subject: The Benefits Of Video Marketing [print this page] As the Internet evolves, so does the way people market goods and services online. With the rise of sites like YouTube, and the ease of linking videos into websites, more and more savvy marketers are making the most of a new way of interacting with potential clients and customers.
Just a few short years ago the Internet was basically a text based phenomenon. People put up pages and pages of textual information, and people were used to finding their online information in this format. But the popularity of video websites shows that the Internet is evolving away from purely text based information.
Many marketers now have websites that contain a combination of both textual and video information. Videos provide marketers with the unique opportunity to really show themselves to their potential customers. But more than that, it is a way visitors to their website can get to know them in a more intimate way than is possible through reading alone.
A marketer can say whatever he or she wants in words, but there is always a distance or a gap between the marketer and the reader. People are curious about what they read, but they are more curious about the person behind the words. When a marketer puts his or her face in front of a video camera and speaks directly to their target audience, the audience gets a real insight into the person behind the words. That is exceptionally powerful!
However, creating a video or videos for a website must be done carefully. As a marketer promoting a product or service, it is vital to be completely sincere and passionate about what you do and what you say. Viewers will spot insincerity a mile off, which will kill any marketing efforts. Likewise, if you can not come across as natural and fluent via a video medium you may also find it difficult to connect with your audience. If you look uncomfortable, your viewer will feel uncomfortable.
Also remember, Internet users these days are becoming more and more impatient. We expect pages to load with lightning speed, and we expect whatever we are reading or viewing to capture our attention fast. For this reason, an effective video must be immediately engaging. If it is dull or poorly presented, the viewer will switch off.
For this reason, it is also important to bear in mind the attention span of the average viewer. While there may be a great deal of information you wish to impart in your video, it is best to keep it short and sweet, at least initially. You may have a series of videos on your site, each of which is potentially interesting to your site visitor, but the very first video they see should be short and should grab their attention. Ideally it will pique their interest and they will want to read more of your information or view more of your videos.
As with any other sort of marketing, video marketing should offer value to the viewer. If all a video does is tease the viewer and not offer them any concrete information about whatever it is you are selling, the viewer will most likely be turned off. If, instead, the video offers interesting or entertaining information, and your site offers something of value to the visitor, they are more likely to come back for further information. Naturally, if you are marketing you will ultimately want people to purchase your goods or services, so you can not give away everything for free. However, people will be more inclined to purchase from you if they feel they have already received some information of value from your website.
