Marketing Your Business Web Video Style

Key words: marketing through web videos, online marketing, marketing campaign, video marketing, marketing with video, effective web video tips, target audience, good storytelling, show don't tell, make it interactive
Tags: marketing_through_web_videos, online_marketing, marketing_campaign, video_marketing, marketing_with_video, effective_web_video_tips, target_audience, good_storytelling, show_don't_tell, make_it_interactive
You've decided you are going to include web videos in your online marketing campaign. Web videos can be highly effective at bringing traffic to your business website or keeping people on your site. There are several things that can either make your web video effective, or that can have a negative effect. Focus on the three areas below and you are more likely to have an effective web video for your marketing.

1. Good Storytelling: The best web videos tell a story. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end. They make us feel something, hopefully something positive. Without the emotional connection, your web video will ultimately be forgotten. So what makes good storytelling?
- A good story is one that communicates to your target audience. Not every story will appeal to everyone, so decide who your target audience is and figure out what appeals to them, what resonates with them.
- A good story is believable. Even if the story is told on a fantastic level, it still needs to be credible to your target audience. Hype and exaggeration won't get you far with most audiences, so keep it real.
- A good story (especially when it comes to web videos) is simple. Simplicity speaks to people on a very basic level. It tells them you don't have anything to hide behind fluff and glitter. A simple outcome and a simple message will speak much louder than bells and whistles.
2. A Picture is more Impactful: Show, don't tell your target audience the benefits of whatever you're selling. Showing them can create the emotional connection that telling never can. So how do you show rather than tell?
- Testimonials where customers talk about their experience with your product is showing rather than telling. You are showing your target audience that this actually happened to someone; this actually benefited someone in this way.
- Demonstrating your product being used for its intended purpose and how it can and has affected the bottom line of your customers. Ask yourself how you can show that affect in measurable ways.
- Consider that the only perspective worth seeing your product from is that of your customer. Most consumers are not interested in you or even your products and services. They are interested in how you, your products, or your services benefit them. Does it make them "cool"? Does it help them leverage their time more effectively? Will it grow their bottom line?
3. Make it Interactive: You want to have your viewers do something when the video is over. If you give them a call to act, they are much more likely to buy than if you just end the video and leave them to their own means. Give them the option to take the next step immediately. Conversion from observing to doing is key in the sales process, so your marketing web videos should include interaction. What are some ways to make your video interactive or have a call to action?
- Have a "Click here to find out more" link that either leads to more web videos, a live chat with your customer service or sales reps, or text they can read.
- Give them a link to a survey to find out if they qualify for your promotion.
- Take them to a page that allows them to sign up for weekly or monthly email updates. These could be video updates or text updates, or "whenever you have a promotion" updates.