Does video content increase conversions?

Dwight Eisenhower used to say that he wouldn't read a memo over one and one-half pages long. The same, it seems to me, applies to anything that forces the user to stay too long on a page in order to get the message. Video, by its serial and temporal nature, does just that and is likely to engender more frustration than interest. Speaking for myself, video says that the website owner is more interested in me attending his show-and-tell than giving me the information I am looking for. In such cases, I am likely to go down the road.

Worst offense possible: video on a site that does not have a "kill" button to allow the viewer to get on with the page. Marketing 101 classes usually tell prospective sales people: "don't waste your prospect's time telling him all about you and your firm, give him what he needs to know so he can make a decision. Remember, it's not about your product but about the prospect's problems. Convince him that you understand and care about that and the rest falls into place." Words to live... and construct a web site by.

If the question refers specifically to a "Landing Page" you can expect video content to "convert better" if what you are selling is video content (i.e. Training, webinars, teleconferencing, etc.).
If the video is embedded in a main "homepage" a quick, "who we are" video can make the page "stickier" and if the viewer (potential customer/client) is unfamiliar with you, this can be a friendly and informative, or even persuasive though not necessarily a "closer" element in itself.

Of course I am somewhat (more than slightly) biased on this subject since my company has been doing internet video for almost 20 years (yes, really, I pioneered some of this before most people had ever heard of an internet, indeed it wasn't commonly known as that at the time, we actually did video over modem connections).

Here's a sample of the kind of simple video I am talking about (an intro video for a fictional company for a homepage).

http://info.psyrk.us/vividvideo/

Sincerely,

Stafford "Doc" Williamson
http://www.youtube.com/user/daochienergy/videos

Excellent videos that reflect your brand's message can definitely boost conversions. The combination of sound and images makes videos the most appealing digital medium to most users.

So, if you create a compelling video on YouTube and included a link to your landing page in the description, you will receive massive "targeted" traffic because which will increase conversions especially if your landing page is equally compelling.

If you are asking about including a video in a landing page, it can have a positive effect on conversions if it was designed to showcase the value of your product/service.

One of the 2012 social media recommendations that grabbed my attention was Chris Brogan's as he said that video is BIG this year. You can't go wrong with a great video or (even better) a series of great videos. Good luck!

Excellent videos that reflect your brand's message can definitely boost conversions. The combination of sound and images makes videos the most appealing digital medium to most users.

So, if you create a compelling video on YouTube and included a link to your landing page in the description, you will receive massive "targeted" traffic because which will increase conversions especially if your landing page is equally compelling.

If you are asking about including a video in a landing page, it can have a positive effect on conversions if it was designed to showcase the value of your product/service.

One of the 2012 social media recommendations that grabbed my attention was Chris Brogan's as he said that video is BIG this year. You can't go wrong with a great video or (even better) a series of great videos. Good luck!

Excellent videos that reflect your brand's message can definitely boost conversions. The combination of sound and images makes videos the most appealing digital medium to most users.

So, if you create a compelling video on YouTube and included a link to your landing page in the description, you will receive massive "targeted" traffic which will result in increased conversions especially if your landing page is equally compelling.

If you are asking about including a video in a landing page, it can have a positive effect on conversions if it was designed to showcase the value of your product/service.

One of the 2012 social media recommendations that grabbed my attention was Chris Brogan's as he said that video is BIG this year. You can't go wrong with a great video or (even better) a series of great videos. Good luck!

Thank you for the question, Terri, and thank you Chris Goward for citing an actual study. I have asked this question myself many times. The people who sell video products sure think video is the cat's meow for conversions, and as pointed out by Stafford Williamson, if your product IS video, then it surely does just that. But I have always looked for quantifiable evidence for the rest of us.

When reviewing Google Analytics for my own sites, I have found that when video is embedded the average time spent on my sites by the vast majority of people was significantly reduced. Those who stayed had a higher conversion rate, but the overall conversion rate relative to unique visitors was reduced.

HOWEVER, when we included links to those same videos rather than embedding them, as many as 60% of unique visitors followed the link and viewed the content, with the highest viewership coming from our weight management sites.

Why the difference? It seems it is not the length of the presentation nor the content that turns people off, but rather their making the choice to view opposed to having the content thrust upon them.

Together, let's put the fun back into life!
Belldon Colme
belldoncolme@gmail.com