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Tag Archives: videos
4 Great Examples of Video Content that Converts on Social Media
The post 4 Great Examples of Video Content that Converts on Social Media appeared first on HostGator Blog . They say, “Content is king,” but that’s only true if you are creating the right type of content for your target audience. And when it comes to social media marketing, it’s all about video content. Text and blog content will always have a value and place of its own, but video is getting all of the attention, buzz and engagement when it comes to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram users. When used correctly, it’s also been a huge influencer in higher site conversions as well. With this in mind, today we are going to be looking at four different ways to create video content for your social audiences, while also growing your reach, conversions, and engagement in the process. 1. Create Videos Based on Current Events and Existing Viral Content One of the many benefits to focusing your efforts on video content, is that most of the time a lot of the work is already done for you. With blogging, whall of your content has to be original, but things are completely different with video and images. Everyone is always sharing the same stuff, and making memes, and we often really never know who the original creator or uploader was. A perfect example of this can be seen here . We’ve probably all seen the video of the people in the boat, who aren’t sitting down and are going way too fast. End result, they fly all over the place and the video goes viral. But the reason why this particular example is so perfect, is because “ Rick Lax’s Favorite Videos ” (which currently has 1.6 million Facebook fans) is killing it with videos that have already gone viral. They simply add their own text and commentary to each and republish them under their own channel. This video example alone has more than 50k shares and over 17 million views. 2. Grab Attention with Whiteboard and Text Animation Videos As wonderful as video can be for social media, it’s not simply a matter of uploading a video and then seeing results. When the thought of video comes to mind, many people shy away because they either have no idea how to create them, or they don’t want to spend a lot of money on a design team. Just like anything else, you need to create content that grabs the attention of your audience and makes them want to stop scrolling through their news feed. An excellent way to accomplish this is through the use of whiteboard and text animation videos. These types of videos are also very affordable and easy to make. Using a tool like mysimpleshow makes the video creation quite simple, as you just need to grab images, add text, and then move them around to your liking. Then, once you find an idea and concept that works with an audience, you can continue to tweak and customize it until it’s perfect. If there was ever an example for how important and effective animation and explainer videos are, this video is it. I don’t know many people that actually care how deep the ocean is, or would even spend 10 second to read about it… but when it’s in visual form, it can result in millions of views and new social followers or customers. If you aren’t too familiar with the concept of whiteboard and animation video, or how you can start using them for your own brand or business, check out this article with 17 great examples . 3. Develop Brand Mentions with Industry Experts and Video Interviews How many times have you visit a top influencer blog or online marketing guru site and then started seeing their advertisements and videos on Facebook? It happens all the time, and we will actually cover this in more detail in the next point. What I want to focus on now however, is the importance of video branding and visual association with other experts and trusted brands within a given niche. These videos work well for many reasons. They improve brand awareness and build reputation points as well. It’s not just about people searching for your videos. It’s also about them searching for who you might be doing an interview with. There are a number of tools out there to help with the tracking of social media mentions, while also providing you with some valuable data on who the top experts are within your space — which could lead to more interview and partnering opportunities. The best examples of these co-branded videos are often seen with one-to-one video interviews and webinars, which are then turned into sponsored content on social media. It’s usually Q&A for the first half, then upselling for something in the second portion. If you see someone interviewing or having a chat with someone else you know and trust, you are also more likely to follow and trust them as well. Plus, think about how many people you could be reaching when the person you are interviewing also shares it with their audience. This is something Russell Brunson has been doing for a while to grow his company. Head over to his YouTube account and you can see one of his interviews with Tony Robbins. Once you have something like that in place, you can keep marketing it and milking it for all it’s worth — since Tony is such a well-known and trusted name. Also, once you start to secure bigger names for interviews and JV opportunities, it will make the process of bringing in other influencers much easier. By using social media to host and promote this content, you are also growing a community forum around the content with comments, questions, and sharing. 