For business websites, video marketing is a strong and popular tool for showcasing the company’s work or products. What better way of telling your story than with a video clip? However, every clip requires hours of planning, scene setting, filming and post production.
Having invested your time and money into making your video clip, you’ve got to be sure it is something that people actually want to watch. One common problem with video content is that it may have views, but it’s rarely watched to the very end. YouTube and similar web services have a way of keeping such statistics.
So, how do you make your visitors see what you’ve put so much effort into? And, more importantly, how would you convince them that it’s worth watching all the way through? Well, here we go.
Catchy Title
Would you read a book or an article if the title didn’t catch your attention? You may, but only if it’s a book recommended by someone you know. If this is the first time you see a piece of content that has a story to tell, then it its title needs to imply what the story is all about, otherwise you won’t open the book to read. Exactly how an email subject line works. Would you open an email if you don’t know the sender or don’t understand the subject line? Or if you open the email but you realize the content is somehow irrelevant to the subject line, would you click on any links or respond to that email? Probably not.
With videos, it’s exactly the same thing. If you shoot a bright film about your company’s work and name it aptly, “How we work”, it won’t look particularly interesting to your ordinary visitors. Think of a slogan-like, but relevant, 1-2 word title to intrigue you visitors and encourage them to hit the play button.
Stunning Thumbnail
If you use embedded videos, hosted on YouTube, Vimeo or similar services, the default thumbnails are generated automatically and you only get three options to choose from. In my opinion, none of the three is usually decent enough to serve as a film cover.
It’s a good practice to elaborate and upload custom thumbnails for every video. Right or wrong, people often judge a book by its cover. Task up your designer or web producer to create impeccable images which will perfectly portray the content of your videos. Exactly how you create landing page or email newsletter to boost your marketing efforts.
If you are using YouTube or Vimeo, these services may require a paid account in order for you to apply custom thumbnails. However, if your website uses a native media player (which it should) and if it’s running on a custom-built platform, you can embed your video on your ideal landing page and still create your custom thumbnail.
Dynamic Head Start
Let’s settle the obvious. Your clip is not a movie, where the plot has to unfold gradually. According to an article published on The Telegraph back in 2015, people spend 10 seconds to decide if they wish to continue exploring the content in front of them. That means you only have 10 seconds to grab your viewer’s attention.
Don’t waste your time on the preview or a lengthy intro. Make your viewer dive into the subject right on. Use strong, 1-2 seconds long video sequences and elegant frame-changing animations between them to create the wow-effect. Make the first 10 seconds look like a million-dollar blockbuster, and then, when you’ve got the viewer hooked up, it’s safe to switch to a slower pace.
Perfect Length
Regardless of how interesting your video is, 60% of viewers will stop watching it after 2 minutes. So, it’s a good idea to tell your brand story within 2 minutes. Stay relevant and succinct with your video content, exactly like what you tend to do when creating a langing page for your seasonal marketing campaigns.
I know it’s not always possible to show everything that you want your viewers to see in 2 minutes. Then you may want to make a short teaser for the main video. Let this teaser preview all the key moments of the long story and encourage your viewers to watch your masterpiece.
Fitting Soundtrack
While the eyes watch, the ears listen. If your video clip is accompanied by music, you don’t want people to wish it was mute because of your choice of soundtrack.
Background music adds much to the emotional comprehension of the content. Make sure you know which music is good for what, when to bring it up and when to keep it in the background. And, most importantly, don’t let your personal taste in music be the judge of the soundtrack!
Confident Narrative
The clip has to tell a story, and that objective is hardly achieved by video and music alone. The viewer needs to hear the voice behind the scene. The success of this part depends on two aspects:
- well-written text (how the copywriter is able to wrap up the crucial points)
- charming voice-over (how the voice actor copes with narrating it).
The common recommendations here would be to avoid too much speaking and excell at everything that has to be said. Make sure your web producer appoints an experienced copywriter and hires a formidable voice actor to narrate the story fluently, confidently, and with appropriate tone of voice.
Concluding Call To Action
A good marketing video has a clear call to action in the ending (3-5 seconds). The closing scene must tell your viewers what to do with the information they gathered. A prompting call may suggest:
1) learn more
2) subscribe
3) opt-in for your newsletter
4) or simply watch another relevant video, etc.
It’s crucial to let your viewers know why the video was made and what they got from watching it.
YouTube introduced clickable links to help businesses drive more quality web traffic right through videos. Just like with the custom thumbnails, you need a premium account for this feature. However, with a native web player built into your website, you should have no problems applying this powerful tool.
Good luck with making your video clips an eye-bait for your products and services! If you think I missed anything here, please use the comment section below and keep the conversation going.
The post 7 Tricks To Make Your Website Visitors Watch Your Videos appeared first on GetResponse Blog - Online Marketing Tips.
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