Make A Great First Impression With Video On Your Wellness Website — Interview with Black Dove Studios
Q. Why is it important to integrate video on a wellness website?
Graham: I like to think of video as something that stimulates the senses. It allows people to see and hear your message simultaneously. It provides an extra layer of interactivity that people are so used to seeing in the world around them. Over the past decade, we have seen the internet go from a virtually static environment, to a multimedia playground rich in audio and visual content. I think the more information a client or customer has about what you have to offer, the more likely they are to gain a greater level of trust about you and/or your company and ultimately buy your product. I think video can be a great informational resource that, if done well, can catch and hold your viewers attention.
Q. Do I place video on my home page, or where is the best place?
Graham: It ultimately depends on what the end goal of your video project is. For instance, if you had a video showing or reviewing a product, you might have that on the individual product’s page as an additional informational resource for your visitor. The ultimate goal of this video would be to excite and interest the customer enough that they would want to buy your product. If, however, you have a company profile or overview video, it would be best to have that on the homepage, so that new visitors could have easy access to company information ASAP. The goal of this video would be to “hook” your visitors immediately and get them curious or interested enough to click around your website. I had a client once make a video for each one of his pages as a supplement to his written content. It’s up to you based upon your goal.
Q. What subject matter could I place on my blog or website? (video testimonials, etc.)
Graham: This is the fun part because what you want to make a video about is entirely up to your creative mind! Here are some examples of content I have created for my clients.
- Product or service “training” videos – Videos made to show customers/clients how to use a product most efficiently and effectively (also great because it gets potential customers excited when they can visualize how the product can be used for them).
- Video testimonials – Generally I like to mix these in with another type of video (sales video, company profile, etc.), but they can be used effectively as a standalone production. These help build trust in your brand and can be used to build customer/client loyalty.
- Product overview – This is great because it gives you a chance to show customers how to use the product, and most importantly how THEY can use the product. People are visual creatures, and when they can see the size and shape, etc from the video, they will have a better idea of what it is and how they can use it. These are great also, because they can help make your product larger than life. Let’s say you were selling Matchbox cars. If you were just to show the car as is it, no one would be impressed. Using camera angles, creative shooting techniques and some other basic effects you have the ability to build a new, rather exciting perception about your product.
- Company profile videos – These, I think, are one of the best videos you can have. This essentially covers the who, what, where, when, why and how of your company. These are generally less then three minutes in length and incorporate an interview with you or someone in your company, shots of your location, shots of you or your employees in action and even testimonials. This can tell the visitor everything they need to know about your business without them having to do anything but click a button.
- Video blogs – These can be a great addition to any blog. Spend a couple minutes talking about the top 5 ways your customer can benefit from using your services. Make short, concise video blogs showing your expertise on a topic in your field. Remember, trust is a key to any successful business and the more you demonstrate your expertise, the more trust you can build.
- Event coverage – Did you just throw an event at your place of business? If so, film it! People will be interested to see what it was like, and if it’s successful, they will be more likely to come to the next one.
There are many other possibilities, the only limit is your imagination.
Q. How does someone even go about getting video done, what is the process?
Graham: Well there are two options.
If you have your own camera, you could just start shooting! There are many consumer based video editing programs out there that would let you do some basic editing, titling and encoding. There are many people that do this themselves and end up with satisfactory videos.
The other option is to hire a professional company like Black Dove Studios. We have all the gear, people, and most importantly the know how and experience to make something that really stands out. The great thing about working with a company like us is we will go through every step of production with you. We will sit down with you and help you develop your message (which is VERY important, yet often overlooked), we will work with you to plan your shoot and will coach you about your camera presence. We will make sure that every shot is visually appealing and professionally lit and well composed. We will take the footage (sometimes hours of footage!) and cut out the very best clips and edit it all together to tell your story. We will create custom animations and lay down a carefully selected audio score to take your project to the professional level.
I would say it ultimately depends on your budget, goals and how professional you want the video to look.
Courtesy of Graham Johnstone from Black Dove Studios
Twitter: @BlackDoveStudio