4. Set Up a Remarketing Video Campaign We’ve covered a bunch of different ways to create video content, but not so much on how to effectively target your audience. As with all advertising, it’s ideal to show your best advertisements and ad copies to audiences that are already familiar with your brand or what you have to offer. Once again, this is where the magic of social media advertising comes into play once again. Through the use of remarketing, one can create an ad campaign that will deliver specific advertisements to audiences that have either been to your site and left, subscribed to your mailing list, or are already a follower of your social accounts. These types of video campaigns are ideal with upselling and bringing users back to complete a process they might not have acted on. These are commonly used with webinars as well, often being reminders that a webinar offer is closing and to act soon. There are many different methods for setting these types of campaigns up, and Adespresso has an excellent guide on the different options available. Through the use of custom audiences, you can even create campaigns and retarget users based on how much of your video they watched. Another great thing about remarketing ads is that your advertising dollars are spent more efficiently. Since your ads are being seen by people that are already interested in something you offer, they are more likely to click and buy. Not only can this lead to increased conversions, but also lower ad costs as a result of a much higher click through rate. Video is Here and It’s Also the Future! After skimming through each of the video creation and marketing examples laid out above, you should have some nice ideas for implement similar concepts into your own business and brand. The concept of using video to create content and target your audience is nothing new, but the methods in which you are reach, engage and upsell your video marketing is. Be sure to start using these methods today, as video isn’t just here right now… it’s also the future of all online, offline, and social media engagement. Get started with these 7 video ideas every business should feature on their website. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
Posted in HostGator, Hosting, VodaHost
Tagged animation, audience, content, current-events, facebook, industry, news, online-marketing, social, through-the-use, video, videos
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20 Top Tools for Responsive Web Design
The post 20 Top Tools for Responsive Web Design appeared first on HostGator Blog . The main trend in web design that’s dominated the conversation over the past few years is responsive web design. As mobile use continues to grow around the world—recent estimates put the number of mobile devices in use at over five billion —the need for mobile-friendly websites is obvious. Responsive web design is the most popular solution to that need. Why You Should Use Responsive Web Design Responsive web design is an approach to web design that ensures a website looks good on all devices. Responsive websites have the same information and page elements no matter what device you view them on, but the way the pages are organized changes according to the smaller screen size on smartphones and tablets. As the name suggests, the website is designed to respond to the size of the screen each time it loads by changing the way the display appears to match the screen layout and provide an intuitive experience for every visitor. Responsive web design has become the go-to option for web designers who care about providing a good and consistent experience on all types of devices. Web designers do also have the option of building two separate websites: a mobile one that loads on smaller devices, and a desktop one that loads on computers. But with the growing number of device types and screen sizes of smartphones and tablets, that option poses the risk of still only working well in a fraction of cases. And if you’re providing different content or information to different visitors, you risk providing an inferior experience to some of your visitors. Why keep content you know is valuable for your desktop visitors inaccessible to your mobile ones? Responsive web design is good for your visitors, good for search engine optimization (SEO), and easier on you, since you only have to build and maintain one website. But if you’re new to web design, figuring out how to create a responsive website can seem overwhelming. Luckily, there are a number of tools to help with an adaptive design that make things easier. 