Why your website's video commercial turns your web visitors off
by Diana D'Itri*
Have you noticed how many videos these days make you sit through commercials first?
While web TV is becoming more popular with businesses as a means to control information sharing, web video commercials are another byproduct of trying to monetize the "free" perception of today's Internet marketing landscape.
While I understand that we are forced to watch commercials on major sites like Yahoo and Google because they're selling advertising and can get away with it; what I don't understand is why so many business professionals think they can get away with having a commercial on their website and be surprised that their videos aren't working for them.
In this world of 'free' internet, doesn't it make sense that people want information and not a sales pitch when they watch a video?
Web video is a fairly new concept for businesses online and even though the concept of video itself is not new, applying it as a solid sales strategy is quite the challenge for many companies, especially small to mid-sized ones. So much so, that only a small percentage of businesses are really capitalizing on using video as a means to promote their products and services online.
The bigger corporations have embraced video apps for the past few years, leaving lots of room for competitive smaller businesses to stake their claim on the first page of Google and other search sites. Not to mention that video works to attract new clients through social sites and, more importantly, gets web visitors to call when they might otherwise not engage at all.
The application that works best for video is not a commercial; it's really more of an infomercial. I don't mean the kind you see on TV late at night, with staging, paid spokespeople and real or not so real testimonials What I mean is an honest heartfelt video of you, the business owner, as you answer top FAQs or address key questions your prospects have about your industry. Notice, I said your industry, not you, your service, or your company.
There's a definite shift in thinking needed when it comes to using video to get business from the Internet. Perhaps that's why many business professionals are still hesitant to try it. My suggestion is that if and when you do create videos to use as a marketing tool online, forget about selling yourself and focus on educating or informing your prospects. No matter how you slice it, talking about yourself, your service or your company without offering some kind of a 'gimme' for your audience, will be a commercial. Think about it from your own standpoint, how long would stay on a site after listening to the owner try to sell you on why you should do business with them?
After all, isn't everybody else saying pretty much the same thing when they try and sell themselves? Why should they believe you? If you really want to sell yourself on your website through video, use it to promote your satisfied clients on camera instead. Their words and stories about you weigh a whole lot more with web prospects than anything you could ever say about yourself.
(*) [email protected], Phone:+1 866-284-3020 ex. 4
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© Trey Ryder
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