Can All Websites Benefit From Video Content?

By Author: Kirsten Gross
Total Articles: 91
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Admittedly there is probably a bias of opinion both in myself and in many of the readers of our blog but I am going to attempt to approach this subject objectively to find out if all websites can benefit from video content.

I decided that the best way to do this would be to ask 5 friends who love to stitch me up to pick a website each that they think it would be difficult to create a video about. I would then have to come up with a way for the site to use video that would enhance the website experience for their site visitors.

Unfortunately, as you will see below their challenges were pathetic or ridiculous so in search of a real contest I bid you to enter a website URL into the comment box for me to find a way that they could leverage video to make their site fulfill it's purpose in life better.

The Secret of invisibility
thesecretofinvisibility.com/
Easy - Invisibility can be filmed with no problem whatsoever. You just need to build a believable background story. This is no different to those ghost-hunting programs that show late at night and that entertain the post bar crowd. You need to have ...
... insane people who are convincing as sane or just good actors and get them to retell the training program that they have been through and how they have achieved and used their invisibility to do courageous, daring, perverted or just plain interesting things. Not many people will believe it but it could easily be well received and shared around as amusement.

Fish & Chip Shop in Northern England
nashsfishandchips.com/
Perfect - If I saw a video of some fresh fish being lovingly battered, good quality potatoes cut and then fried in clean and not too heavy on the heart ground nut oil then I would be getting the car keys ready, if this was then followed by some customers eating their dinner and obviously enjoying it and saying why they buy their fish and chips there then I would be sold.

A blog about sports injuries
louisvillefamilychiropractic.com
Again, yes - although the site is a bit of a lackluster attempt it does not mean that it could not be better, a lot better. They could run a series of videos giving case studies of injured athletes, looking at the detail of the injuries that they have suffered and why. The videos could show the riskier training exercises that have led to injuries and also show the training exercises and techniques to use to avoid injury. If the videos focus on well-known athletes then the they could have a viral effect and gain a broader viewing. How about a series on Wayne Rooney's injuries and how and why they happened?

A niche blog on stomach ulcers
umm.edu/digest/ulcers.htm
Getting trickier, but wait a minute, how about looking at the causes of stomach ulcers and how to avoid them. They can be avoided through a healthy diet of low fat food focusing on wholegrain rice and cereals, high vegetable intake and lots of non-citrus fruits. So how about we do a series of videos that show how to cook delicious meals that focus on using ingredients that are known to help reduce the issue of stomach ulcers.

Really not sure how to classify
yourethemannowdog.com/
Fair do's, this is hard. But going back to basics we look at what the point of the site is; in this case it is to give people a momentary giggle. So we have Sean Connery delivering one of his lines from Finding Forrester (I think). There could be a video accompanying the spoken word showing scenes that could be applied to the phrase "you're the man now dog". This could use the same concept as the Snatch Wars series of videos - here's one for you if you haven't seen them.

Some people have far too much time on their hands….

So what about small business sites in general?

I think that many small businesses are in the position where they have a website that tells the world what they do, they paid a web designer to make it look pretty, they have a handsome looking photo of themselves on there but they struggle to get much traffic to the site. You have a homepage, an About Us page, a Services page and a Contact Us page but that is about it. It's flat and it's pretty boring to all except the owner and his most supportive of friends. So you decide that what you need is to create some interesting content on your site to add value to the few visitors that do come so that they may then recommend you to others through social sharing or whatever; good idea. Is Video relevant and useful to you?

Here the answer is a resounding yes, I have always found that behind almost every business that I deal with there is a passionate person with good ideas that is adding value to the world. Video is the perfect medium to be able to communicate your ideas in a compelling manner. Of course it needs to be done well, but a human being explaining something often beats a textual explanation and video gives you the opportunity to display visually what you mean.

The point is that every website has been created for a reason and if you can verbalise that reasoning then you can also communicate it visually.

So, as I mentioned in the opening paragraphs please feel free to give us a challenge through entering a business type or a URL into the comment box to see if we can come up with a creative way for you to leverage video. Alternatively you could just give us a call for a discussion on your video production:

0845-003-8359 (UK)

800-475-7599 (US)

My Web Presenters are a leading Corporate Video Production specialist. We are the pioneers of web presenters and have developed the leading technology for this type of web video. We work with businesses of all sizes to create compelling and emotive video that helps them to communicate with their specific audience. We also run a blog and write articles on video production and video marketing. Call us on UK: 0845 003 8359 or US: 0800 475 7599.