One of the standard rules for good writing is “show, don’t tell,” meaning instead of rambling on about the action in third person, it should happen on the page—through dialogue or first-hand accounts—so the reader can “see” what’s happening. 

The same edict applies to a well-done website. Visitors don’t want to just read about your product or service, they want to see it. We routinely advise our clients that crisp, clear photographs or graphic illustrations add tremendously to the value of their website. Customers like to see what—and who!—they’re dealing with; not only do pictures improve the appearance of a website, they greatly enhance the possibility of a sale. So if photos make a website more valuable, what might video footage be worth?

Many pundits are calling 2008 the year for business video on the web. As is typical, it’s taken the corporate world a while to embrace a phenomenon that teenagers and hobbyists long ago mastered. But now that the rest of us are beginning to get the hang of YouTube and streaming video, it’s time to apply that technology to the business sector. Here at Practical Business Systems, we have several clients interested in adding a video element to their websites, and one has already implemented it. 

While photos add visual interest to a site, video takes that interest a step further and communicates information, as well. Statistics show that a video will keep visitors on your site for a longer period of time and that you’ll enjoy almost 100% viewership; out of curiosity, if nothing else, people will virtually always watch a video if given the opportunity. Not only will they watch it, they’ll be more motivated to buy: a recent study by the Wharton School of Business showed that customers are 72% more likely to purchase a product or service when video is used. One business claims it saw a 40% increase in sales within two months of adding a 2-minute video to its website.

That 2-minute description is a key factor, by the way. While visitors will be intrigued by most any video, and will love the fact that they can watch it at their leisure as many (or few) times as they want to, their attention span is still going to max out at five minutes. In fact, most experts recommend keeping “commercial” videos—those specifically created to sell your product or service—to two minutes or less. (I know that flies in the face of all those half-hour infomercials clogging the TV at two in the morning, but…come to think of it…I don’t watch those; do you?)

You’d be surprised how much information you can share in two minutes of well-scripted, well-edited material, and we’re fortunate to have two trained, experienced filmmakers and an award-winning scriptwriter on our staff who can take you from start to finish if you decide you want to jump on the video bandwagon. There are lots of approaches to take, by the way. You can introduce your staff, give a tour of your facilities, share customer testimonials, offer a message from your president, demonstrate how to use your product or service, or simply offer a “feel-good” message thanking customers for their time and interest. You may even want to do several different videos to see which one generates the most response. Of course, a website video needs to be super-simple to use and should load in fewer than fifteen seconds, or you’ll lose viewers before they even get started. 

One of the best benefits of adding video to your website is that you can put that same footage on a DVD and use it at customer presentations, sales meetings, trade shows, point-of-purchase displays, and other events. There’s no replacement for having a human on hand to answer questions and ask for the sale, of course, but people are hard-pressed to walk past a video presentation without pausing to check it out; adding that component to your exhibit might snag a few extra prospects or at least keep them close at hand if you’re tied up with another potential customer.

Give video a thought as you kick off your 2008 marketing efforts. It might be just the ticket to a "2000+GR8T" year!