20 Tools for Responsive Web Design The tools available for responsive web design fall into three main categories. For beginners wanting a simple option for building a responsive layout on their website, you have tools that will help you find and use responsive templates . For more experienced designers, there are a number of tools that aid in the responsive design process . Finally, for anyone that’s built a responsive website, there are responsive testing tools to help you make sure your finished website works well on all device types. Tools For Responsive Web Design Templates If you’re building a website and don’t know the first thing about web design or coding, but you know it’s important to have a responsive website, then you may be worrying about where to even start. Fortunately, as the importance of responsive web design has become increasingly clear over the years, a number of designers and web building tools have seen the need to develop responsive web design examples that newbie website owners can use to easily build a responsive website. Here are a few tools you can use to find responsive templates that will make creating a responsive website simple, even for those with limited web design skills. 1. Gator Website Builder Gator Website Builder has over 100 responsive website templates to choose from for an adaptive design. Anyone that subscribes to a Gator plan has access to the library of templates, as well as a intuitive website builder that makes it easy to customize the template you choose to create a unique, fully responsive website. 2. Simbla Simbla offers 100 simple responsive website templates customers can choose from to jumpstart the web design process. For anyone just looking to build a basic website with a few pages, their templates are straightforward and responsive. 3. Colorlib Colorlib is a resource that collects and highlights themes—both free and premium—that anyone building a website on WordPress can use. Some of the site’s blog posts specifically collect responsive themes and templates. While working with their themes will require a little more skill than using a website builder, they can provide a good starting point for building your website and can save you some money if you’re willing to commit the time to learning basic design skills. 4. ThemeForest ThemeForest , part of Envato, offers nearly 45,000 themes and templates for people building a website with WordPress, including over 5,000 that are responsive. Their themes start at around $5, but can cost over $100 for some options. Many of the themes include reviews and ratings from past customers, so you can get some advance insights into how well they work. 5. Templated Templated supplies nearly 900 responsive HTML templates that are freely available under the Creative Commons. Anyone can browse their collection and download and use any template that feels like a good fit for your needs. If you’re looking for a free option to get started with, this is a good place to look first. Tools For Doing Responsive Web Design Responsive templates are the best option for anyone with limited skills hoping to get a website up on their own. For designers with the skills to build a website from scratch, there are a number of tools for responsive web design that make doing the job well easier. 6. Bootstrap Bootstrap is a free, open source tool for building mobile-first responsive websites. Bootstrap provides a toolkit of the various elements you need to build a responsive website and lets you pick and choose the elements you want to include on your page to make prototyping intuitive. 7. Wirefy Wirefy is a free tool for easily creating responsive wireframes. The tool makes it easy to plan your design around your content and make sure it looks good across device types. It requires a working knowledge of HTML and CSS, but makes the work of building a responsive site easier. 8. FitVids If your website includes video, FitVids is a free, useful tool for ensuring your videos load at the right width on different devices. It’s a simple plugin that allows for fluid video embeds. Whatever screen size your visitors use, the videos will automatically load to the right width. 9. Adaptive Images What Fitvids does for videos, Adaptive Images does for images. The program detects a visitor’s screen size and automatically delivers the images on your page in the right size for them to look good on the screen and load quickly. 10. FitText FitText does for fonts what FitVids and Adaptive Images do for visual elements. It automatically resizes your headings and display text based on the size of the screen visitors have. FitText is a free and easy-to-use plugin. 11. Webflow Webflow is a tool to help people design and build responsive websites visually—it automatically generates the code for you, so you can stick to the visual side of design. The company offers a free basic plan you can use for designing a responsive site, and paid plans that come with additional features and services. 12. Invision Invision is a tool for enabling collaborative responsive design. It makes it easy to share your work with others on a team. And notably, it makes it easy to access it on various devices as you work, so you can test out how it looks on different screens as you go. Invision is free for one active prototype at a time, and has paid plans for those who need more. 13. Blueberry If you want to include an image slideshow on your website, the Blueberry image slider is designed to be automatically responsive. It’s a free open-source tool that automatically sizes all the images in your slideshow to fit on the screen of the device your visitors are on. All you have to do is load your images. 14. UXPin UXPin is a platform for web design and prototyping that prioritizes user experience. The platform enables quick and easy design and provides a library of pre-built components you can incorporate into your designs. It also makes collaboration with other designers on your team easy. UXPin is a subscription product that starts at $23 a month. 