Category Archives: spokespeople

Virtual Spokespersons: How to Choose a Look

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When it comes to virtual spokespersons, props, makeup, and wardrobe can make a difference. Most actors are able to play many roles and are comfortable altering their appearance to match. Because of this, try not to rule out actors based on their initial appearance in a demo tape. For example, if you have your heart set on having a virtual spokesperson dressed in medical scrubs, don’t rule out an actor who appears on camera in a business suit. Look for qualities like a friendly smile, approachable look, and pleasant tone of voice and then imagine your favorite actors in suitable attire.

While this is helpful for website owners who know what they want, what if you don’t know? How can you choose the right look for your site? Start by examining the following considerations:

  1. Consider your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? Women? Teens? Senior citizens? Business people? Write down the largest audience segment.
  2. Consider your brand. Describe your brand using three different adjectives. For example, a financial advisor’s adjectives might be traditional, conservative, and authoritative while a personal trainer’s might be athletic, fun, and disciplined.
  3. Consider props. The above two considerations may give you a better idea of the type of virtual spokesperson your site needs such as a traditional, conservative, authoritative woman or an athletic, fun, and disciplined man. Now think about props that could help your virtual spokesperson reinforce what your site is all about. For example, a stethoscope, stopwatch, clipboard, and briefcase each represent different professions.
  4. Consider hairstyle. For women, buns and ponytails create dramatically different impressions. A woman with her hair pulled back into a bun may be a perfect fit for the financial services site. Meanwhile that same woman wearing a ponytail could resonate with the personal trainer’s website.
  5. Consider wardrobe. Finally, consider the wardrobe. From professional attire like business suits, medical scrubs, lab coats, and uniforms to casual wear, athletic clothing, and work clothes, the possibilities are unlimited.

Be careful not to overdo it though. For example, a virtual spokesperson in business attire would likely be more effective on a legal website than one dressed in judicial robes. A young adult in a polo shirt and khakis may look more collegiate than one dressed in a cap and gown. Remember your audience; you want your audience to relate to the virtual spokesperson, not be intimidated by her.

Fortunately, if you’re working with a video production company, you’ll likely work with talented professionals who can help you select the right look for the virtual spokesperson as well as for your website, brand, and audience.

Using Your Video Spokesperson on Landing Pages

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The decision to incorporate a video spokesperson on your website is a smart one. After all, a video spokesperson can greet your site’s visitors, take them on a tour of your site, connect with them on a personal level, provide additional information, and prompt visitors to take your desired action. To get the most out of your virtual spokesperson, you’ll want to carefully script the role. Not only will your spokesperson greet visitors on the home page, she’ll also greet them when they arrive on a landing page. Because visitors arriving via a landing page arrive through a back door so to speak, you’ll want to craft your script with care in order for it to be the most effective.

Your website can target any number of visitor segments ranging from students, young adults, professionals, and athletes to parents and senior citizens (and beyond). While your virtual spokes model on the home page can greet the community as a whole, when placed on landing pages, the spokesperson can greet individual segments of the audience.

This requires careful scripting and broad conceptualization. When hosted on common pages such as the Home page and About Us pages, the script should be inclusive so that all site visitors feel as if the video spokesperson is speaking directly to them. The landing pages can feature language specific to the targeted demographic. After all, those arriving from an advertisement on a fantasy football site are going to fit a different demographic than those arriving from a link in a genealogy forum. And, each visitor from these different demographics is unlikely to ever see any of the other landing pages. The visitors will have first seen an external call to action such as an advertisement that prompted them to click the link and go to your site.

When the visitor arrives at the landing page, he has already heard a message promising something for clicking the link. What was that message? Let’s say that your website sells housewares. Perhaps you’ve run an ad campaign targeting college freshmen and their parents offering advice and products designed for making the move into campus living as smooth as possible. Because these visitors have heard the message about easing into dorm life and how wonderful your products are, your video spokesperson needs to follow up on that! If she’s talking about products designed for senior citizens, she will be speaking to the wrong audience.

