Category Archives: online video

Overcoming Short Attention Spans with Web Video

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Though Web video has become extremely popular, there are still many potential viewers who choose not to watch your videos. Not only do you have people hesitant to commit to watching a video online, those that do may have short attention spans. So, how do you convince viewers to watch your video and how to you keep them watching?

The reason many people hesitate to click a Web video’s play button is because they simply lack the time. Web surfers are accustomed to being able to quickly skim text to see if an article is relevant to them before committing to reading the article in depth. With Web videos, it’s harder to skim. If viewers perceive a large time commitment just to see if the video is worth watching, they may opt not to watch in the first place.

To overcome this initial objection, it’s important to make the following crystal clear:

  • What’s covered in the video
  • How the viewer will benefit from watching it
  • The Web video’s length

These three key points let viewers know if the video is relevant to them. Outlining the video’s content is a substitute for the skimming that many visitors need. By listing at least one benefit, you’re giving your viewers a compelling reason to click the play button. Telling viewers the time commitment lets them know just how long it will take to receive the information – and the benefits.

However, while these steps will help attract hesitant viewers, they won’t completely solve the problem of short attention spans. You can have viewers that want the information you’re delivering and completely willing to invest the time to watch the video, but if you don’t quickly capture their attention and then keep it, you could quickly lose them. People are simply too busy and pulled in too many different directions to put up with Web videos that do not engage them.

Remember when television shows and movies used to have long, creative title sequences? Think of the opening sequence of M*A*S*H as an example. The same opening song played each week while the same montage of helicopters and characters filled the screen. Each week, this opening sequence set the stage, introduced the characters, and got viewers in the mood for the story to come. Today, few television shows and movies have long opening sequences. Now, it’s not uncommon for the show to begin immediately with a brief, 10-second title sequence. Why the change? Attention spans.

What does this mean for your Web video? It means to forget the long introductions. It means get to the meat of the material quickly. It means you have to get the viewer’s attention in the first few seconds. So, forget the long fade up from black to a series of dissolving titles. Forget the “In this video we will tell you about. . .” monologue. If you can set expectations before viewers press the play button and then get your video off to an engaging start immediately after, you will have overcome the first two of many short attention span obstacles.

Improving Video Search Results

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In earlier blog posts, we talked about how your site’s videos can enhance your search engine efforts. For example, a page embedded with optimized video could be listed in the results pages twice – once for text and once for video. As more sites integrate video, ranking well in the video search results isn’t as easy as it used to be. After all, more competition means there’s less room at the top. To combat this, you’ll need to adopt some stronger strategies to help your video rank well in the search engine results pages.

Continue Using Standard Video Optimization Techniques

Continue using video optimization techniques such as using keywords in the video’s title and meta tags. This is standard practice and easy to do. By incorporating your keywords into your embedded video files, you are also telling the search engines what the video is about.

Start Using Traditional SEO Techniques to Promote Your Video

You’re likely familiar with the power of anchor text and incoming links. In fact, you may already be optimizing your website by linking to it from other sites. Link building using keyword-rich anchor text is one of the best ways to get a page ranked for the given keyword phrase. If you want your video to rank well in the video search results, start building links to it.

For example, if you’re already writing and submitting articles to article directories, consider launching an article marketing campaign around your video. Some article directories allow you to include two different links in the resource box. Use one of those links to link to your video, making sure to use keyword rich anchor text so that the search engines are crystal clear on what your Web video is all about.

Continue Developing Professional Web Videos

Online video is popular for a reason – it’s far more visual than text. As the mobile Web grows and 3G and 4G technologies become more widely adopted, Web video is going to become even more important to your site than it already is. What if you could add just two short videos to your site a month? This time next year, you would have 24 Web videos working their way into the video search results pages. You’d also have 24 Web videos engaging, converting, and nurturing your prospects.

Developing and optimizing Web video is becoming more important than ever. Investing in professional video production and creating an online video marketing strategy should be on your radar if it’s not already.

