality.
