Five ways you can benefit from video in your business

We can’t deny it, video is crucial for your business!  We are a visually driven society. We want information shown to us, and it had better be easy to find.

Proof of our visual preference is the demise of 105 American newspapers in 2009.*  Alas, printed newspapers require us to expend energy to get our desired news (walking to the driveway to retrieve it, turning those big paper pages.).

For better, or for worse, the majority of Americans now get their daily news from TV (Cable TV now offers over 800 channels) or the internet (I admit, I actually learned of a new frog species from a Facebook posting).

Even on social networks, videos rule: more people are likely to check out and forward a posting that shows a video than one that has a link to an article. (It’s the forwarding that makes the video so effective).

As of May 2010, YouTube , the most well known of the video sharing sites, exceeds 2 billion views a day!

The unmistakable point is this: Visual stimulation is what we want, and as it relates to your business, the power of video is essential to your bottom line.

Five ways video can be beneficial in your business:

1. Branding: A video on your website homepage enforces a visual branding of your company within seconds and creates trust and recognition of your company’s culture.  This video can feature you and/ or your product, but it is highly effective in increasing your conversion rate on your site, sometimes up to 300%!  No matter what your business, there is a way to showcase it visually!
2. Promotion: Video blogs, (example of a successful video blogger: www.tv.WineLibrary.com) internet commercials, pitch videos to prospective clients or even entice investors!
3. Employee Instruction: Clone yourself virtually!  Instructional videos for new employees can deliver the training while you are actively building your business saving you time while you are making money.
4. Customer instruction:  Create a video to demonstrate proper use of your product or assembly.  This tool alone can drive a consumer to purchase your product over a competitor! Your product will appear more user-friendly.
5. Product: Put your expertise on video and market it as an informational product. Add a revenue stream!

Video need not be a huge expense, but it is important to keep the integrity and quality of your company brand consistent.  Sometimes it is worth the extra investment to create something of lasting value, and sometimes it is more appropriate to keep it simple and fun. Most importantly, if you have not started to use video at all, start by thinking about the list above and asking around for referrals and pricing for various production possibilities.  There is a wide variety of pricing out there, so keep going until you find the right fit for you and your company.

Your market is waiting for you, bring them information that is visual and entertaining, and you’ll watch the benefits to your bottom line!

*Audit Bureau of Circulations. 2009