Video has come to dominate the modern Internet — not only on social media channels such as YouTube, but also as embedded content on countless commercial websites. But if you’re determined to climb onto this digital bandwagon and start reaping your share of visitors, inbound links, conversions and profits, you may find yourself stumped over the logical first question: “What kinds of videos should we put on our site?” Choosing the right types of video content can prove intimidating because of the sheer wealth and range of options to choose from. Let’s take a moment, then, to focus on the most common, important categories of website video — the videos practically every business can benefit from.

The Many Faces of Website Video

Any videos that you choose to embed on your website should have a few key shared traits. For one thing, they should be relatively short; in fact, research shows that two-thirds of shoppers actually prefer videos that run less than 60 seconds in length. The more “digestible” and less challenging your video is, the better the odds of your audience watching all the way to the end. Your video should also display professional production qualities that reflect your brand’s commitment to quality (unless, of course, you’re deliberately going for a “do-it-youself” look for creative purposes). The categories of web video that every company should consider include:

Brand Introduction

The brand introduction is an eye-catching, soul-stirring introductory video, ideally placed “above the fold” of your home page for maximum SEO and visual impact. Think of this as the opening trailer for the online marketing presentation to come. This video touches on your brand’s vision, message, values, history, and the many ways it improves the lives of its customers. 

Team Introduction

A team introduction video serves as the audiovisual equivalent (but not as an outright replacement for) your website’s About Us or Our Team page, which is where it should be embedded. Seeing the faces of your key players personalizes your brand to your audience, giving prospective customers the sense that they actually know you. This boosts the trust factor. It’s also nice if your video can include shots of your team going about their daily tasks in their natural workplace environment, working hard to solve challenges and enhance people’s lives.

Product and Service Introduction/Highlights

Video can put the spotlight on your products and services the spotlight more vividly than mere still images and/or text could ever manage. This is especially true for items that actually do something physical, because you can capture that action on camera in a way that reveals how it works and what results it can achieve. You can either create an introductory overview of your product/service lines, or you can make a separate short video for each product or service you wish to highlight.

Testimonials

Every marketing professional and business owner knows that testimonials are gold. Nothing sells what you do better than satisfied customers relaying their own personal stories and experiences. Viewers will naturally relate to these “real people” and imagine themselves enjoying the same benefits from your offerings. Better yet, you’re giving your audience concrete proof that your products and services actually perform as advertised. Just make sure the testimonials come across as natural, without sounding scripted (or drifting all over the place in an unguided manner).

Case Studies

Video case studies, which resemble text-based case studies in their basic format, represent the next step up from personal testimonials. These videos examine a specific problem that a business client faced, or a challenge that called for expert assistance. Through a mix of client testimonials and explanations from your team members, you discuss how you fixed that problem while showing video of the processes and procedures used. You can then show the happy final results through footage, statistical graphics, and glowing recommendations from your delighted client. This approach combines the personal influence of onscreen “talking heads” with the cold, hard facts that corporate clients are looking for.

Commercials

Yes, you can embed honest-to-goodness commercials on your website. These videos take the exact same approach as TV or radio spots, using any appropriate combination of humor, drama, sentiment, and enlightenment in a tight, cohesive creative package. Have you noticed that even those people who claim to “hate commercials” quote from them and talk about them regularly? That’s the effect you want your website videos to achieve.

As we wrote in our last article, Website Video Content to Improve Your SEO, embedded video content has a strong effect on SEO. We explained how strategic video marketing can strengthen your brand and expand your visitors.

Don’t neglect any of these key elements in the success of your online marketing presence. Contact us today so we can examine which kinds of embedded videos make the most sense for your business!

Sources:

http://www.hortongroup.com

https://www.wix.com/blog/2017/04/5-types-of-videos-every-business-needs-on-its-website/

https://www.interactivepalette.com/blog/the-four-main-types-of-videos-for-websites/

https://wistia.com/blog/power-of-faces-in-video

https://www.relevance.com/the-importance-of-video-testimonials-in-content-marketing/

http://www.insivia.com/27-video-stats-2017/