10 Top Reasons to Make Business Videos

Seeing a silly email newsletter on my iPhone a couple of days ago prompted me to respond by writing my own blog on online business videos.

The email I got made a point about why business-to-business entities SHOULDN’T make online videos. The email author’s reasons included that you couldn’t search engine optimize video (which is completely inaccurate, by the way) and that business people don’t watch video (and again, all statistics show that couldn’t be more wrong).

So, to throw the Big Brand Stories hat in the ring, here, after a 12-hour day on a rainy Friday, are 10 top-of-mind reasons to make and post business videos online:

1. The Sheer Numbers — Almost every respected research study done on the Internet in the past year shows that the vast majority of the Internet users in the U.S. watch videos online, that that number is growing annually, and that some 50 percent of smartphone users in 2012 will watch videos on their mobile device.
2. The Power to Persuade — Let’s face it, he says typing this, the written word just isn’t as compelling and memorable as hearing someone tell you something, and watching things unfold before your eyes (again studies show this all the time). Anyone who has experienced a powerful, branded video — from a killer Superbowl spot to thought-provoking documentary — knows that no other method of commercial communication can make as deep an emotional connection. Certainly web copy, banner ads, even the currently popular infographics, don’t have the stopping power of a video with movement, sounds, music and human voice.
3. The Share-ability — People like to recommend videos to their friends and co-workers, and people put trust in videos that friends and colleagues recommend. That’s why Facebook, for instance, ranks just under YouTube as the world’s top online video-viewing platform.
4. Makes Great “Social” Content — People on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and other social media platforms love watching and sharing videos, including business videos.
5. Makes Great Email Newsletter Fodder — Subject lines that mention colorful video and educational niche videos receive high open rates and click throughs to websites and social media platforms.
6. It Boosts SEO — The cross-linking with YouTube and social media platforms where videos are located is one thing, but you can also embed metadata with the videos so the search engines can find them more easily. Video subjects  can even speak keywords before the camera, so the voice-recognition software at the search engines can better rank your videos when they are loaded onto the web.
7. Demonstrates Products and Services Beautifully — There is no better way to show a product in all its glory than video (that’s why Zappos.com, for instance, made more than 50,000 shoe demos in 2011. For the shoe company, it increased sales significantly and cut way down on expensive returned items, because customers better understood what would be coming in the mail).
8. Drives Leads — People will come to your video from a newsletter send, or other referral and land on your home page or a dedicated landing page to watch a video. Then you’ve got a captive audience where you want them: on your turf.
9. Gives You Valuable Feedback and Analytics  — Collecting and reading comments on such platforms and YouTube, Facebook, et al, and analyzing metrics on the number of unique views, visitors’ time spent watching, sharing factors, et al, can help you sculpt messaging, even refine your products and service offerings.
10. Forces You to Clarify Messages — Because people prefer short videos between 90 seconds and four minutes, depending on the complexity and depth of the content, you really have to hone your messaging about your products and services, no matter how complex.

Now, unless I’m going to turn my iPhone on myself and email my wife a :30 second explainer video about why I’m late for dinner, I’ll sign off until next time. (I wouldn’t dream of merely texting her such an I’m-working-late-honey message; it wouldn’t be nearly as convincing.)

GREG TOZIAN is the Chief Storyteller at Big Brand Stories. Contact him at greg.tozian@bigbrandstories.com