15. Style Tiles For professional designers that work with clients, Style Tiles is a useful tool for creating quick mock-ups of your design ideas for approval, before having to dive into serious design work. You can download free templates created by a designer familiar with the process of working with clients and knowledgeable about the importance of responsive web design. Responsive Testing Tools One of the challenges inherent in responsive design is that, while your goal is to create a website that looks good on every possible device and in every different browser, you can’t reasonably test out every variation on your own. There are dozens of different screen and resolution sizes out there, and no person or business will have access to every one of them. While it’s worth it to try out your new responsive website on as many devices as you can access, you can go further by using responsive testing tools to see how your website works on additional screen sizes. 16. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test isn’t specifically for testing responsive websites, but Google has been upfront for some time about how important its algorithm considers mobile friendliness in websites in determining rankings. For any business that cares about SEO, Google’s tool lets you go straight to the source to confirm that your website is mobile friendly enough to meet the search engine’s standards. 17. Responsinator Responsinator is a free and handy responsive testing tool where you all you have to do is enter your URL, and you can see how your website looks on a few different device sizes and orientations. It’s a quick way to get a snapshot of how other visitors will see your website. 18. Browserstack While Responsinator lets you test your website on a few different device sizes at once, for businesses that want to really be confident that a responsive website works on every possible device, a more comprehensive solution is called for. Browserstack is a subscription product that automates the process of testing your website over 2,000 device and browser types. 19. Resizer Resizer is a free tool that provides a quick snapshot of how your website looks on the three main screen sizes, but also lets you test out how it looks at different widths on each device type. With a simple click, you can see how people with a variety screen or browser sizes will see the website, so you can get a much broader view of the different ways your responsive site will appear to visitors. 20. CrossBrowserTesting While a lot of how we talk about responsive design focuses on different device types and sizes, the way your website shows up in different browsers is another important consideration for user experience. The CrossBrowserTesting tool automates the process of testing out how your website looks and works in all the main browsers so you can spot potential issues before they affect how your visitors experience the website. Responsive Web Design Made Easy Building a responsive website doesn’t have to be hard. With the right tools for responsive design, you can pull together a website that meets your needs and provides an intuitive experience to all your users, no matter the device they come from. If you’re building your first website and don’t know where to start, the Gator Website Builder makes building a responsive website a fast and easy process. All you have to do is select your responsive template, and use the intuitive drag-and-drop editor to change the template to suit your particular vision. Even beginner website owners can have a working site up and ready within hours. And as an added benefit, Gator comes with HostGator’s powerful web hosting. Web hosting is a requirement for every website, so you can get two things done at once by signing up with one of the most respected web hosting providers in the space. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
Posted in HostGator, Hosting, VodaHost
Tagged adaptive-images, css, design, responsive, responsive-web, videos, visitors, web hosting tips
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How to Embed a YouTube Video in WordPress
The post How to Embed a YouTube Video in WordPress appeared first on HostGator Blog . You’re here because you want to add YouTube videos to your WordPress-hosted website . You might want to embed your own videos, or maybe include videos that other people have made. Combining the power of your WordPress content management system and YouTube is just plain smart. By embedding videos within your content you’ll not only improve user engagement with your content, but it can result in more views for your videos as well—an added benefit if you’re trying to grow your own YouTube channel. Regardless, WordPress has a variety of methods you can take to accomplish this task. Below you’ll learn why adding YouTube videos to your site is a great idea, the different ways you can embed your video, and even uncover a few themes that are built for YouTube optimization right out of the box. Why Would I Want to Add YouTube Videos to My Site? YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Creating your own YouTube channel can be a great way to enhance your existing online marketing efforts. But, you can also multiply your efforts on YouTube by incorporating your videos into your site. Instead