Category Archives: web videos

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.

Video Spokesperson: Owner or Professional Actor?

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Video spokespeople on websites add a personal touch and provide site visitors with guidance and information along the way. When it comes to choosing the person to act as a virtual greeter, you have several options including having the company owner play the role or hiring a professional actor. Both can work beautifully. However, when the company owner steps in front of the camera, problems can occur.

When it Makes Sense to Feature the Company Owner as the Video Spokesperson

For some companies, the company owner is the obvious choice. For example, if you were in charge of casting a virtual spokesperson for MarthaStewart.com, who would be your first choice? Martha Stewart! Companies that are led by well-known personalities who already have a strong media presence should take advantage of the brand and talent available to them.

A company owner doesn’t need to have Martha Stewart’s reach in order to make a strong impression as a video spokesperson. Basic speaking skills and confidence in front of the camera may be enough for small business owners who want to appear on their websites as virtual spokespeople, especially when combined with a good script and a professional video production crew.

Websites that lend themselves to featuring the company owner as a video spokesperson include:

  • Websites where the user needs to “get to know” the company owner such as individual attorney websites, photographer websites, and professional speaker websites. For example, it makes sense for a motivational speaker’s website to feature the speaker as the video spokesperson.
  • Websites where the company owner has a local or national following. For example, an accounting firm owned by a retired NFL quarterback could benefit from featuring the owner as the video spokesperson.

When it Makes Sense to Hire a Professional Virtual Spokesperson

Hiring a professional video spokesperson makes sense most of the time. After all, professionals can project the exact image that you want to project and they’re able to quickly and naturally deliver the script’s message.

Even if it makes sense to feature the company owner, it may also make sense to hire a professional actor. For example, if the quarterback-turned accountant is uncomfortable in front of the camera, it may be best to let a professional spokesperson handle the job.

Websites that lend themselves to professional virtual spokespeople include:

  • Websites that are trying to reach a specific demographic. For example, a clothing company catering to skateboarders may want to feature an urban, young adult and not the balding, 50-year-old company owner.
  • Websites that want a polished image. While it’s possible for a company owner to project the right image, hiring a professional ensures site-wide continuity.

Each website and website owner is unique. Before you make the final virtual spokesperson decision, ask your video production company for input.

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.

Conducting a Video-to-Lead Funnel Audit

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the video-to-lead funnel and how you can use online videos to engage, convert, and nurture your site’s visitors. Your website may already have Web videos working diligently on these tasks. However, without first understanding how the video-to-lead funnel works, it’s possible that your current online video strategy doesn’t conform to the funnel’s structure. For example, your site may contain dozens of engaging videos but few designed to convert prospects into leads. Similarly, your site may have many nurturing videos, but few engaging ones. In either situation, gaps should be identified through a video-to-lead funnel audit.

Online Video Audit Step 1: Identify All Web Videos on Your Site

You’ll need a notebook and a block of uninterrupted time for this step. Go through your entire website and list each Web video featured. Watch all videos and identify which phase of the funnel (engage, convert, or nurture) the video falls under. Keep in mind that some videos may have elements from each phase. At this point, focus on the primary purpose of the video.

While you’re at it, write down where the video appears and how viewers get to it. For example, is the video on your home page? Is it on a landing page accessible from an advertisement? Is it on a page your email campaigns point to?

Online Video Audit Step 2: Identify Online Video Gaps

Now that you have a list of web videos and have identified each video’s purpose within the video-to-lead funnel, it’s time to see if any gaps exist. You should have a nice mix of engaging, conversion, and nurturing videos. If your site is filled with conversion and nurturing videos but lacks engaging videos, your online video strategy may not be effective because you haven’t earned the right to jump to those phases yet. Likewise, if your site lacks conversion videos and is heavy on those that engage, you could be missing an opportunity.

Online Video Audit Step 3: Analyze the Progression from One Online Video to the Next

Finally, consider how viewers interact with your online videos. Is there a natural progression leading from one phase of the funnel to the next? For example, after viewing an engaging video, is the user directed to additional options? Is there a call to action to view additional videos or sign up for a newsletter (where you can later send links to additional videos)? Are additional videos easy to locate and well organized?

The Web video audit should show you areas that could use improvement. Whether you need to produce additional Web videos or rearrange navigational elements so that users can easily move through the video-to-lead funnel, taking the time to audit your existing efforts can help you to optimize it for success.

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

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Okay, your prospects have moved through the video-to-lead funnel. Having first been engaged through informative Web videos and then converted after watching video overviews, demonstrations, and testimonials, they’re now ready to move into the final phase, the nurture phase.

When leads enter the nurture phase of the video-to-lead funnel, you’ve earned the opportunity to make a connection, send follow-ups, and show your solutions. At this point, you have positioned yourself as a knowledgeable expert that understands your leads’ problems.

Web videos in the nurture phase take many forms. For example, you can use Web video to introduce yourself to a lead and invite the lead to meet with you in person. A short video message emailed to a lead is a non-threatening way to introduce yourself and quickly reinforce the benefits of your offer. Your lead can quickly get a taste of your offer’s benefits without meeting with a salesperson just yet. This technique can also overcome a lead’s resistance to talking with a salesperson. After seeing you on video and understanding that you’re a real and caring person, objections to speaking with you on the phone or meeting in person may be eased. Web videos designed to make a connection are an excellent choice when you have accounts that have been previously impossible to penetrate.

Video demonstrations at this phase can be even more detailed than those presented during the convert phase. For example, video demos are effective at converting prospects during the convert phase while in-depth video tutorials further demonstrate the benefits of your product or service.

Following up with leads is crucial. Regular exposure to your message continues building trust, reinforcing benefits, and positioning your product or service as the solution. While there are many ways to follow up, consider using Web video. For example, you could send a video link in an email message when a lead requests information; you could send a video link in a thank you email after a lead has contacted you or ordered a sample; and you could use “special video reports” to encourage leads to sign up for a newsletter and then send regular newsletters (incorporating video links, of course) at specific intervals.

The nurture phase of the video-to-lead funnel provides you with the strongest opportunity yet to close the deal. After all, your prospects have been engaged and converted into qualified leads with a genuine interest in your offerings.

How have you used Web video in the nurture phase? What’s worked for you? What hasn’t worked? Share your thoughts below.