On the other hand, if the virtual spokesperson begins with something like, “Not sure how you’re going to store leftovers in your dorm room or worried about accidentally eating your roommate’s turkey sandwich. . .,” your ad campaign’s message will continue, your visitors will sense the continuity, and original call to action will be reinforced. These elements work together to put your visitors at ease and motivate them to follow through on the original call to action.

As your visitors move from the landing pages into the main pages of your site, they’ll encounter your virtual spokesperson who continues to be friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. When scripted properly, the transition will be seamless and all visitors will feel as if the virtual spokesperson is speaking directly to them.

Website Video Spokesperson: More than Just a Pretty Face

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spokespeopleThere’s more to a website video spokesperson than meets the eye. While you’ll likely want to choose an attractive virtual spokesperson for your website, other considerations exist. In addition to choosing a professional actor to play the role of Web video spokesperson, the video itself must be produced so that the final product looks and sounds as professional as possible.

What is a website video spokesperson? A website video spokesperson serves as a virtual spokesperson who greets visitors when they land on your website. These pre-recorded videos can either play automatically or when the user clicks on them. Using green screen technology, the image of the Web video spokesperson plays on top of the website.

Because your website video spokesperson serves as the face of your website, it’s important to choose a professional actor. In some cases, it makes sense for the head of the company to serve as a virtual spokesperson. If you will be playing this role yourself, make sure that you’re comfortable speaking in front of a camera. Your video production company can help you with the script and provide you with some basic coaching. In both cases, your Web video spokesperson must be able to:

  • Look and play the part
  • Memorize a script or read off of a teleprompter
  • Deliver lines as directed
  • Speak clearly

In addition to the abilities of the person playing the role of website video spokesperson, it’s also important that the behind-the-scenes team is skilled at virtual spokesperson production. For example, what will your virtual spokesperson say? The script should be developed in conjunction with your Web content so that the Web video spokesperson guides visitors through a sales process.

In addition, the video production company will need to shoot the Web video spokesperson in a studio with a green screen so that only the virtual spokesperson appears on the website. Camera operators will also need to frame the shot appropriately as well. The director will work closely with you to determine the best camera angles based on your website design and the ultimate placement of the website video spokesperson. For example, if your website has blank vertical sidebars, it may make sense to have your Web video spokesperson appear in one of the sidebars in full length. Similarly, if you want the website video spokesperson to walk onto the screen, your director will need to frame the shot appropriately.

Broadcast quality production values are a must at all stages of the production including sound quality. When you choose a professional video production company to produce the virtual spokesperson video, you’re usually getting an entire team of video professionals committed to making sure that the Web video spokesperson looks and sounds good.

Once the footage of the website video spokesperson has been shot and edited, the next step involves putting the virtual spokesperson on the website. You will need to make several decisions such as which video player to use and whether or not the Web video spokesperson should begin speaking automatically.

Clearly, putting a website video spokesperson on your website is a process that involves making the right decisions. Not only will you need a person to play the role of virtual spokesperson, that person must be a skilled speaker. Your Web video spokesperson will need a compelling script to follow and a video production team working behind the scenes to produce broadcast quality video.

While a website video spokesperson may indeed have a pretty face, make sure all of the other pieces are in place. What do you think is a must for any website video spokesperson? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Positioning Your Virtual Spokesperson

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Video spokespeople can appear just about anywhere you want them to appear on your website. Some walk on the screen while others “drop in” from above. Others appear alongside graphics and begin to play either automatically or on demand (when the user clicks the play button). A common location is the webpage’s sidebar. However, the sidebar is not the only location for positioning your video spokesperson. Let’s take a look at the options.

Positioning the Video Spokesmodel in the Header

The header area of your website may be the perfect place to put a virtual spokesperson on your site. Eye tracking surveys reveal that the upper left corner of the screen is “hot.” Place a video spokesperson in the upper left corner of your screen and eyeballs will naturally gravitate to it.

Positioning the Video Spokesmodel in the Sidebar

Many video spokesmodels walk onto the screen and occupy the empty space of the right and left sidebars. This is an efficient use of space and appears made to order. However, not all websites are designed with empty space on each side of the page.