of having to run your YouTube channel in isolation of your existing site, you can actually bring the two together, and enhance both your website and channel at the same time. First, your website visitors might not know about your YouTube channel. By adding your videos to your content you’ll get more people clicking over to your new channel. As you grow your views and your subscriber count, you’ll be well on your way to making money on YouTube . Second, adding videos to your content can greatly improve the quality of your content. Just make sure that you’re only adding videos that add value to your existing content . Third, since YouTube videos are generally a few minutes long this will also help to improve your on-site metrics, such as dwell time, which will have a positive influence on your search engine rankings . As you can see, the simple act of inserting YouTube videos into your WordPress website can bring you a lot of benefits—all without too much additional work. Bes t YouTube Video WordPress Themes Before we jump into how to actually embed YouTube videos into WordPress, we’ll look at a few themes that’ll help to simplify the process. Why would you want a WordPress video theme? If you’re building a WordPress site that’s going to be heavy on video content, then this might be a feature you require. Or, if you’re looking for a great way to showcase your videography work, then choosing a video-friendly theme might be the preferred route to take. Remember, if you’re going to have a media heavy website, then you’ll want to make sure your current web hosting for your WordPress site can support regular streaming video, without your site going offline. Here are a few of the best WordPress video themes currently on the market: 1. VideoPro VideoPro is a great theme that can help you create a massive video-sharing site that’s similar to YouTube. It’s a very flexible theme, so you can create any kind of video site you desire. There’s integrated support for the largest video sites out there, and of course, YouTube. It has many similar features to YouTube as well. For example, users can create their own video channels, create and manage playlists, and a lot more. Plus, there’s a useful membership feature that allows you to create a section of the site where you can sell premium content. 2. VideoFly VideoFly is an elegant video theme that has plenty of whitespace. The end result is a video site that’s very easy on the eyes and fun to spend time on. It’s very intuitive and easy to use, both in the setup and the user video submission feature. You can either embed, upload, or insert videos with this theme, or simply use the included YouTube importer. With the VideoFly WordPress plugin, there are plenty of customization options to help make your video site unique. Plus, you have multiple ways you can integrate ads into your site too. 3. Vlog Vlog is a theme that’s perfect for video bloggers. It’s very elegant and is equipped with a variety of layouts, so you can display your videos on your WordPress site however you want. You can embed the video in your blog posts, as a featured image, or even group your videos into playlists. Plus, this WordPress video plugin is compatible with most of the largest video sharing sites out there, including YouTube. 4. Soledad Soledad is a very versatile WordPress video theme. With its near endless ability to customize your layouts and display content in different ways, you can truly make your creative vision come to life. There are hundreds of included templates, or you can build your own layout entirely from scratch with the included Visual Composer. There are also built-in tools to easily embed and incorporate video content into your WordPress site. For example, you can use videos in place of the standard featured image. 6 Different Ways You Can Embed a YouTube Video in WordPress Like most things with WordPress, there are multiple approaches to accomplishing any task. Here are a few of the most common ways to embed YouTube videos into WordPress. As you’ll see below there are a few different embed types, depending on what kind of video content you want to embed, how you want it to display, or whether or not you want to embed your entire YouTube channel. 1. The Simple Add Media Approach The first method is also the most straightforward. With this approach, you’ll be using the Add Media function to embed a video into your site. First, navigate to any post or page on your site. From within the post or page editor click Add Media . Next, select the option on the left-hand side that says Insert from URL , and then input the URL of your YouTube video on WordPress . Click Insert into page and the video will automatically be inserted into your page. Note that this is different than uploading an entire video to your site. Instead, WordPress pulls and embeds the video from the URL. That way your site isn’t responsible for actually hosting the video. With this method, you can link to any video on YouTube, and it doesn’t even have to be your own video! This method is entirely functional and your viewers can either watch the video on your site or click through and watch the video directly on YouTube. 