If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed a rising trend of videos and animations being used as part of online content. This trend is not a mistake and is not a fluke. It is simply an awakening by online gurus to the benefits of using the engaging power of video to convert online users.

To give you a clearer picture of the rising power of video, here are some benefits site owners enjoy when they have videos as part of their content;

1.    Improved sales: Using videos as part of the content as proven to be highly profitable. How? Studies show video content can positively influence sales on your site. The study established that 74% of visitors to a website who had access to a video explaining a product offered usually ended up buying that product.
2.      Google’s algorithm favors videos: According to Moovly, a site is more likely to be higher ranked on Google if there are videos on the site. One of the reasons videos are effective in boosting a site’s conversion rate is because of the time users spend watching them. The longer users spend on your site, the more likely it is that search engines like Google will rank your site for having good content.
3. Mobile users are more attracted to a site with videos: The preferred means of accessing the internet has gradually but surely shifted from computers to mobile devices, and it seems the rising number of mobile users can’t get enough video content. Since most of an online business’ clients purchase products and services via their mobile devices, it’s only logical to talk about the goods and services in the format consumers apparently prefer – video.
4.      Well-crafted videos are better and faster at effectively explaining a product or service: Instead of spending minutes trying to explain the functions and benefits of a product using the written word, a well-crafted video can explain all the pertinent information in less than a minute, and in a more entertaining fashion. It’s because of this most top brands usually display videos explaining their products and services on their homepage.
5.       Videos yield a healthy Return On Investment (ROI): Developing a good video for marketing your site and its services isn’t always easy or cheap. But when successfully done, it has been proven to be highly profitable.
6.       Videos capture a wider audience: The laziest and most impatient buyer who can’t be bothered to read a product’s specifications will be more inclined to watch a video. This is because videos are easier to consume than text. Seeing the product in action in the hands of a smiling user with a friendly voice explaining the product’s features can be all it takes to convince the laziest potential customer to buy that product in less than a minute.
7.       Customers are more inclined to share videos: One of the most efficient and cheapest ways to advertise your product is to have your customers promote your products and services on your behalf to their friends and family. So why not make this chore easier for your customers by making available engaging videos about your products your clients will be more likely to share on their social media pages.

Social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have made this even easier by expanding their sites to be more video sharing friendly. But keep in mind that users are more likely to share a video if they in some way find it entertaining, not just informative.

Clearly, videos can be exceedingly useful in livening up your online content and making it more attractive. But while using videos, you need to keep in mind the following words by Brendan Wilde, the Marketing Manager at www.freeparking.co.nz. “Videos are no doubt an effective marketing tool. But they are only effective if they are uploaded on a well-hosted website. On a poorly hosted website, videos and other content will load slowly, and poor loading speed is something most online users have proven to be very intolerant of…”

So if your web host is the kind that facilitates rather than hampers your video content, here’s how you can best use videos to make your brand shine;

1. Your ‘About Us’ page: Videos aren’t just useful in showcasing products, services, and their features. They are also valuable in drawing your client’s closer to your brand. Believe it or not, most customers care enough to know the faces behind a brand, and if your About Us page has a personalized video that showcases your staff, you are one step closer to winning the heart and commitment of your buyers. Another way to use your About Us video is to effectively communicate the values your company stands for, such as eco-friendliness.
2. Showcasing your brand: A less than one minute video can tell the story of your company, the brand, what you have to offer, and how you intend on providing it. If you happen to create the video in a manner that’s both entertaining and informative, then that video gains the ability to spread widely across social channels to tell the world about your business.
3. Explainers: A brief video can be used to your advantage and your customer’s convenience, to succinctly and accurately explain any product in less than a minute. Not only can this boost your site’s conversions by at least 80%, but it also improves the chances of making a sale.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Posting a video on YouTube will give you the ability to reach more customers. Not only that, because of Google’s high ranking of YouTube, your video linked to YouTube will influence your site’s search engine ranking.
5. Email: Emails have been shown by marketers to be effective in attaining marketing goals. To gain more prospective clients by email, research by Brainshark suggests including videos in an email will lead to an at least 20% increase in the chance the email recipient opening it and following the link to your site. This is because a video provides a richer and entertaining experience that drives home what’s special about your product and services.

Guest Blog provided by James Cummings, Daily Posts