Have we missed any tips for boosting video search results? Share your tips in the comments section below.

Short and Sweet: The Power of Short Web Videos

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Web videos can be as long or as short as you need them to be. However, before you take on a two hour documentary detailing your product or service in depth, consider the advantages of shorter Web videos.

Web Video Usability

First, consider your audience: Web surfers. People watch Web videos differently than they watch DVDs and television programming. For some, download speed remains a real issue. For others, watching videos on a tiny screen is hard on the eyes. For many, time is in short supply and plenty of diversions compete for their attention. Even with broadband connections, HD videos, and larger computer screens, few Web surfers are ready to settle in for a long video viewing session. With short attention spans, short Web videos are a must. In fact, if a viewer perceives that your Web video requires a large time investment, that viewer may never click the play button.

Web Video Discovery

Web videos can provide websites with an immediate benefit: improved visibility. Search engines often list videos in their results pages. Not only that, some users specifically search for videos, not text. Where your website may have a difficult time ranking for a given keyword phrase, the addition of a Web video could vastly improve your site’s visibility.

By optimizing your videos with relevant keywords, your Web pages could attract a much wider audience than text alone. By splitting a larger video into a series of shorter Web videos, you can get much more exposure and optimize far more pages than sticking with the longer, uncut video. This strategy also overcomes the attention span problem.

The Power of Web Video Series

In addition to overcoming the problem of short attention spans and boosting SEO, having a series of short Web videos provides you with an opportunity to engage, convert, and nurture prospects and leads. You could also use a video series in multiple ways. For example, you could offer a series of Web videos via email as an incentive for users to subscribe to your newsletter. Doing so ensures that Web visitors return to your website instead of becoming one-time visitors never to be heard from again. Each Web video could be posted strategically in your website, taking viewers step-by-step through a process that culminates in a strong call to action.

From reaching viewers with short attention spans and enhancing your SEO efforts to creating a video-to-lead funnel strategy that allows you to engage, convert, and nurture prospects and leads, short Web videos deliver a powerful punch.

Do you have a longer Web video that could be made into a series of shorter ones? How have you used short Web videos to your advantage? Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas with

us in the comments section below.

Building Credibility With Web Videos

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While thousands of Web videos have made the world laugh with funny antics and viral concepts, many of today’s business owners are looking at video with fresh eyes. After all, Web video is a powerful platform that can help establish you or your company as an expert or industry leader. In short, Web videos are a terrific way to build credibility with new and existing customers.

Strong Production Values Build Credibility

In order to build credibility with viewers, Web videos must have strong production values. Today’s viewers may tolerate a guy with a webcam; however, the value of a well produced video with professional lighting, crystal clear sound, and excellent image quality cannot be stressed enough. Do this part well and your first impression will be a good one. Not only that, you won’t be giving your viewers any reason to doubt your professionalism because it will be readily apparent throughout the video.

Credible Content Builds Credibility

Next, a credible Web video should be filled with credible content, not opinion or sensational topics. Make sure that your script is well written with facts, supporting information, and useful information. Avoid “fluff” and give your audience relevant, useful information. Your viewers have limited time, so keep your Web video relatively short and tightly focused.

Credible People Build Credibility

In addition to strong production values and a well written script, the people featured throughout your video build credibility with online video audiences. This doesn’t mean you need to hire actors or pay big bucks for a celebrity endorsement. For example, a weight loss video could feature interviews with doctors and personal trainers while a do-it-yourself plumbing video could employ a plumber as the spokesperson. The presence of these professionals builds credibility.

Product Demonstrations Build Credibility

If you’re marketing a product, Web videos that show the product in action can build credibility. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words. . . In addition to demonstrating the product, consider “behind the scenes” videos that show the product in various stages of development. Your own research and development team brings its own layer of credibility to the process, so take advantage of it. As viewers see the behind-the-scenes commitment to quality, your product will become more credible to them.