Positioning the Video Spokesmodel amongst Text and Graphics

Another option is to position the virtual spokesperson amongst text and graphics. In general, when using this technique, you’ll want to have the spokesperson appear “above the fold.” This is the area that is immediately visible upon visiting a webpage. The area “below the fold” is not visible until the user scrolls down.

Positioning the Video Spokesperson on Specific Pages

In addition to deciding on where the video spokesperson should appear on the screen, it’s also important to decide which pages should feature the video overlay. Because the video spokesperson reinforces calls to action, the video should be overlaid on pages featuring key calls to action.

Landing pages are also good candidates for featuring a video spokesperson. Because many of your site’s visitors will arrive to your site via landing pages, they may never see the official “home” page. Think of each of your landing pages as a mini home page and feature your video spokesperson on these pages, especially if these landing pages feature your key calls to action.

Since website design takes many forms, there’s no universal right or wrong answer as far as where to place your own video spokesperson. Your website’s header may be too cluttered for placing another element. Your site may not feature wide sidebars. A good video production company specializing in virtual spokespeople can evaluate your site’s design and recommend a suitable location.

Have you seen a particularly creative use of virtual spokespeople? Feel free to share your favorites in the comments section below.

Should Your Virtual Spokesperson Have an On/Off Button?

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Have you ever wished you could use a remote control to silence a loud talker in a crowded restaurant? How about when surfing the Web and landing on a webpage featuring avideo spokesperson? While having a virtual spokesperson appear on your website offers numerous benefits and adds a personal touch, it also brings with it the potential for annoying some of your site’s visitors.

This is because people have different learning styles and preferences for receiving information. Where one visitor may love being able to see a video spokesperson and hear an oral presentation, another may learn better through reading and find the audio portion distracting. By having an on/off button, you are giving your site’s visitors the option to silence the video spokesperson.

A common categorization of learning styles is known as Fleming’s VARK Model with the following four types of learners:

  1. Visual preference – these learners prefer seeing information such as through visual aids and pictures
  2. Auditory preference – these learners prefer listening to information such as through lectures and speeches
  3. Reading and writing preference – these learners prefer reading and writing information
  4. Kinesthetic-tactile preference – these learners prefer learning through experience such as through hands-on experiments

Of these learning categories, visual and auditory learners may respond well to a virtual spokesperson on your website. Learners who prefer to learn by reading, will likely want the option to silence the spokesperson as the spoken text could be distracting or annoying to them. By providing an on/off button, you are able to reach most learners in a format that appeals to them without alienating those who don’t respond well to auditory delivery methods.

You may even want to take this one step further by configuring the virtual spokesperson video to play on demand rather than automatically. Why? Having the virtual spokesperson talk “uninvited” could chase off prospects. Rather than looking for the on/off or mute button, some visitors will simply click the button that they’re the most familiar with: the Back button.

While you can’t please all of the people all of the time, you can provide options. If you’re implementing a virtual spokesmodel on your website, speak with your video production company about configuring your virtual spokesperson for on demand playing or at the very least including an on/off button.

If you’re not sure, consider running a test. Keep an eye on the bounce rate for your page for both autoplay and on demand video options. If you see significant numbers of visitors exiting your site right away, it could be because of the autoplay option. Change the video to play on demand and see if you notice an improvement.

What have your experiences been with videos that autoplay? Do you tend to leave a site if sounds start playing without your explicit approval? Or do you find the automatic playback convenient? Share your thoughts below.

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.

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.

Creating “Evergreen” Video Spokespeople

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Adding a video spokesperson to your website requires an investment of time and money. However, once the video has been shot and edited and the video overlay has been set up on your website, your video spokesperson can last for years. If your message doesn’t change drastically, you may not need to update the video spokesperson for years. But, if you don’t think in terms of the future when you shoot, you could end up with a spokes model that looks dated prematurely.

For example, remember when Fedora hats were all the rage back in 2008? A video spokesperson wearing a Fedora would’ve been fashionable back then, but would stick out now as being dated. Currently, “jeggings,” a cross between jeans and leggings, are popular, but will they be a distraction a year or two from now? In addition to clothing and accessories, the video spokesperson’s hairstyle could be problematic in the future if it is trendy now.

