How and when to use video on your website

There’s no doubt about it, we are living in times where moving images dominate our lives and chances are, you’ve watched at least one video online already today, but how and when should you use video on your website?

Did you know that the average internet user watches 32 videos per month which works out at more than one video a day? With this in mind, it’s worth asking yourself is your business keeping up with this trending force and do you use video in your website and marketing?

What types of video can I use on my website?

While you shouldn’t replace original written content, for certain types of content, video is the best choice. What kinds of content works well on video? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Promotional videos

Story telling story is a great way to introduce a website visitor to your business and can be used to create a memorable brand. Potential customers will gravitate to the business who has an interesting story – this is where videos really shine.

These promotional videos usually incorporate edited video, branding, audio and sometimes voice overs too. It’s best to have these produced by a professional to create a great first impression for your business. These videos are best used on the home page of your website for maximum impact.

Customer testimonials

This form of using videos is growing in popularity, and it’s easy to see why. In an age of spin, people are naturally wary of business’s self-promotion. Your potential customers are more likely to listen to and engage with other customers’ experiences. That’s why testimonials are so valuable and no doubt you’re already using some form of testimonials on your website.

Video testimonials are particularly effective because they create trust.

Video testimonials are particularly effective because they create trust. Your viewers can actually see and hear your happy customers and know that you haven’t just made up a quotation and falsely attributed it to them!

How-to videos or vlogs

Nobody likes reading long, jargon-filled instruction manuals. So why not try video instead? And because the video has a practical purpose, it doesn’t necessarily have to be fancy. YouTube is full of these examples and you can easily create these videos yourself. You can also Include videos in your blogs, otherwise known as vlogs, as an engaging way to get your message across, this makes for great content for readers to share across social platforms.

While these are your most common types of video used on websites there are other types of video that are also very effective and can be used in conjunction with the above:

• Drone video – Effective for showing aerial perspectives

• Time lapse videos – Showing how something develops over a long period of time

• Virtual tours / walk throughs – Used a lot in real estate and commercial business videos

• Introduction videos – Great to introduce the owners of the business, or your service team, if not already included in a promotional video

• Slow-moving video – Short videos used for visual effect and can often be purchased from stock video libraries

Why use video on your website?

If you’re not yet sold on video or you have some barriers about creating video, here are the reasons why you need to shake it off, get with the times and get some videos made to catapult your business.

 Video improves engagement

Moving images grab our attention, the sound, the look it’s a sensory buffet that we cant help but feast upon, and before you know it you’ve watched the whole video! Given the choice between reading 200 words or watching a 30 second video clip it’s easy to see why video grabs your viewers attention and improves engagement.

Video creates trust

Offering video shows that you believe in your products and that you’re willing to invest in your website experience – it’s that simple. It also helps you to build a connection point with your viewers particularly if you or your team feature in the video.

Video improves SEO

Video SEO is similar to ordinary SEO – all the usual tips and tricks apply. You need to use keywords in the video’s titles, descriptions, and tags in order to capture search engine attention.

Video increases conversions

If you’re selling online, then this is the biggie. Marketing researchers Wyzowl found that in a review of marketing in 2019, 80% of video marketers state that video has directly helped increase sales, with 89% claiming video, in general, gives them a good return on their investment.

Using videos on your website is an effective way of engaging with your audience, boosting your search rankings and converting clicks to sales. If you want any advice on how to make video work for you, you can get in touch with the Monster team, we partner with great videographers, photographers, drone operators and video editors to help make your website and marketing come to live with video.

Need tips on marketing your new website? Check out our blog effective ways to promote your website.