There are basically three options for creating video content:
1. Professional videographer. Hiring an outside company to produce a professional video is a great idea. The downsides are the time involved, the expense and the fact that video production companies typically produce an end product in a format that is not easily loaded onto your website. Your web provider then has to convert the video to a format they can embed into your site, a process which will probably incur even more time and charges. However, having a clean, professional video on your site can be invaluable, especially when compared to the next option.
2. Free video services (i.e., YouTube). The main advantage of free video services is that virtually anyone can shoot a video in any format, upload it to the "free" website and embed the video in their website. It's understandable why some companies are tempted to do this. After all, free is good, right? Wrong! Here are three reasons why:
- Professionalism. If you are attempting to convey a professional image, having an embedded video on your site that is emblazoned with another company's logo is an extremely bad idea. Part of the mission of your website should be to brand your message. Why would you offer free marketing for another company?
- Loss of customers. Free video players often link users to another website where they may be enticed by promotions and other videos offered for them to view, including those from your competitors. The goal of online video is to keep potential customers on your site longer, not send them off to another site where they may wander off, never to return.
- Poor quality. A third disadvantage of free video services is that they suffer in quality often appearing fuzzy, jittery or blocky, depending on the type of browser the consumer is viewing it with, and whether they have a high or low speed connection.
3. Do it yourself. The good news is, online marketers can now have the best of both worlds, i.e. embedded videos that are professional in quality, easy and fast to produce, and inexpensive. Some web providers are offering tools that allow you to shoot your own video in virtually any format you want, then instantly upload it to your website. However, to take advantage of this option, it will mean that someone in the company will have to learn how to take decent videos and take ownership of the responsibility that comes with keeping video content on the site fresh.
Video production 101
Assuming you decide on the do-it-yourself option, you'll want to make sure that your videos are of an appropriate length, clean, professional and convey the message that you want. Following are some production "do's and don'ts," that will help guide you to online video success:
- Keep videos short. In general, online videos should range anywhere from one to three minutes or less. Any longer and visitor attention may start to wane.
- Keep it simple. Make sure your footage is not "busy;" that is, they are not trying to show too much. Keep the camera focused on one or two points of visual interest, and make sure that whoever is in the frame is speaking directly, clearly and slowly to the camera. The goal here is to get the visitor to pay attention to the message, and not to whatever quirks or distractions might also be in the video.
- Include a call to action. Every video on the website should include a call to action or in some way encourage the customer to contact the company, whether it's "click on the link below to send an e-mail," or "call this number now" or "check out our specials below." This is a huge advantage of video that should never be passed up -- never miss an opportunity to ask your website visitors to buy or do whatever it is they need to do that will get them one step closer to buying.
- Dress for success. The people in your video should wear clothing that conveys your corporate image and attributes. If that's professional, then have them wear a suit or nice shirt and slacks; for more laid back companies, casual dress will be appropriate. Generally, solid colors look best on camera. Avoid stark white, busy stripes or patterns and avoid turtlenecks, as some camera lenses might have trouble picking up minute details, which results in images that are slightly distorted or off-color.
In conclusion, video is a very effective tool that can give your company's website a competitive edge. If you're serious about attracting customers to your site and keeping them there, online video is your new marketing medium of choice.
Mark Bonfigli is president & CEO of Dealer.com.