Because you want your video spokesperson to last for more than the current season, you’ll need to create an “evergreen” look. The term “evergreen” is commonly used to indicate Web content that is built to withstand the test of time. For instance, an article about the latest football game will be relevant for about a week until the next games are played while an article about the differences between American and European football will be relevant for years to come. Of the two articles, the latter is considered “evergreen.”

Creating an evergreen look for your video spokesperson involves choosing a spokesperson with a timeless overall look or a look that can be transformed to pass the test of time. Work with a video production company that has a wide selection of classic wardrobe options. Choose wardrobes that will look as good tomorrow as they do today and avoid those that are trendy, flashy, or bold. Just as navy blue suits are safe choices for job interviews, solid classics are generally safe for video spokes models.

Another consideration when creating an evergreen video spokesperson for your website involves the script. Avoid catchphrases and buzzwords that are popular today but will likely be short-lived. These will date your video spokesperson as soon as they become clichés or fall out of favor. Soon, these phrases may even be forgotten and their context lost on future visitors. Avoid references that will date your spokesperson as well.

For example, if your script mentions President Obama, it will be obsolete as soon as President Obama is no longer the president. References to future dates are especially problematic as once that date passes, the script is no longer relevant. For example, if your video spokesperson says, “This offer is good until December 2010,” the video will be hopelessly out of date from January 2011 forward. A better choice would be to say, “This offer expires soon” and use other easy-to-change elements on the webpage to indicate the actual expiration date.

Selecting an evergreen wardrobe, hairstyle, and script for the video spokesperson allows you to extend the final video overlay’s life on your website.

The Engage Phase of the Video-to-Lead Funnel: A Detailed Look

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Earlier, we talked about the “video-to-lead funnel” with its three phases:Engage, Convert, and Nurture. This funnel represents a strategy for using Web video to guide and convert prospects. The broadest part of the funnel is the Engage phase. In order for a prospect to convert, that prospect must first be engaged. How do you use video to engage prospects? Let’s explore.

In general, videos that add value engage your site’s visitors. Examples of engaging videos include:

  • Interviews with thought leaders on topics of interest to your site’s visitors. This type of video typically increases engagement by two and a half to three times over baseline.
  • Videos consisting of tips or best practices of interest to your site’s visitors. These videos typically increase engagement by two and a half to three times over baseline.
  • Videos that contain solutions to your prospects’ problems.

Promotional videos can also engage your site’s visitors. For example:

  • A video spokesperson that guides your visitors to specific Web pages is much more engaging than a text link.
  • Videos embedded in reports and white papers can bring the material to life and engage your prospects.
  • Video links in newsletters add interest while also driving your prospects to specific pages on your website. In addition, video links in newsletters have been shown to reduce opt-out rates.
  • Videos positioned on landing pages increase landing page conversion rates by one and a half to two times over baseline. They also encourage follow through on your call to action by reinforcing the benefits of your offer.

Videos related to an event are another terrific way to engage your prospects. In fact, you can use videos before, during, and after an event, adding value and engaging prospects each step along the way. For example:

  • Before the event – Use video to promote your event and increase attendance. This strategy typically results in an improvement of two to four times over baseline.
  • During the event – Video displays during the event engage attendees and add another dimension to your presentation while recording the event itself ensures that you have footage to share afterward.
  • After the event – The possibilities for using video after an event are vast. You could post highlights from the event on your website for those who couldn’t attend, thereby engaging prospects after the fact. You could edit the footage to include detailed excerpts from speakers and post it on your website. You could use excerpts from the event as you promote the next event in the series. You could create an event follow-up video with a special offer which typically results in a follow-up response of 22% to 35%. Each of these post-event videos allow you to keep the conversation going and reach attendees and non-attendees alike. They also strengthen your position as an expert.

What do all of the above videos have in common? They engage prospects.

How have you used Web video to engage your site’s visitors? Share your ideas in the comments section below.