2. Embed Your Entire YouTube Channel If you have an existing YouTube channel, then you might want to embed your entire channel into a dedicated page on your WordPress site. This gives you a chance to show off all of your video content, and encourages your visitors to check out your channel on YouTube too. You can easily do this with the YourChannel plugin . To set up this plugin, navigate to Plugins> Add New , and search for YourChannel , then install the plugin that looks like the image below: Once the plugin is installed you can configure the plugin by navigating to Settings> YourChannel . On this screen, you’ll need to enter your YouTube API, along with your channel ID, or your username. The other options on this screen will let you configure the display options for your channel. Once these are to your liking you can copy and paste the WordPress shortcode and add it to any portion of your site where you want to display your videos. 3. Use a YouTube Video Widget Next, you may want to add a video to your site, but you want more options than the simple embed in step one gave you. If your site has multiple widget areas, or at the very least, a widgetized sidebar, then you can use the plugin called YouTube Widget Responsive . To install this plugin navigate to Plugins> Add New and search for YouTube Widget Responsive , then install the plugin that looks like the one below: Now that the plugin is installed navigate to the widget portion of your site under Appearance> Widgets . Now locate a widget called ‘Youtube widget responsive’ and drag that widget to any section of your site. Now, all you have to do is enter the video URL and click Save . Then you’ll have a few additional customization options you can change to your liking as well. 4. Create a YouTube Video Gallery If you want to embed a gallery of videos, but don’t want to embed an entire YouTube channel, then you’ll want to use a gallery plugin. There are a few different WordPress video gallery plugins like YouTube Gallery , YotuWP , and Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery . Since this post is all about YouTube, then we’ll be using the Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery plugin. To install this plugin navigate to Plugins> Add New and search for Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery , and install the plugin that looks like the one below: To configure this plugin find the new Gallery Video tab on the left-hand side of your WordPress dashboard. On this screen select New Gallery Video , add a title for your gallery, and select the kind of layout you want. Now it’s time to add a few videos. To do this click on the Add Video button, and then enter the URL of the video. Click Save Video and you’re all set. The beauty of this WordPress video plugin is that you can add as many videos as you’d like. Once you’re done adding videos hit Save towards the top of the page and then you’ll have a shortcode you can copy and paste anywhere on your site. 5. Add a Video Without YouTube Branding Maybe you want to insert a video into your site, but don’t want to have the YouTube branding present. This can help to create a more cohesive look and works well if the video is part of a landing page, where you want to keep your visitors on the page (not clicking off to YouTube). It essentially allows you to use the video on your site, under your own branding, while still hosting the video with YouTube. To do this we’ll be using a plugin called YouTube Embed Plus . To install this plugin navigate to Plugins> Add New and search for YouTube Embed Plus . Then install the plugin that looks like the one below: Now, you’ll see a tab called YouTube Free on the left-hand side of the page. Here you’ll have all kinds of options, which will allow you to embed and turn off certain video display features. 6. Add a Pop-Up Video Lightbox For the final YouTube video embed, you’re going to learn how to create a video lightbox. These can be effective in placing your viewer’s full attention onto each video while giving it a cool effect. To achieve this you’ll need to use a WordPress plugin called WP Video Lightbox . To install this plugin navigate to Plugins> Add New and type in WP Video Lightbox in the search bar. Then install the plugin that looks like the one below: Now, on the left-hand column navigate to Settings> Video Lightbox . Here you’ll be able to properly set up the plugin to your liking. If you’re having trouble configuring the plugin, there’s extensive documentation that can help to walk you through any issues you’re having. Can’t I Just Upload Videos Straight to WordPress? One common question when adding videos to WordPress is: why can’t I just add videos directly to WordPress? Now, it is possible. Just upload your video directly into your media library. But, taking this approach (instead of first uploading your video to a third-party provider) will usually greatly decrease your overall site performance. If your site gets a lot of traffic, then your site will probably go offline. If you have managed hosting of some sort, then your site will probably be fine. But then you’re missing out on all of that additional YouTube traffic, which in turn can help to grow your channel. Plus, by uploading directly to WordPress you make it that much more difficult to share your video to help it reach a wider audience. The only people who will see your video are those who actually visit your site. Do yourself a favor and upload your videos to YouTube, or another supported video provider, before embedding them on your WordPress site. You’ll get the best of both worlds. In Closing Video is quickly becoming one of the most dominant forms of content across the web. If you’re only relying on text to get your message across, then you’re missing out on the opportunity to engage your visitors in new ways. Plus, if you have any existing YouTube channel, then linking both your website and your channel together is a great way to promote both and expose your work to new audiences. Hopefully, you have a better understanding of the multiple approaches you can take to add YouTube videos on WordPress . You don’t have to use every one of the WordPress video plugins highlighted above, but instead, just those that make sense in the existing context of your site. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
