Incorporating video into your website can be an amazing opportunity to give your company a human face and make a personal connection with your clients before they ever even pick up the phone to give you that first call.
In an era where "economically uncertain times" has become one of the most common phrases we hear on a daily basis, people are looking for things that they feel like they can trust. And more and more often, companies are finding that they need to give their potential customers a human face to relate to as they carefully consider how to spend their increasingly limited budgets.
For most of us, when we look for a new product or service provider, we go to the internet. Websites are typically a company's opportunity to make a first and lasting impression on prospective clients. And yet, all too often these websites are fairly impersonal, focusing on products and services and pricing packages and a short bio of the business credentials of the team that makes up the company. But these don't really give the client a good idea of who they will be working with. This doesn't give them any idea of those people's personalities. It doesn't give them an opportunity to feel a personal connection with another living human being.
More and more, my clients are coming to me to give them a human face on their websites. Web video is affordable and internet speeds and video compression are capable of giving the vast majority of the wired public access to high quality videos. So, except for camera shyness, there is very little reason not to include video on your company's website. People, now more than ever, need to trust the people that they will be giving their money to. Open up to them, give them the opportunity to get to know you and your company and feel like they already have a personal connection with you before they even pick up the phone to call for the first time.
There are countless types of videos that you can do to create a human face for your website.
1) Let your team introduce themselves and what they love about working at your company.
2) Let your clients introduce themselves and what they love about what you have done for them.
3) Give your prospective clients a glimpse into what a day at your company is like.
4) Give your prospective clients a chance to see you just being you, talking about the things that you are passionate about, and how you bring that passion to your work.
5) Show them how you found your way into the industry you are in. Most of us start of down a path in our lives that branches many, many times along the way and frequently some pretty fascinating events lead us to where we are today. Share those stories with potential clients, sharing your journey is a very personal way to share your background and expertise without simply listing off your past employers.
6) Just play with it. Fun simple little animations about your service/process/product. This can be as low tech as using drawings on a white board or paper cutouts. Google, Microsoft, and UPS aren't afraid to utilize lowtech animation, why can't you use it?
7) Share a personal story, how your work has create a positive impact on other people in a powerful way? Does your company donate to charities or non-profits? Does your company volunteer in the community? Share these stories.
Reaching out to another human being on a personal level may just help you and your clients find a little more certainty in uncertain times.
Goldie Jones is the owner of Subversionz Media, a Seattle based video production and motion graphics company. She has spent years in the Seattle area creating hundreds of broadcast, marketing, web, event, b2b, and internal videos for dozens of companies
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