Film-worthy communication: videos that rock your website!

People love video content. It stimulates our brains much more than images or text alone, and the content conveyed stays in our minds much longer. This is not a current trend, but rather a behavior that has been learned since ancient times and is only reinforced by our increasingly fast-paced and hectic society. Various studies show that the average use of videos has been increasing for years. In 2018, an average of 10.5 hours of video material was consumed per week. In 2022, this figure had already risen to 19 hours – almost twice as much as before!

And the content is not just being consumed more often, it also plays a much more important role for companies in terms of quality: 59% of all decision-makers prefer to watch videos and 72% of clients prefer to learn about a product via video before making a purchase decision. And if that doesn't convince you, then perhaps the fact that 86% of all companies already use videos as a marketing tool will. So if you don't want to be left behind by your competitors in the market, it's high time to start using videos!

So why use videos on your website? The best-known uses are probably branding and storytelling. The biggest brands and companies have an elaborately produced video somewhere on their website that they use to position themselves and convey their brand values. These are often lavishly filmed, but this isn't always necessary given the scope of the brands behind them. More on that later.

A picture says more than a thousand words, and videos show an average of 24 frames per second (our normal visual perception). That's a lot of images to present and introduce your story and your brand. Videos are much better at conveying emotions, developments, and connections than images. We also absorb the associated content and messages much better, more openly, and more directly than when we just look at a picture. If there is also a person in the video talking to us as viewers, we are more receptive to the message and less critical than before.

Furthermore – and this simply has to be said – videos also make your website appear much more modern and technically sophisticated. We live in a world full of moving images and consume videos every day via social media and other channels. We are increasingly accustomed to videos (also thanks to platforms such as TikTok), especially when it comes to technological pioneers and innovative companies. So if you want your website to radiate innovation and modernity, you'll find it hard to avoid video and animated elements. But be careful: don't overdo it and greet users with countless videos and animations on your website. If you overdo it with videos and overwhelm users visually, you'll lose them after just a few moments.

In addition to their more appealing design, videos also have a very clear and, above all, measurable added value: they increase the amount of time your users spend on your website! You may be wondering why this is important. On the one hand, it makes your users more likely to make a purchase, and on the other hand, it also greatly improves your SEO ranking!

Similar to YouTube, factors such as dwell time are an incredibly important indicator for Google as to whether your page has helped users with their query or not. The longer a user stays on your page, the more likely Google is to assume that they have found useful information on your site. Please don't start creating 10-hour videos now! That won't do much good and will probably discourage users from watching your video. But check which website content you could also explain well in a video.

For example, if a user sees a long website with a lot of text describing your product, they will probably be put off and leave immediately. But if they see a video next to it that shows and explains the product, it's less tiring and time-consuming for them to get this information. The video will be clicked on and watched, or at least played in the background. Either way, the dwell time increases, and so do your Core Web Vitals and your SEO ranking.

At the same time – and this is still not clear to many people – videos usually increase your conversions enormously! As already mentioned, decision-makers and clients much prefer watching videos to reading texts. So if you really want to convince a user, it's best to create a few videos that explain your products well and simply, describe your service, and address the needs of your clients. A structure for such product or service videos could be as follows:

• What is the problem your customers have that you want to solve with your offer?
• How does your product/service help solve this problem?
• What objections might your customers have?
• How can your customers get your product?

In principle, you can use similar formulas here as when writing texts. The SQM formula (pain, agony, medicine) is best suited here, as clients immediately recognize their problems and learn about your product as the solution. In addition, you can also create videos about your ordering process (if complicated) or for other topics related to your offering. Your clients will appreciate them and reward you with conversions.

That all sounds well and good. Conveying your brand message effectively, optimizing rankings, increasing conversions. But for many, that still sounds pretty expensive. It can be, but it doesn't have to be! A lot has changed over time. Elaborate “Hollywood” productions with multiple days of shooting, locations, actors, extras, and makeup still have their place. However, they are usually unnecessary for SMEs, start-ups, and similar companies.

Technology has advanced so much that you can achieve great results even without a large film crew. On a small scale, a good smartphone camera and a simple clip-on microphone can suffice. It is important not to underestimate the relevance of good sound quality and to think about the structure of the video and the locations in advance. It is often even better if you or one of your employees stands in front of the camera yourself. This creates authenticity and ensures that your brand and products are perceived as more human, making users much more receptive to the video message.

However, the targeted use of stock material can also lead to great results and replace several days of filming, but of course this usually reduces the perceived authenticity among users. However, stock footage is perfect for symbolic scenes (a rocket launch, a research team making a breakthrough, a pit stop in a car race)! It always depends on the purpose, your brand, and your target audience.

Videos sind zweifellos ein kraftvolles Werkzeug, um deine Website auf ein neues Level zu heben. Sie steigern die Besucherbindung, erhöhen die Sichtbarkeit in Suchmaschinen, verbessern die Conversion-Raten und fördern das Branding und Storytelling. Dabei muss es nicht immer die große Produktion sein. Dies hängt vom Zweck, deiner Marke und – natürlich auch – deinem Budget dafür ab. Solltest du die Mehrwerte von Videos für dich nutzbar machen wollen, wende dich gerne an uns. Wir sind Experten in der Erstellung hochwertiger Videoinhalte, die deine Botschaft effektiv vermitteln und Ihre Website zu einem state-of-the-art Erlebnis machen.