Video is sometimes a topic that many business owners are instantly skeptical about implementing as a seriously advantageous tool for their company. This is mostly because it is often associated with amateur viral clips rather than valuable content. However, video is extremely important to a website because it shows potential customers that you are an actual breathing human being, and that you are passionate about what you sell. Here are some tips on what type of content to include when thinking about making a video, and how to make it accomplish something: bring in customers and generate business!

What type of video content is right for your company? How can you make it succeed?

  1. Make sure that your video content satisfies a customer’s need—capture attention and create interest by meeting the information need of your audience. Don’t know what kind of video you want to make? Consider these creative options:

    • Product Review and Demonstration Video– Show how to use the product you sell, what the best parts about it are, or what it does that makes it worth the customer’s dollar. What’s new or different about it than your competitor’s version? Creating project demonstration videos can impress potential customers forever. There is an increasing audience for video tutorials—for all of the “do-it-yourself” fans out there, you can feed their appetite for personal assistance while also showing them you are a real person behind your website because you know how to create, use, and fix what you sell.
    • Post-Sale Support and Maintenance Video– Make a video that shows your customer troubleshooting tips that he or she may run into upon setup, how they could fix a simple problem they may run into. More importantly, it is always helpful to create a maintenance video that simply shows how to keep the product in its best condition or gives advice on how to avoid future dilemmas.
    • Success Story (Case Study) Video– Nothing convinces a viewer more that you are a reputable and successful business then the accounts of those who have entrusted in your services and left satisfied. Upload video testimonials of happy customers. Use real customers and their first-hand experiences; they will carry more weight than text ever could. They will serve as a success story that highlights what your company provides. Think of them as an authentic walking and talking case study! Tip: Consider interviewing satisfied customers for video content to engage a conversation if you think your customer cannot sing your praises eloquently without some form of guidance.
    • Video-Submission Contest– Sponsoring a contest is inexpensive and free publicity if your customers are submitting their video to you and posting it elsewhere on the web. Contests promote brand awareness and get video creators talking about your business. Even if you only have a few submissions, those video creators are spending time on your site and spreading word of mouth about their new project that they’re working on for your company.
    • Man-In-The-Street Interview– Show real people and what they want, do or don’t like, how they’ve been treated by other companies, etc… transition to how your company can save the world! Just kidding, but you could switch over to showing how your business alleviates their previous struggles and satisfies what they’ve been looking for. Customers enjoy seeing ordinary people just like themselves incorporated into a video because it shows that your business aims to please the average Joe with cordiality as its primary concern.
    • Event, Conference & Trade Show Communications– Show what your company does when its not servicing customers. Showing prospective customers how hard you work to research your area of business in order to stay ahead of the curve will show you are sincere about your business goals and prove once again that you are a real person selling a service or product—not a face-less website.
    • Video Press Release– Have something new and important to say that you want to get out to your customers in a personable and quick way? Need we say anything more?
    • Email Newsletter Video– Sending out a video to your email mailing list will help elicit specific conversion through a purpose-built video if you offer something in the video that the customer needs. You can track the responses that you get from whatever you offer in the video, and see how many people are watching what your posting, and how greatly the video has attributed to an increase in business.


  3. If you post your video on YouTube, understand the power of demographic profiling. YouTube has analytic software that gives you invaluable data regarding who watches your video and what that viewer searched to come across your video. Small and large businesses can leverage demographic information from video statistics to better understand their customers in the real world. Not to mention, a YouTube video tells you and the customer how many times the video has been watched, which can entice the viewer to watch, and also help you better understand if the video is gaining success or hitting a plateau.

  5. Encourage users to subscribe to your YouTube channel or company email newsletter at the end of your video. Take advantage of the fact that they are already interested in what your company does since they’ve clicked play and watched until the end of the video. Now, show them how they can stay connected to your company with special offers.

  7. Think about posting or stating some type of promotion somewhere on your site, like “Print the step-by-step instructions for (whatever your video content is about) to receive 10% off our in-house evaluation by visiting”. The customer’s action will translate into your value because a unique URL with the incentive of a discount equates to a measurable way to determine the success of your video.

  9. Encourage a discussion—have someone in your company post a comment under the video to spark conversation. The more comments below a video, the more worthy of debate it appears, and the more important it looks.

  11. PUSH PUSH PUSH! You ultimately want your video to be viewed by as many people as possible, because the more its viewed the more important it appears, giving prospective viewers the incentive to click “play” and learn more about your business. At some point in your video, market your company directly. After making the video, post it everywhere—your Facebook business fan page, your Twitter profile, your blog, your website, and any other social media network that you use.