Top 5 Reasons to Have Video on Your Website

Video on websites isn't a new thing, but it's one that's not taken off quite as much as it should.

We're great believers in engaging the audience of sites that we build, and with this in mind launched our latest service recently, where you can have web video for as little as £99.

Here are our top 5 reasons you should have video on your website:

1) People buy from people - they want to feel as if they know you and trust you before they part with their hard earned cash. It's not always easy to get personality across on a website, with awkwardly posed professional photographs and copywritten text that can often be devoid of personality. A video allows them to see the real you, the person they will be dealing with, or the company that they're spending their money with. It makes you seem more personable and approachable and could be the difference between a sale or an exit.

2) It allows you to play alongside the 'big boys'. For a long time the smaller business suffered because they didn't have the budget of the big brands - their websites looked inferior, and they couldn't afford the gizmos and gadgets that the big players could. That's all changed. With web video costing as little as £99, any business can invest and make the most of it for their website.

3) Some people just like video. I'm not going to quote stats to you, but it's well known that some people learn and understand by hearing something, some by reading, and some by watching. Video gives you two of those ways, and your website the third - that way you've reached the maximum potential audience in the way that they like.

4) Some industries reaaly NEED video. I'm talking about hotels, estate agents, holiday companies etc. They need to be able to show off their wares, to connect with people's emotions and make them able to see how great the hotel room / house / beach is.

5) Video is not just about talking heads. You can use video on your site in a number of ways: tours around your facilities, demos of how to work things, small commercials, montages of your products, educational tools, and yes, of course, a talking head interview or speech. You know your audience, what would they like to see?

It's easy to think that video isn't for you - but do you remember the days when even large companies were saying they didn't even need a website?

If my 5 reasons have helped you to realise that web video could be the way forward for your website, get in touch!

Are you safeguarding your reputation? Or are you scared of branding?

Branding. It's a scary word isn't it? It reminds you of HUGE corporations such as McDonalds and Microsoft. Brings to mind the thought of you writing cheques with a lot of zeros on the end. Branding is for big business isn't it? Not for small or medium sized businesses such as the one you own. You don't need branding, right?

WRONG!

Let's look at it another way: do you worry about your reputation? Out in your town, your village, at the local pub, picking up the kids at the school gates - do you worry about your personal reputation, want it to be good? Of course you do - let's face it, no-one wants to be thought of in a negative way or have other people look down their noses, now do they?

Well, branding IS about reputation - in fact we'd go so far as to say that Branding IS reputation.

So let's change that mindset a little:

* For Branding, read Reputation

* Don't think about building a Brand, think about building a Reputation

Doesn't that sound a little less scary? And a whole lot less expensive?

See, branding doesn't need to be expensive for you two partner Accontancy firms or one man band retail website owners, or any number of other businesses out there that don't have multi million pound marketing budgets.

It's not just about press and TV ads, huge marketing campaigns or massive direct mail attempts. It's about REPUTATION. It's about YOU.

Your reputation is the thing that dictates the kind of product and delivery your customers expect. Let's go back to McDonalds for a minute (figuratively, not for a Big Mac!). When you walk into any McDonalds restaurant, you know EXACTLY what to expect. You know that by their reputation. By their branding. Now think about your local greasy kebab and burger shop. There's one in every town, but their reputations vary wildly, and in some places you'll be taking your life into your hands stepping over the threshold. Thought twice about buying that burger and chips? The chances are it was their branding that stopped you - how the shop looked, the look of the menu, the reputation the shop carried.

Ask yourself, as a small business owner: Should I worry about my reputation? Without a doubt the answer is yes, of course you should. With the correct branding, your business can develop and grow.

Many small businesses are started by people wanting to be their own boss, and the first thing they do is put their own name on the business. John Smith's Accountancy Services. Mary Jones - Interior Designer. Lucy Abbott & Co. But in a few years, they've outgrown the name - maybe they now have staff, maybe they want to delegate responsibilities but customers continue to ask for the figurehead of the company, maybe there's another John Smith in the area. It's of great importance that you think through the name of your company from the beginning, and a branding expert will help you to do that. They'll help you to think about the shapes and colours that represent your business, what impression your logo exudes, how to produce flyers / websites / brochures that will encourage people to buy.

So that X years down the line you won't be looking at a name change, confusing customers and suppliers alike.

Remember, there is a psychology behind every buying decision made by every customer, and every details of your branding and reputation is taken in by them on a conscious and subconscious level. Your branding can be the difference between gaining a sale, or losing it to a competitor. When we put it like that, isn't it worth considering your reputation?

We'd love to help you make the most of your brand - why not contact us now for a free brand review?