Why You Need a Landing Page Video — And How to Make It Successful
If you’ve done any online marketing at all, you’ve undoubtedly discovered that driving traffic to your website isn’t enough. Sure, you want people to click on your site, but unless they convert — i.e., buy something, join your mailing list, download a resource — all of that traffic isn’t going to help you grow your business.
There are a million and one ways that you can go about increasing conversions, but one of the most effective means of spurring visitors to act is video. Multiple studies have shown that including a video on your landing page increases conversions, often significantly.
Typically, using video increases conversions by about 80 percent, but there are companies that have seen as much as a 250 percent increase. While such dramatic results aren’t always guaranteed, there is enough evidence to indicate that taking the time to create an engaging video is a worthwhile endeavour.
Why Video Works
We’ve all heard the statistics about how short internet user attention spans really are — they will only wait a few seconds for pages to load, for example. Studies show that most people only skim landing pages, looking for the unique value proposition that will spur them to act. If they don’t find what they are looking for quickly, they will move on, leaving you wondering why your bounce rates are so high.
Video eliminates the need for users to hunt for the information they want. When done well, a video will reveal your value proposition right away, while simultaneously keeping users engaged. A video brings your company and product to life: Instead of skimming text, your audience gets the information in a visually stimulating and interesting way. Video also addresses the issue of different learning styles. According to a study from the University of Alabama, approximately 30 percent of the population learns more by hearing information than by reading it. A video allows you to meet the needs of your whole audience, via a visual representation of your product or service while also highlighting your value proposition via the spoken word.
Most importantly, though, your landing page video acts as a substitute salesperson. Rather than assuming or hoping that you’ve given your audience the information they need to make an informed decision, a video directs them to the most important points, and shows them exactly why you have the best solution to their problem. You hire sales staff to fill this role, but when customers are in the research phase of the buying cycle, they may not be ready to reach out to an actual person yet. Video fills that role, guiding your customers further along in the cycle.
Making Effective Landing Page Videos
The most important piece of increasing conversions via landing page videos is the video itself. Not that you would even consider posting such a thing, but a boring, long-winded, 10-minute video that doesn’t actually ask customers to do anything isn’t going to get the job done, and will probably drive people away in the process.
So what should your landing page video look like?
1.Have a plan. What do you want people to do after watching your video? What do you hope to accomplish? Without a defined goal in mind, it will be nearly impossible to measure the ROI and success of the video, so establish your goal before you develop the script.
2.Keep it short. Again, the chances of people sitting through a long video are slim, so get to the point and hit the highlights. Generally, videos between 30 and 90 seconds in length perform the best. Regardless of the final length of the video, make the first five to 10 seconds the most engaging. Most people decide within the first few seconds whether or not they want to continue watching, so get to the point to avoid losing viewers.
3.Use animation. Studies show that animated videos perform better than live action. Animation can express emotions and concepts more simply than live action. With an animated movie maker, it’s simple to make a video that is less complex — and cheaper to produce — than a live video.
4.Include a call to action. As with any content, your video needs to include a specific call to action. Ask people to sign up, make a purchase, download something, etc., and show them how to do it.
5.Avoid auto play. Nothing increases bounce rates like auto play. Who hasn’t scrambled to turn down the volume or hit the stop button when a video plays unexpectedly? Instead, put your player front and center, and let users decide when to hit play.
6.Track your results. Don’t forget to measure the results of your video, including the click through rates, average time spent on the landing page, average time spent watching the video, and response to the CTA. Because it’s so easy to use an animated video maker, don’t hesitate to create multiple versions of your video to conduct A/B testing.
You may need to experiment with adding video to your landing pages in order to find the one that converts, but when you do finally get it right, the boost to your business can be significant. Be sure to measure your results as you try new approaches, and you’ll eventually see a big return on your efforts. Our tutorials can help you get started on your animated videos to boost your business to the next level.
