Looking for some creative ways to use video on your website? Beyond simply filming the darn thing and embedding it, here are three ways to do creatively so your video gets noticed, appreciated – and most of all, watched.
Let’s start this post off with some good ol’ fashioned stats, shall we?
The average user spends 88% more time on a website that has video than on a website without.
Entrepreneurs who use video get 66% more qualified leads every year.
Internet users spend an average of 7 hours a week watching videos online.
So … the question isn’t so much “Should we be using video to market ourselves?” as much as “When are we going to start?”
As I’m personally taking steps to incorporate more video into my own marketing in 2020, I thought it’d be fun to share some ideas for how to do so creatively on your website.
Idea #1: Tell Your Story on Your Homepage
When was that moment when you realized you wanted to start a business? And when was that moment when you realized you had to do so or you were always going to regret it? This is the juicy stuff – the stuff your audience is dying to know. Try filming a short 2-3 minute video of yourself for your homepage in which you tell your story plain and simple. How did you get here? Why did you start your business? What difference did you want to make in the world? A short video like this will communicate to your website visitors your personality, your passion, your dedication, and what’s unique about you – all in a matter of mere minutes.
Idea #2: Create a Video Series Opt-in
One of the best opt-in freebies I ever signed up for is Charlotte Kaye’s 5 Boundary Setting Practices to Make You Love Saying “No.” Apart from it being an awesome and useful topic (which it totally is), what I loved about her opt-in is that each day for five days, I received a simple email in my inbox with a link to a short video (two minutes tops) on her website. In each video, Charlotte shared a quick idea for how to set better boundaries in our lives and challenged us to take one small step towards doing so. The videos are simple, compelling, no-frills, and completely authentic. How could you do something similar on your website?
Idea #3: Make Every Fourth Blog Post a Video
How’s your blogging practice going? Are you blogging twice a month? One a week? Twice a week? Whatever the frequency of your blog posts, here’s an idea: for every fourth blog post, instead of writing about your topic – talk about it instead! Aim to make your videos short (say five minutes or less) and straight to the point. After you film your video, type up some accompanying text that summarizes your points in the video. Don’t aim for perfection in these videos – aim for authenticity and value instead.
Final Thoughts
And one final point: whether you decide to hire a professional videographer (I know good people, let me know if you need one), invest in a camera and simple setup yourself, or simply DIY it via your phone – it’s the story you tell that counts. Don’t let your current means/tools (or lack thereof) stop you from filming something of substance and sharing it with the world. You never know what could happen if you do, but you most certainly know what will happen if you don’t.
How are you using video on your website and in your marketing plan? What’s working for you? Let us know in the comments below!
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