April 21, 2012, 7:14 AM — You've all seen --and envied--that viral video that gets millions of views seemingly overnight, the one everyone talks about for days. But does getting millions of views on YouTube translate into getting millions of dollars, or even thousands of dollars, in sales? And does adding video to your website or product pages really improve your search engine rankings and make people want to do business with you?
To find the answers to these questions, CIO.com interviewed dozens of video experts --from professional video makers and marketers to companies that have successfully used video to market their products or services --to find out who can benefit from video marketing and what it takes to successfully make and market a video.
Who Needs Video?
If you sell a visual, hard-to-explain, or needs-to-be-seen product or service--"anything you can't test drive or try on," says Roger Vaughn, marketing and technology problem solver at Swift Marketing--having a video can make a huge difference.
Take, for example, BluScenes by Scenic Labs, a provider of ambient Blu-ray products (i.e.,high-resolution videos of aquariums, fine art and fireplace scenes) for doctors' offices, wellness centers, spas and homes. "The first year we added video clips, our sales increased by about 400%," says Jason Rosenfeld, founder/producer, Scenic Labs, LLC. "They doubled again (in dollars), when we upgraded our videos to full-length HD versions."
In addition, since adding video to its product pages, Scenic Labs has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of returns--because customers know exactly what they are going to get.
And those BluScenes videos have not only benefited Scenic Labs, they've helped the company's partners. That's because "when partner sites include our videos, their sales typically double," says Rosenfeld.
ScanMyPhotos, a service that scans customers' photos, slides and negatives, is another good example of a service business that can benefit from video. "The best tool for explaining how to place orders and answer questions is video," says ScanMyPhotos CEO and President Mitch Goldstone. That's why the company features a number of how-to videos right on its home page, including this one on how to pack your photos for scanning with the ScanMyPhotos.com prepaid box.
How to Create a Video to Get People Talking and Clicking
A bad video --one that is poorly lit, that you can barely hear or is deafening, that rambles or doesn't make a point --is worse than not having any video on your website (or YouTube). So to help you create a video that will get customers talking and clicking are 12 helpful tips from the experts.
1. Know who your target audience is. "Think how your video can help your end user, the customer," says John Sarkisian, CEO, SKLZ, a sports training product manufacturer. In SKLZ's case, its how-to videos, which showcase its sports training products, are geared to customer representatives at sporting goods retailers. That exposure --or brand awareness --led to SKLZ getting increased shelf space at national sporting goods retailers, such as Dick's Sporting Goods, which boosted sales.
2. Script it. "A script for a video is like a blueprint when building a house," says Edward Schlesinger, script writer, OnlineVideoScriptwriting.com. "It will let you see what the finished product will look like before you start." In addition, "changes on paper are much easier and cheaper to do than once production starts."
3. Have a clear call to action. "What do you want people to do after they've watched your video?" asks Schlesinger. No matter how short your video is, "make it clear what you want people to do --pick up the phone, sign up online, walk through your doors. Don't throw away this opportunity to convert potential customers." (For an example of how to get your message --or call to action --across in 1:34, see Dollar Shave Club's recent video, which was viewed over 2 million times in just over 48 hours, and is prominently featured on Dollar Shave Club's home page.
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