Budgeting for a content marketing program takes a lot of time and thought, not to mention moolah. How much for design? How much for writing? How much for social media expertise? And sometimes the item that gets pushed down farthest on the list of priorities is a website video. It can seem like a luxury or an extra–something to think about down the road when all of the basics are up and running.

I’ve written about the importance of a website business video in previous posts and even in an eBook. The statistics for 2018 continue to bear this out. According to Hubspot, emails with videos deliver a 200-300% increase in click-through rates. SmallBizTrends found website videos gave a 40% boost to traffic. Unbounce reported putting a video on a landing page increases conversion rates up to 80%. In addition, there are numerous studies on how many more times videos are shared and how they result in sales.

Staggering as those statistics are, videos can be cost-prohibitive. While there’s something to be said for a professional, albeit pricey, custom creation, there are also some less expensive ways to jump on the moving-pictures bandwagon.

Read Me a Story

Sometimes I’m just too lazy or too tired to read. That’s when I can really appreciate having the blog read to me. Kathy Roberts, the neat lady behind thetidytutor.com, sends out an email with an organizational hack each day. When you click the link you find a 500-word blog geared toward slobs like me. About halfway through the text, you see an embedded video, essentially an audio recording of the blog.

Not only is the voiceover engaging and lively with motivating inflections, but every few sentences are punctuated with cute clip art, photos, doodads and drawings on post-it notes. If you want, you can just sit back in your pile of unfolded laundry and listen. A video like this costs very little to produce (since there are no sets, actors or scripts) and goes a long way toward adding interest to your site. I’ve seen this being used more lately by news services like The New York Times, The Washington Post and NPR to give subscribers a choice of reading the print or listening to the reporter.

The Third-Party Interview

If you’re lucky enough to be featured on local television or radio, this is valuable video gold. Just ask the media to provide you with the digital file. This can be one of the truest representations and introductions to your company’s business model. One of the best I’ve seen recently is a relatively new company called ebth.com. The newswoman who interviews the CEO covers all you need to know about Everything But The House, the innovative online estate sale company. The CEO appears confident, enthusiastic and convincing as he lays out the benefits of his unique service.

There are no studio, talent or production expenses for this high-quality video because those were paid for by the news station when they made it for their own program. While it’s not an endorsement, a one-on-one interview has the cache of mainstream media coverage. Caution: I’ve seen the media interview approach staged for infomercials and it’s always obvious and cheesy. I don’t recommend doing that. Wait until you have a real interview to include.  

We Bring You (Snooze) The Webinar

In the past, the 10-15 minute live-streaming instructional video known as the webinar had about as much appeal as a timeshare pitch at the Holiday Inn. Break out the flip board and felt markers. There really has been a revolution in the medium.

When done right, there can be super interesting exclusive content and a sense of community around sharing a class. In most cases, participants opt-in ahead of time showing interest and volunteering their emails. Registered participants have to be on their device during the specified time to ask questions and live chat. Not too much preparation is required if you want to conduct a plain-vanilla meeting. But if you want to take advantage of this low-cost visual option, which can then run repeatedly on your site, you’ll need the help of video marketing experts in addition to quality scriptwriters, a personable presenter, camera, tripod and plenty of Sharpies.  

What’s Your Background?

You’ve heard of background music, elevator music, Muzak – generic songs that sound sort of like the original, but watered down and wimpy. These facsimiles create a specific mood, usually upbeat, wholesome, not too sexy for the workaday world or grocery aisle. The visual equivalent of background music is the continuously-looping background video, made either specifically for your business using proprietary images and locations or pulled from one of the many stock providers.

Only background videos aren’t weak and wimpy at all. In fact, there are really talented cinematographers around the world filming people, places, food and factories exclusively for the stock video market. Musicians are creating original tunes for the market, too. Artists are designing state-of-the-art computer graphics that carrousel continuously to evoke a particular mood or emotion.

It’s been proven. Every business owner can use a video on their website. Whether explaining how to improve a golf swing or the benefits and features of a new, improved widget, videos are cool. They’re engaging. They make people hang out on your site longer and are oh-so-sharable. And when your website video is optimized for SEO, you’re 50 times more likely to interest Google, which can improve your search ranking. So make the video or take the action to connect with one of our video experts. We can make your website video aspirations a reality for one low, affordable price.