Although web sites like You Tube can be filled with silly, homemade video clips that are designed to entertain visitors, web video can also be a very effective communication method for business web sites as well. Of course, you won’t want to post a clip of a water skiing squirrel on your corporate homepage, but using this new form of advertising provides even small businesses with a targeted, memorable, and cost-effective marketing tool.
The challenge of using web video on a business web site is that you must figure out how to turn your message into content that is useful, engaging, and entertaining. Unlike television commercials that are “pushed” onto viewers, web videos are watched because users choose to do so, making visitors more receptive to your message. As long as your web video provides users with more than a dull sales presentation, people will not only watch it, they will remember it and pass it along to their friends and colleagues.
So why should you care about web video? Because web video is quickly becoming a standard feature that people will expect to see on business web sites, much like they have come to expect online shopping, blogs, or other interactive capabilities. It’s no longer good enough to publish a web site that is merely an online “brochure.” Today’s users expect a certain level of sophistication in order to take your business seriously, and that increasingly includes using web video on business web sites.
Web video can also be a great asset to your business when it comes to the search engines. Google and other search engines have recently incorporated Universal Search technology that indexes not only your web pages, but also your images, blogs, web videos, and other multi-media on your site. So by using web video, it’s possible to expand your presence in the search engines, giving customers yet another way to discover your business on the web and bring in new leads and increase sales.
To create a successful web video for your web site, you have to turn your message into content that is clear, interesting, and yes, even a little entertaining. Tell your story in a compelling way, and your business will rise above the competition and visitors will definitely notice. Web video is quickly becoming the next “big thing” in web marketing and has the power to deliver a strong marketing message that attracts new interest in your business, new prospects and leads, and ultimately new customers.