Posted in HostGator, Hosting, VodaHost
Tagged api, gallery, hostgator, hosting, lightbox, search-engine, video, video-lightbox, videos, web hosting
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whFAQ.com | Web Hosting FAQs, Guides, Videos and cPanel Tutorials
I had the videos from Demowolf in WHMCS but the pages were not friendly at all and so I moved them to WordPress site itself. [QUOTE]Check… | Read the rest of http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1729959&goto=newpost Continue reading
7 Types Of Videos Every Business Should Feature On Their Website
The post 7 Types Of Videos Every Business Should Feature On Their Website appeared first on HostGator Blog . 7 Videos Every Business Should Have On Their Website You’ve put together a pretty good first website for your business, and it’s doing OK. Visitors stick around, browse your store or view your portfolio, and contact you or make purchases. It’s a good start, for sure. But what if you want more customers, more sales and higher average order values without having to change your business model, product offerings, or services? Add videos. Here are five types of video that can help your business website earn you more customers and more revenue. 1. Product Demo Videos Sell products? You need product videos . You might not think that a 30-second video of someone opening and closing a purse or using a cordless drill is a valuable marketing tool, but the numbers don’t lie. Established online retailers have reported increases in conversion rates of anywhere from 64 to 85% higher for products with videos . Why? Especially for expensive products, customers want know as much as possible about the item before they buy. An effective product video, like this 39-second Tory Burch bag video at Zappos shows customers in detail what they’re getting. If you sell products online, you can still use testimonial videos. Embedding and sharing user-generated content and video reviews by customers delivers the impact of testimonials without the expense of producing your own content. Shoppers tend to trust customer-made videos and are 97% more likely to buy after they see user-created videos. 2. Case Study Videos Sometimes it’s hard to imagine attaining success without seeing an exemplary model. With most products, we need social proof to convince us that it can deliver results. Do your customers have complex problems to solve? You need case study videos . A case study is similar to a testimonial, but it shows a business audience how your product helped a client solve a particular problem, like rebranding a website in this HostGator video case study . As with a testimonial, you should include clients and let them talk about their experiences. You may also want to include some hard numbers to quantify exactly how much your business helped this client (for example, did you raise their traffic, revenue or something else) but don’t pelt viewers with too many spoken stats. Keep the overall message simple and easy to absorb and your customers will remember it better. You can streamline video production by creating a storyline prior to filming. You’ll also want to have your interview questions already prepared. These simple tasks will make the entire process run smoother. 3. Tutorial Videos Do your customers have questions? You need tutorial videos . Tutorials can keep your customers happy by showing them how to get the most value from what you sell. These videos can also persuade new customers to buy, because they can see the level of support they’ll get. The most effective tutorial videos walk viewers through each and every step in a process, like this tutorial on how to set up your WordPress website or blog. Another type of tutorial shows customers what they can do with your products. For example, Sephora produces tutorials on covering under-eye bags, achieving new nail art looks, doing wedding makeup, and more using products they sell. These videos typically cost more and take longer to produce than screen-based tutorials; if your business doesn’t have a Sephora-level marketing budget, user-generated tutorial videos are another option. And sometimes, tutorial videos are your product, or at least part of your product mix. This detailed post on using videos for infopreneurship , from product type to production. For example, in addition to in-studio classes and workshops, a growing number of dance performers and instructors now offer streaming video instruction and live online lessons on Patreon to expand their customer base far beyond their local market and the workshop circuit. 