There’s a time and a place for amateur video, and it’s never the right time to put one on your business website.
My actor/friend, Kevin, with whom I’ve collaborated many times as the on-camera host of several corporate video productions, went to work for a software company whose website offered some video of their product. Unfortunately the site had a very high bounce rate driving nearly everyone away from the site without doing business with the company leaving Kevin and the rest of the sales force without many prospects.
It was no mystery. Just about everything that could be technically wrong with their promotional videos was wrong: Poor audio, participants recorded in front of a very bright open window with blinds drawn halfway down and hanging crooked, poorly prepared and not very well dressed employees fumbling to speak on camera. This was the video the company put in front of their prospective customers that was supposed to capture their interest and persuade them to purchase the software. There was an obvious disconnect here: A high-end software product marketed to a technically astute audience promoted with a homemade video.
Kevin, distraught, implored me to write a proposal for a new promotional video for his company which I willingly did. The company never responded and is still floundering to this day.
What it boils down to is this: Resist the temptation to pick up your mobile device to record your latest news flash. It’s all about “image” and the impression you want to associate with your “brand”, which, in the broad sense of the word, is much more than just your logo. It’s the whole user experience associated with your business, including, and especially, your website video. Websites are compromised, reputations tarnished and customers discouraged by amateur videos on the site. The bar is high today for website video with the expectation that it should be picture and audio perfect. Vis a vis professional video, homemade video just looks very amateurish, and on an otherwise carefully developed website is enough to damage your credibility sending the whole purchasing process into a fatal tailspin. It certainly doesn’t add to a website the level of credibility that’s needed to build consumer trust.
With a credible video, one that shows professionalism in the making, you have the potential to build a strong connection with visitors that helps them feel comfortable doing business with you. Amateur videos can definitely undo that critical process.
Please check out our video series, “Why Businesses Need Video” and the article: “How Good is Video on My Website.”
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