Video has become increasingly important in online marketing…
…so it’s worth knowing a little about the history and how online video has developed.
Here’s a handy infographic summary…
…with some observations to follow…
OK, so WHY is video so important for online direct response marketing and copywriting?
Two main areas…
1) TRAFFIC AND SEO
Online video is important for attracting traffic and also has SEO benefits.
Video has high perceived value to the viewer (still, even though it’s MUCH more common than a few years ago).
Also, video is a more accessible medium for most people. There’s a reason TV is more popular than radio!
From an SEO perspective, I won’t go into great detail here but…
(i) Google owns YouTube and does place a high value on video
(ii) Currently, one ranking factor for pages is how long people stay on your page or site. Longer is better, and on-page video tends to keep people on your site longer
2) CONVERSION AND RESPONSE
Put simply, in many (not all, I hasten to add) cases, a VIDEO sales letter or presentation will convert better than a text only sales letter.
The caveat here is that the video must be properly constructed, of course.
There’s a number of reasons why we might expect this to be the case (and numerous tests have provided the hard evidence).
Firstly, as mentioned above, video has a relatively high perceived value and, properly presented, will not be seen as a sales piece.
Infomercials still work well, even though by now pretty much everyone is well aware of what they are all about.
Secondly, video is a a more accessible medium for most people. In this age of limited attention spans, most people will find it easier to watch video than read a sales letter (especially a LONG sales letter).
As always, you should test to see which format produces the best results. I’ve noticed a number of marketers combine video with a traditional “long form” letter to cover the bases and capture people like me!
I can’t always be bothered to watch a long-ish video and much prefer to be able to skim read a letter. Oddly, as well, if I’m really interested in something I like to be able to go back and re-read the letter.
I know I’m something of an old-fashioned oddity in this ADD age, but for best results always test what works best with YOUR audience.
As a rough guide, the younger the audience, the more video will be effective.
Online video is here to stay, so aim to add this to your marketing options.