I’ve been creating websites since 1996. Back then, video was for TV and trade shows. For years, it was rarely given serious thought for websites. Today?
We have a ‘roided-up tiger by the tail.
In March, I attended the 2019 Social Media World Conference. Thousands of marketers from around the world came together to talk about social media. Except they didn’t!
That loud buzz I heard was for online video and livestreaming. No wonder. According to Google, 60% of consumers now prefer online video over TV. And YouTube‘s video consumption is rising by 100% every year.
So how do you grab this tiger’s tail before it gets away? Follow these three rules.
- “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right…or not at all” (that’s my father speaking)
- “Not at all” is no longer a viable option
- Hire a pro or learn how to do it right yourself
Here’s why hiring a pro is likely your best option.
Play Nice With The 800lb Gorilla
If you want your website to provide growth and ROI, the keywords of your business have to rank on the first page of a Google search. Google loves video. Forrester Research found that videos are 50 times more likely to get organic Google page ranks than plain text results.
Grab The Tiger, But Be A Cheetah
Your website better be fast. Like, super fast. If not, you’ve decreased your ability to get a high ranking. What do videos do? They slow down your site. Solution? Don’t host videos on your website. Host them on a video platform like YouTube, Wistia, or Vimeo Pro. Let them do the heavy lifting…no one but you will be the wiser.
HTML5, MP4, AVI, MOV…WTF!?!
If you insist on hosting videos on your website (please don’t), make sure you upload multiple file formats for each video. Different devices and browsers work best with different file formats. For example, MP4 works on Apple devices, FLV does not. WMV is small but low quality. MP4 is supported by all browsers while WebM only by Chrome and Firefox. And the wheels on the bus go round and round.
Location, Location, Location
Location adds or subtracts value from your property. It does the same with videos on your website. Great web designers (those who respect user-experience data) know where your video will get the highest rate of conversion. They also know how to design and test the surrounding content and signage that most compells a visitor to click on your videos.
Got It, But Now What?
Keep in mind, the points above are just surface explanations on just some of issues you’ll face. But let’s assume you master them.
If so, what you really need to focus on is a video strategy. But let’s say you want to skip strategy (again, please don’t) and move straight to creating and posting videos. What should you make? My best advice here is to forget what you want to make.
Instead, begin with these three types of customer-centric videos:
- story-telling videos that tell visitors why your differences provide them with more compelling benefits;
- explainer videos that give visitors clear answers to their questions; and
- testimonial videos that give visitors an true-life reason to believe you.
Whatever you do — and here’s my number one tip — do it with purpose and quality. No one likes shabby work.
