Drive New Business With Innovative Video Marketing
How To Create Videos For Your Website
Tips for Preparation
By Catherine Gray, COO of Corp Shorts.com
Since more than 50% of people now search online for products and services,
a business’s website has become their most important calling card.
Research shows people are four times more likely to respond to video,
than to the written word.
It seems people want to be entertained and captivated when they come
to a site, they no longer just want to read about it.
This makes videos on your website, a powerful marketing
tool in this changing business landscape. Here are some tips on creating
a format that is a proven successful formula that works well online.
First, you should not re-purpose your tv commercial as a website
video. Commercials are often short and hard hitting in their delivery.
It is best to use a personal documentary style approach. Since you
are not locked into a time frame like on TV, it is best to take advantage
of this opportunity.
Generally your home page videos can be around 2-5
minutes, depending on the content. Though people prefer one minute
videos when watching You Tube and other videos sites, when visiting
your website, they are there to learn about your company. As long
as the video moves and has interesting cut aways shots (known as B
Roll), 2-5 minutes is acceptable.
This video usually will tell the history, overview, and general explanation
of your business. Other videos throughout the site can be shorter
(1-3 minutes)- these would be such topics as products, services, testimonials
etc
In order to prepare for developing your website video- first determine
which three to five messages you want to convey to the potential customer
visiting your site. The script will be derived from those objectives.
I suggest a combination of professional voiceover, interspersed with
candid clips of your responses to interview style questions. This
will result in a more genuine response of knowledge and passion about
your company- as opposed to memorizing verbiage, which often comes
across as unprofessional and insincere. After all, business owners
are not actors, but they are experts in their respective fields. (You
may also opt to have a professional host)
Prepare a list of questions for the interview that will illicit
answers that deliver the focus and goals of the video. These are the
points you previously determined where the main messages you wanted
to get across to the potential customer.
Once you have filmed the interview, be sure to film more shots
that pertain to the content. This is called B-roll or cutaways shot.
Since no-one wants to just view a “talking head”, you
will want to lay in cutaway shots of what is being discussed in the
voiceover and interview answers. The B –roll makes the video
move faster and creates a more entertaining video production.
Also of major importance is using suitable original music to set
the tone of your business. For instance, while a spa may want a relaxing
musical score, a business executive may want a more face paced, quick
moving sound. The music impacts the viewer’s mood and reaction
to the video.
Lastly, you have several ways in which to upload the video onto
your site. You can put the video file in an player from companies
such as flowplayer, customize a player, or upload your video to as
site such as You Tube or Brightcove (the quality on the latter is
better)- and then cut and paste the link to your site. By having it
reside on one of these video sites, you save space on your server,
since it resides on their server. This means the video will play more
quickly and not slow down your site. Besides, the last option is simple,
easy, and free!
All the components of the website video are crucial to
making this a powerful video marketing tool for your company.
The message, the delivery, the professionalism, the cutaways, the voiceover,
the music, and the script all combine to create your important online
image. With more and more people searching the web for your business,
it makes sense to create website videos as a way to maximize business
from your website and use new media to grow your bottom line.