Is web video on your Christmas list?

With Christmas fast approaching, it’s a great time for businesses to look at getting some web video to increase their sales over the festive season. Got new product lines, a new Festive Menu, some brilliant party night to promote? Web video is ideal to sell to your target market.

The attractions for your customers are obvious. Web video is increasingly watched by website users, consider YouTube for example. There’s no need for them to read through masses of online text when a short video can tell them all they need about your special Christmas products – and give them an insight into you and your business too!

Web video helps deliver the personality behind your business – and it’s a cliché but true that people buy people. Let’s be honest, your products are very unlikely to be unique – but your business and people are! You can either get recognised by being the cheapest or being the best. Web video helps you to become the latter. Customers will recognise that you are at least trying to be different, and that will help build your brand.

If it seems so easy, why don’t more businesses use web video? 

One reason is cost, but with your own video advert filmed onsite from as little as £595, web video production might not be as expensive as you think. Like most things technological, web video production costs have reduced over the past few years. Of course, you need to satisfy yourself that you will get a professional and usable web video – so check out your web partner previous productions first.

The next reason for not using video is probably, frankly, embarrassment. People have the idea that the video will consist of them talking straight to camera – and unsurprisingly that puts off lots of people. Talk to your production partner – they will have lots of ideas that might not include you at all! Talk to your team – one of them may love the idea of becoming a ‘web video star’  

How your business can harness the power of YouTube

Another reason businesses often give, is lack of time. Of course, that argument could be used for doing no marketing at all. It’s true that web video – like all successful marketing – needs careful planning and execution but a successful end product will not only give you improved sales but will help with your website’s search engine optimisation (SEO), and harness the power of YouTube to deliver more site visitors. That’s got to be worth taking time over!

Not only is Christmas approaching – offering a golden opportunity to develop your first web video – but there will soon be a time when most businesses will use video as part of their core marketing strategy. To maintain a competitive advantage, especially in difficult trading times, make sure you incorporate web video production in your marketing strategy to stay ahead of the game.