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Most people would rather watch a movie than read the book that it’s based on. In general, video is an entertaining and informative type of content that people love. It’s strange, then, that so few businesses use video to improve the results of their online marketing.
4 reasons why video converts so highly
Video is content just like any blog post you create. Isn’t unfair to say all videos convert well because some videos will actually hurt your conversion rate. Just like there are low quality blog posts, there are low quality videos, which aren’t going to produce results. So, while I am going to outline four different ways you can use video in your online business, you need to understand why video works before you can use it effectively.
There are four primary reasons why video can help hold attention and traffic.
Reason #1 – You can simplify complicated topics: As someone who writes a ton of content, I’m familiar with the limitations of writing.
Writing is great when you’re explaining straightforward concepts, but once you try to describe complex situations, it gets tough.
Here’s an example: Imagine you’re writing about how to do an oil change in a car. How many words will it take to explain how to safely prop up the car, find the oil plug, and complete the rest of the procedure?
My guess is it would take at least a few thousand words. In a video, though, you could explain it all in a few minutes. Not only that, the video provides much more context than text does.
You see where the oil plug is located in relation to all the other parts of the car, and you can also see exactly how each step is performed. So, not only do you get all your information in less time but you also get it in a much more clear and practical way.
Actionable content is what drives visitors to take action, whether it’s to follow a tutorial or buy a product. And then there are other topics that simply can’t be explained effectively through text. Some things need to be shown rather than described. For example, if you are doing a blender comparison, it’s easy to show which one is better just by running both blenders in a video:
From a consumer point of view, I’m much more likely to buy a blender after I see it work flawlessly in a video rather than reading someone describe it in text.
Reason #2 – It’s more authentic: Another limitation of written content is that it’s hard for the reader to connect with the writer.
I include a picture in the sidebar of my blog posts, but your experience of seeing an author’s picture is not the same as seeing or hearing the content creator. Video is one of the best ways to connect with someone even if it’s a one-sided conversation.
What happens over time is that your readers will read your other content in your voice, just like when you see a picture with a quote from a movie, you’ll often read it in the actor’s voice. Although I don’t use video often on my blog, I have done various interviews and talks over the years that anyone can easily find on YouTube.
I’m aware that most of my best readers know what I look and sound like from stumbling across one of these videos at one point or another.
Reason #3 – Products are best seen in action: There are many factors that stop people from buying products online.
One of the big ones is that they are unsure how the product will actually look, feel, and act in real life. Until 3-D simulations become possible, the best option we have is video.
In a video of a product being unboxed and tested, you can easily see important things like:
- how big it is (relative to other things in the video)
- does it look as good as the professional product pictures?
- do the main features work as described?
If you have a good product, you want these questions answered. Then, your visitors will have one less reason not to buy it.
Reason #4 – People are lazy: Finally, reading is tiring. It takes mental effort to stay focused and to make sense of all the content.
Yes, you could say that it’s kind of sad that most people don’t want to read much anymore, but it’s a fact. Compare that to a video, which takes just about zero effort to click “Play” and watch. A survey by Usurv found that users are 39% more likely to share and 36% more likely to comment on an online video compared to a text article.
But you can also optimize your content for both the lazy and non-lazy visitors, which I’ll go over shortly.
Author: Neil Patel
Courtesy: quicksprout.com
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