Your Expertise Builds Credibility

Don’t overlook your own expertise and the events your company may be participating in, either. For example, have you recently participated in a seminar or conference as a speaker? Posting a Web video of your speech, or highlights from it, can immediately build credibility you’re your site’s visitors. You’re the expert, so show it with your online videos.

Well written, professionally produced videos that position you as an expert are an important part of the overall “video to lead funnel” strategy. Engage, convert, and nurture prospects and leads with credibility built into each video that you produce.

Technical Considerations when Adding a Virtual Spokesperson to Your Website

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Considering adding a virtual spokesperson to your website? Adding a virtual spokesperson to your site can add a whole new level of interactivity and personalization to your website. However, you may be wondering what’s involved or if your site meets the requirements for adding video overlays.

Shooting Video Overlays

If you’ve ever seen a video spokesperson walk onto a website, you’ll notice that only the actor appears; there’s no distracting background and the actor isn’t confined to a media player’s box. In fact, the actor looks as if he is part of the website. In order to create this effect, the original video must be shot in front of a “green screen.” This technology is the similar to the technology used by television stations. For example, when the weather forecaster appears in front of a weather map or satellite image, he is actually standing in front of a bright green wall. Inside the control room, a technician filters out the green color and replaces it with the background images.

When shooting a video spokesperson, the actor performs in front of a green screen just as television weather forecasters do. The green background is removed so that only the actor’s body appears. All background video is rendered transparent, giving the illusion that the video spokesperson is a part of the website’s overall design.

Because the background color, usually a bright green, are filtered out, it’s important that the actor does not wear clothes, jewelry, and other accessories featuring that same shade of green. Otherwise, those items will disappear along with the background. Professional actors and video studio staff members are well aware of this effect and know to avoid it. However, if you want to appear as your site’s own virtual spokesperson, it’s important to be aware of this before your scheduled video shoot date.

Hosting Video Overlays

Fortunately, the technology required to host a virtual spokesperson on your site doesn’t require much technical tweaking on your end. If you have a live website, chances are good that it is fully capable of hosting a virtual spokesperson. In fact, most virtual spokesmodel videos are hosted on the video production company’s website, not yours. All you need to do is enter a line or two of code into your website and the production company takes care of the rest.

Some video spokesperson production companies allow you to host the video overlays on your own or through a third party host. Before you opt to host the video elsewhere, make sure to find out about video streaming and bandwidth requirements because if the server doesn’t have enough bandwidth to support the video overlay, the streaming video could suffer through pauses and other interruptions.

All in all, if you want to incorporate a virtual spokesperson into your website, going with a professional video company from start to finish is the smart move. You’ll have few technical considerations and you’ll have a lively, interactive spokesperson working on your behalf 24/7.

The Mechanics of Video Spokesperson Production

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Adding a video spokesperson to your website requires a basic understanding of the video production process. After all, a video spokesperson needs a script to follow and must be filmed and edited. In general video production is broken down into three stages: pre-production, production, and post-production.

Video Spokesperson Pre-Production Tasks

Think of pre-production as the planning stage of the video production process. During this time, you’ll need to: consider how you’ll use the video spokesperson throughout your website, write the script, cast the virtual spokesmodel, and schedule production.

  • Planning the virtual spokesperson’s role – A successful video spokesperson implementation begins with a plan. Where will your virtual spokesperson appear on your site? What will she talk about? What type of person should play the role? Which demographic will you try to reach?
  • Writing the script – Once you understand the video spokesperson’s role, it’s time to write the script. You’ll use a portion of the script during auditions and then later during filming.
  • Casting the video spokesperson – If you are not planning on being on camera yourself, you’ll need to find an actor to fill the role. Many video production companies have demo reels of local video spokesmodels that you can view or you can hold open auditions.

Video Spokesperson Production Tasks

Once the plans have been made, the script written, and the talent hired, it’s time to move into the production stage of the process.