4. About Us Videos Want new customers? You need an “about us” video . Not only do customers want to put faces with names, they also want to get a sense of how your business operates and where it fits in the community. Thrift nonprofit Goodwill condenses more than 100 years of history into this short “about us” video that also showcases the group’s mission and international scope. Even if your business is brand-new, viewers will still want to know why you started it, how you take care of customers, who works with you, and how you make the products or deliver the services you sell. Just keep in mind the main rule of “about us” content – it’s really about showing what you can do for your customers. In addition to your main about us video, you can keep your video content for this section of your site fresh by embedding social video that you shoot at pop-up events, trade shows, and in your warehouse, workshop, or studio. 5. Webinar Videos Education is vital to attract and maintain your customers. By teaching your audience, they become experts in your product and in the industry. Webinars, live and recorded, can walk consumers through topics that help them do their jobs better. It’s hard for anyone to turn down a well-planned webinar that offers a new skill. When featuring these videos, your team should create engaging content that will teach and entertain your consumers. In the description, break down the objectives and who should attend. Think about the different learning styles of your audience. You may want to include an additional handout or interrupt the monotony with a quick poll. Always give participants space to ask questions, too. That interaction will deliver more value to everyone on the webinar. ClearVoice educates its audience with monthly webinars. They invite experts to explain a specific topic and answer questions asked by attendees. Consumers can access the webinars via its site or on its YouTube channel. You’ll also want to consider the length of your webinar. Attendees may lose interest quickly if you try to trap them into a two-hour session. Instead, aim for a 20-minute or 45-minute webinar. It isn’t too late to teach your audience something different. Your team can build a learning environment with webinars. 6. Event Videos Let’s face it. Everyone can’t attend your amazing events. However, you can keep them engaged by capturing a few minutes on video. Event coverage is effective because it keeps consumers up-to-date on your happenings, and it allows them to watch at their convenience. Depending on the event, be mindful of what and who you record. You may have to get attendees to sign a waiver form. Also, it’s nice to think about what you want to record. It may be unnecessary to record a whole 90-minute session; instead, you may want various shots from multiple sessions. Zendesk shared a talk presented by one of its team members. The presentation discussed an important topic for its audience—customer experiences: With event coverage, you can get creative. Maybe you can gather a few speakers and let them share their best business tip. Or you can do a funny blooper reel. This i s your moment to stand out from other companies. Use event videos as a way to connect your brand with consumers. Are you hosting a big conference soon? Or do you have a small workshop on your company agenda? Extend the shelf life of your event by recording it. 7. Company Culture Videos Selling your brand to customers isn’t an easy task. With so much competition in the market, people can buy products from multiple companies. Yet, some consumers usually stick to a few brands for all their purchases. That reality comes down to trust. Consumers don’t just buy from any ol’ business. People buy from brands that they believe in. Using video can help your team build consumer confidence, and highlighting your company’s culture can initiate the start of a positive brand relationship. Company culture is the living proof of your brand’s values. It reflects how you treat your employees and how you interact with your local community. BambooHR shows off its company culture in the video below. In a sincere, personal way, it spotlights the brand’s work-life balance and why the principle matters to the business. Company culture embodies everything from how you manufacture your products to the charities your brand champions. Giving customers just a tiny peek of how you operate can make a huge difference. These videos also help you attract new talent. Show future employees what it’s like to work at your office, and get them excited about joining your team. Get creative in your videos. Take viewers on a journey around your office, let employees talk about their work experiences, or even showcase how ideas become real-life products. Videos for Your Business Website You may be thinking that this is a lot of video to plan, script, shoot, edit, and post, and you’re right. However, video doesn’t have to happen all at once, so start with one type of video and keeping going from there. Remember that video marketing, like other marketing, should be ongoing to reflect the evolution of your business and your audience. Video storytelling gives your brand a competitive edge. Do more than just tell consumers what you do, actually show them through visuals. Feature more videos. Press record. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
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