3 Ways to Make Online Video Work for Your Business

Customers Want to See It, Not Read About It

Part 1 of 3 in our Customer Experience Blog Series

Consumers have taken the reins, and in 2016 more than ever, are defining and controlling the customer experience when they interact with businesses.

When it comes to engaging with businesses, we all follow a similar process, right? When we need something, we might start by asking for advice from friends on Facebook, or we search the Internet. Once we identify options, we begin to look at online customer reviews at retail websites or publications we trust. We may eventually visit the business website for detailed product information. We control our engagement with the companies we do business with.

Three developments are driving this consumer engagement. In this first of our three-part series about the customer experience, we’ll look at the development that’s making the most news: online video.

Consumers and prospects don’t want to read about what your business can do; they want to experience it. According to an Animoto survey, four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read it¹.

Cisco supports this figure, reporting that by next year, 69% of all consumer Internet traffic will be video-based. And that number is projected to rise to 80% by 2019, three short years from now². It’s a trend your business can’t ignore.

If your website offers video, customers will spend an extra two minutes on average on your site compared to a site without video³.

Are you using video now? If not, make your New Year’s resolution to start using it this year. Here are three ideas for making video work for you:

1. Highlight product features/function. Travelon uses short videos to demonstrate the anti-theft, RFID-blocking features of its travel wallets, handbags and luggage. Consumers can find videos on the company website and other online retail sites where it sells its products. Here’s a video about Travelon’s Anti-Theft Signature Slim Pouch. (Scroll through the thumbnail product photos using the right arrow to find the video.) This is a great example to follow if a brief, visual demonstration of your product or service helps communicate your USP to potential customers.

2. Tap into emotions. Science tells us that people make decisions based on emotions⁴. Altra’s customers are passionate about running. So the company, a fast-growing running shoe manufacturer, has tapped into that passion with videos that tell emotional stories. Here’s one about how one woman fell in love with running. If you’re passionate about your product or service and can communicate that passion effectively in a short video, tap into potential customers’ emotions with video that tells a story.

3. Share customer experiences. Testimonials are more effective than any other type of content marketing⁵. Do you have a professional practice? Can your services change people’s lives? Dr. Allan Thomas, a Salt Lake City-based dentist, uses video on his website to talk about how he and his staff help people make their smiles more beautiful, and then he has one of his patients give a personal testimonial.

Think about how you can use online video to create affinity for and acceptance of your brand. It’s one of the best ways to help you grow your business and deliver a better customer experience in 2016.

Keep an eye out for part two of this customer experience series, when we look at influencer marketing.

 

 

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