  • Lighting, staging, and sound – Filming should take place in a video production studio where you’ll have full control over lighting, staging, and sound. Virtual spokesmodels are typically filmed in front of a green screen which is later filtered out of the shot, allowing the video spokesperson to appear as an overlay on your website without distracting backgrounds.
  • Rehearsals – While many video spokespeople will prepare for the shoot on their own time, allow plenty of time before shooting begins to rehearse the script and fine-tune its delivery.
  • Filming the video spokesperson – Finally, cameras roll and filming begins. It may take several takes before everyone is satisfied with the delivery. Even if the video spokesperson delivers a flawless delivery the first time, shoot several additional takes as a backup.

Video Spokesperson Post-Production Tasks

Now that filming is complete, it’s time to head into the editing room to select the best scenes and complete the production. If you’re paying for editing time by the hour, view the videos at your own location and take extensive notes so that you can limit the amount of time spent in the editing bay.

  • Editing the video – You’ll work with a video editor to select the best scenes and piece them together.
  • Overlaying the video onto the website – Once the video spokesperson’s scenes have been selected and edited, the video production company will package the video for your website. On your end, you’ll simply need to copy and paste a line or two of code into your website. Once the code is embedded, your virtual spokesmodel will appear on your website.

Like any video production, adding a virtual spokesperson to your website involves pre-production, production, and post-production tasks. Hiring a reliable, professional video production company ensures your success.

Should You Use Multiple Video Spokespeople on Your Website?

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By now, you’ve likely encountered a video spokesperson on a website. Video and Web technology have blended to create a welcoming video presence on websites. While one virtual spokesmodel appearing on a website is fresh and innovative, would two be even better?

It’s something to consider. For example, morning news programs regularly use co-anchors to add banter and different perspectives to their programs. These same concepts can be transferred to the Web. As with adding a single virtual spokesperson to your website, you’ll want to carefully consider the actors, the script, and whether or not your site lends itself to co-spokespeople.

What types of sites lend themselves to having two video spokespeople? Let’s say that you and a partner run a real estate business and have built a brand around your partnership. Your photos appear on your business cards and signs and the two of you appear together in local advertisements. In this case, having both of you appear as virtual spokespeople on your website remains true to your brand. You could walk onto the website from the left and your partner could walk onto the site from the right. You could appear side-by-side near the top of the screen. You could “interview” each other as you relay information important to your site’s visitors. You could position yourself as the expert in one category and your partner as the expert in another category. You could appeal to one demographic while your partner appeals to another. . . the possibilities are endless.

Another type of site that could benefit from having two virtual spokespeople would be a website that has distinct segments. For example, a website that covers the latest mortgage and auto insurance news might want a female virtual spokesperson for the mortgage content and a male virtual spokesperson for the auto insurance content.

If you’re considering a co-video spokesperson strategy, speak with your video production team. Just as you’ll need a solid plan for incorporating a single video spokesperson into your site, you’ll need even more planning when incorporating two spokespeople. Will they appear together? Will they provide light banter before digging deeper? Will they have a similar appearance or do you want contrast? Will the video spokespeople be peers (such as two coaches) or will one be more authoritative (like a coach and a trainee) than the other? Should one always appear on the left while the other always appears on the right?

Keep in mind that having two video spokespeople will likely cost more than having just one. After all, there are two actors to hire, not one, and additional scripts to write. If you and a partner are playing the roles, it may take more time in the studio before you both are satisfied.

Having two video spokespeople appear on a website can make perfect sense for some websites. When done correctly, doing so can also make for a unique user experience and set your site apart from others.

How Often to Update Video Spokespeople

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Your website is now live, complete with a video spokesperson who greets site visitors and provides them with compelling calls to action. It’s hard to imagine that someday you’ll have to update this part of your website eventually. How often should you update the virtual spokesperson? Or is it even necessary?

