If you have spent even a modicum of time on marketing blogs over the last two years, then chances are you know that video is being touted as the next big thing. In case you’ve been living under the rock the last two years, here are a few staggering stats about the rise of video: YouTube has over 1.5 billion monthly users and over 1/3 of online activity is spent watching videos.

Some people are saying that video is the future, but they’re wrong. Video is a present reality if you want to have marketing success. But say you agree with me, run out, buy a camera, and start producing videos about your company. Now what do you do with those videos? Social media is always a popular place to show off your video marketing, but what about your website? If you’re investing in quality video work, you should find a way to showcase it on your website.

And as a web design agency, we have a few things to say about that:

Video Ideas

But before we dig into how to use video on your website, you need to have videos to feature. Pursuing video marketing sounds great until you sit down in front of the camera and realize you don’t know what to say. First, know that getting comfortable on camera will take some time, so start off your video journey with a lot of practice. Most of it will end up in the trash can, but it will help in the long run! Beyond that, we’ll look at four types of video you can use for your company:

Introductions

Introducing your brand to new people can be difficult. Getting a potential customer to read a long introduction can be difficult, but a video introduction can be quick and easy. By using a video, your company will be more personable and less dry.

Explainers

Complex processes are hard to explain. A video can cut through the clutter and show how your product works in an engaging way. Explainer videos are great because they can serve as a sales tool for new customers and a retention tool for existing customers.

Testimonials

Testimonials are always good for your business. But most of them will be ignored because people are skeptical, but a video testimonial carries additional emotional weight. Getting your customers to give a video testimonial is difficult, but the reward is worth the effort.

Behind the Scenes

You can make your brand even more personable with a video that shows behind the scenes at your business. Showcase your offices, employees, and culture with an off-the-cuff style that gives a glimpse into your business.

Featuring Video on Your Website

Once you have some video content, you can feature it on your website. But before you run out and throw a bunch of videos on your website, there are a few things you need to know:

• Write a transcript – If you want the full SEO benefit of your video, you should write a transcript. Google’s bots are pretty smart, but they still struggle to understand video content. By providing a transcript, you ensure that search engines understand your content.
• Don’t Host It – It sounds appealing to have total control over your video, but there are several reasons to not host your video content. First, there are technical issues around video formats that can get very complex very quickly. Second, hosting videos on your website will drastically slow down your load speed which hurts your SEO rankings.
• Embed It – Instead of hosting the video directly on your site, upload it to a video hosting service and then embed the video on your site. YouTube and Vimeo are the most popular options, and they both allow easy embedding that is familiar to almost every internet user.

Video Strategy

Video will continue to grow in importance – essential for your marketing, social media, and online presence. But that doesn’t mean you should blindly jump into the video mix, instead, your video marketing should be strategic and well-planned.

That includes how you use video assets on your website. You don’t want to butcher your load speed just for the sake of a short video. But with a properly embedded video and accompanying transcript, you can use video to strengthen your brand image while also providing fresh content to your site.