Video killed the radio star, sang The Buggles back in the ’80s. Today, we can somewhat claim that video has also killed what has previously been a more popular content format – blog posts.
However, video is not all-powerful, nor can it magically replace the words you write on your pages. What it can do is significantly boost your conversion rates and help you achieve some of your marketing goals.
Let’s look at seven benefits of using video content on your landing pages and how to use it best.
It Works
The simple truth of the matter is that (when executed correctly) video marketing improves conversions. In fact, as much as 34% better conversion rates can be expected with the use of video on your landing pages.
Of course, this does not mean you should blindly add a video to each and every landing page. There are still pages where this kind of pitch won’t work, and you do need to mind what kind of video you choose to introduce (more on that a bit later).
People Love It
Video is becoming increasingly popular: users want to see more of it, they engage with it more, and since it is becoming less complex to produce, it is becoming more accessible even to smaller brands.
The most popular ways to consume video are still social media channels (most notably YouTube) – but video content on landing pages is up there as well.
Your Competitors Are Using It Too
A couple of years ago, 60% of marketers claimed to be using video marketing. That number has been on the rise since, so we can safely assume that some of your competition is doing some kind of video production.
To remain relevant and stay in the game, you need to jump in on video marketing as well.
So, in short, the benefits of featuring a video on your landing pages might be summed up like this:
- It boosts conversions.
- It keeps visitors on your page for longer, thus boosting your rankings as well.
- It helps visitors relate to your product, service, and brand.
- It improves trust.
- It improves user understanding of your product or brand.
- It makes you stand out.
- It’s easy to share, and it is a great talking point.
Let’s look at how best to use them:
Keep the Video Above the Fold
Ideally, you want your audience to be able to watch the video as soon as they land on your page – so again, ideally, you want to place it above the fold.
On the other hand, you don’t want it to play automatically or to take more than a couple of seconds to load. Great user experience means having ready access to every aspect of the page you want to access, not being shoved a marketing message under your nose.
Make It Meaningful
The video you choose to use on your landing page should be as informative, educational, and as full of information as possible. However, you want to provide the content in a way that doesn’t bore or overwhelm people.
In addition, sticking to just the key themes in the video is essential. For example, if your video is meant to introduce a new feature of your tool, you don’t want the video to also talk about all the other great features you have going on. Basically choose one message and stick to it
Set a Goal for Your Video
While we are on the subject of messages, let’s also touch upon goals.
Every marketing asset you have at your disposal should also have a goal – what you want the visitor to do after they’ve watched it. This will help you measure the video’s success and allow you to make any necessary tweaks to the format or content.
Some of the goals you may want to think about are:
- Sign up for a newsletter
- Purchase a product on the page
- Purchase a product on a different page
- Share the video
And so on. One video can have more than one goal, but make sure they are related and achievable by the same piece of video content.
Keep It Short
You don’t want your videos to be too long – the longer they are, the likelier it is someone will click off and move on.
Depending on the message you want to convey, you can aim for anything from as short as 20-30 seconds to 4-6 minutes. In some cases, you can go even longer (for example, when you’re doing demos or explainer videos), but a short and concise video works best in most cases.
Here is an example from LFA Capsule Fillers, which features a neat 4-minute video on the landing page. It’s just enough to convey the point well, but not too long for the visitor to get bored.
Choose Your Thumbnail Carefully
The thumbnail of your video is the first thing a visitor will see, and it is most often what will make them click or choose not to click.
Ideally, you want the thumbnail to sum up the video somehow. Stay away from clickbait-y thumbnails, and either do a still of a particularly important shot or use words to draw visitors in. You can create a nice collage of images and words for your thumbnail with a tool like Canva or Picmonkey.
Use Closed Captions
To a certain extent, the risk you run with video is that not everyone will be able to watch it at the time they come across it. Maybe they are with a group of people, in transit, or at work, and they can’t play the sound of the video.
If you also provide closed captions with your videos, however, your visitors will be able to watch whenever. Plus, they might also benefit from additional understanding, as they are able to read and listen to the same message at the same time.
Final Thoughts
Using video on your landing pages is a trend of the future – and as long as you stick to the advice we’ve listed, you’ll be sure to bask in all those benefits videos can bring to landing pages.
Interesting Reads:
How To Do Content Marketing To Grow Your Online Store
Easy Steps On How To Build And Launch A Custom WordPress Site