In an earlier discussion, we talked about creating “evergreen” virtual spokespeople. The concept of an evergreen presence involves originally creating content, in this case video content, that can stand on its own now and in the future. For example, a video spokesperson who says, “This offer expires on December 31, 2011” will be obsolete on January 1st, 2012 while the video spokesperson who says, “Hurry, this offer expires soon” can stay on your site for years to come.

With that in mind, updating a video spokesperson depends a great deal on the script. If the script remains current and relevant, you may not need to update this element at all unless the spokesperson starts to look dated as time passes and styles change.

As your product line changes, your video spokesperson may need to change with it. Again, if the spokesperson discusses specific products, such as by saying “Our laptop 5000 is built to last,” those segments will become obsolete as soon as you discontinue those products. On the other hand, the video spokesperson that says, “Our laptops are built to last” will have a longer shelf life.

Because of the possibility of discontinuing products in the future, it’s smart to shoot several scenes at once so that you have alternative versions to display when you need to remove a product-specific scene. If you didn’t do this originally, you may need to contact your video production company and hope that the original spokesperson is still available for updated content. When shooting new content, think ahead and shoot with “evergreen” content and alternative scenes in mind so you don’t find yourself back in the studio again in a few months.

Since the initial investment in video production must pay for itself, your video spokesperson shouldn’t need a major update for at least one year, if not two or more. However, like any initiative, you should closely monitor results and tweak your site as needed. Just as advertisers pull underperforming commercials off the air, if your research indicates that your audience is not responding to, or worse, offended by, your virtual spokesperson, decisive action is necessary. Fortunately, if you team up with a professional video production company and choose your video spokesperson wisely, these issues shouldn’t be a problem.

In short, plan your video script for longevity and shoot alternative, non-product specific scenes, and you shouldn’t need to update your video spokesperson segments for at least one year, if not more.

What do you think? How often should you update a video spokesperson? Share your thoughts below.

Enhance Visitor Follow Through with Online Video

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Creating landing and squeeze pages is a common Web strategy used to prompt site visitors to perform a specific action such as sign up for a newsletter or purchase a product. These pages don’t automatically lead to conversions though. The pages must first be discovered by the user, and the pages must be loaded with compelling text. Once the visitor lands on the page, the content must convince the visitor to act. While text can certainly do that, you have another tool available: online video.

You can use online video in several ways. For starters, use online video to help the visitor find the desired page. For example, if you want users to download a trial version of a new program you’ve developed, use online videos on-site as well as off to drive traffic to your free download page. Online video is a terrific medium for demonstrating the features of the program, showing the program in action, and showing how the program can make life easier for its users. Consider video testimonials, onscreen chats with the software developers, a virtual spokesmodel, or a polished production touting the features and benefits of the program.

These videos can be used on your site or off – or both – to drive traffic to your landing page. For example, you could use a virtual spokesperson to talk about the benefits of your new product and then point to the link that users need to click in order to learn more and download the free trial. You could also post videos on YouTube and other external sites.

Now that traffic is landing your landing page, you can put online video to work once again. After all, not all traffic will arrive based on those videos. As the old saying goes, a picture speaks loader than words. So, put moving pictures to work for you! Online videos allow your site’s visitors to get a taste of whatever it is you are selling. In addition, online videos make your site more personable. People like to buy from other people, and featuring people on your landing page’s videos illustrates that your company is powered by real people.

Because you will be featuring an online video on your landing page, make sure that the video features a clear call to action. This isn’t the place for video tutorials; it is the place for marketing video. What do you want viewers to do once they’ve watched the online video? Download a trial version of your software? Fill out a survey? Sign up for a newsletter? Buy your product? No matter what you want the user to do, you must prompt the viewer to do it! This could be as simple as saying, “Download a free trial version today” or “Take advantage of our $20 discount by ordering before midnight.”

Online video has become a powerful tool with many applications. Not only can it drive traffic to your landing pages, it can also enhance visitor follow through rates.

How have you used online video on your squeeze pages? Share your ideas, thoughts, and successes with us!