Increase Web Traffic and Sales with Video Content

Web Video Statistics

• 74% of 2017 online traffic is video content
• 26% of viewers look for more information about the subject after watching a video, and 22% visit the website referenced in the video.

By 2019, it's estimated that videos will account for 80% of all Internet traffic. Companies that post online videos are typically seeing a 41% increase in web traffic. With large returns for a minimal investment, it's a great time to make the leap into video. Follow these tips to maximize the return on your video investment.

Quality over Everything Else
While you may save time and money by shooting directly from a camera phone and uploading the video to your website, consider that poorly shot videos often have the opposite effect of high quality footage. Framing, lighting, and sound all have an impact on the end product. If your footage is shaky, or your sound is not clear, viewers are likely to stop watching and leave your website as a result of having a poor impression of the video.

To create a professional video that impresses, hire an expert. From operating the camera to ensuring proper lighting, producing a video involves a combination of several highly technical fields. The difference between a professionally shot video and amateur footage is obvious to almost anyone. Today's highly savvy business consumers are used to watching quality content and will judge your company poorly if your video appears to be poorly made.

Don't Sell, Solve Problems!
While it may seem counterintuitive to create a commercial that doesn't actually sell your product or service, it's more important that you solve your customers' problems. The days of writing a catchy headline above a long list of specifications and calling it an advertisement are dead. The same is true in a video.

For maximum impact, your video needs to tell a story. Whether you relate the narrative of a customer who has succeeded because of your products or services, or you highlight the problems that they solve, organize the video into a beginning, middle, and end. Tell the story. Also, keep it short and to the point. Most viewers will click away from a video after one minute, so keep yours concise.

Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously
Everyone knows when they are being pitched. Study after study proves that traditional advertising methods are less effective than ever, especially when it comes to videos. As millennial, Generation X, and Generation Y workers advance into positions of responsibility, advertising will continue to evolve from the techniques that were effective just ten years ago.

When creating web content for your company, keep your audience engaged by making the video interesting and fun. Not every online video has to be funny or groundbreaking to succeed, but sticking to a safe format is a sure way to risk that it won't be remembered. Work with your production team to find ways for your video to have the most impact and reach the widest audience.

Don't Forget about SEO
Once you have a completed video that you're satisfied with, don't just post it to the web and call it a day. In order for people to see your video and find it in searches, you'll need to optimize your content for search engines.

SEO lets search engines know how relevant your content is to specific search terms. Anticipating search phrases that customers will use to find your products and services is the key to success with SEO. Be sure to use the same techniques on your video that you would use on any web page to guarantee higher search results and more page views.

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