By Brad Jefferson, Published October 29, 2014
When someone visits your website for the first time, what do they see? As the old adage goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The homepage is a crucial page on your website and it’s critical that the content and visual elements are compelling enough to entice the visitor to stay, learn more, and hopefully embark on becoming a satisfied customer for years to come.
Companies only have a few seconds to snag a visitor’s attention before they “bounce.” With fierce competition and fleeting attention spans, video is a great medium for hooking potential customers and showcasing your company’s value in a way that truly brings it to life. In a recent survey, 71 percent of consumers say watching video content produced by businesses leaves them with a positive impression of the brand, service or company. In addition to building brand loyalty, the survey data also shows that nearly all (96 percent) of respondents find videos helpful when making purchase decisions online. It’s clear that video has a powerful impact on website visitors, all the more reason to embed a video on the homepage.
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you create a video for your company’s homepage:
First impressions matter
A company overview video on your homepage helps set the tone and introduces potential customers to your company’s offerings. The same survey found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of consumers find video helpful to learn more about the company they’ll purchase from. For a new visitor to your site, a video highlighting your company’s mission, products or founding story helps to introduce you to your customers quickly and keep them coming back for more.
Keep it short
Within the first minute, a homepage video should tell visitors what you do and why you’re different. If it’s unclear what your company’s product or service does, it’s unlikely that visitors will stay long. Sixty percent of consumers surveyed cited 60 seconds or less as the ideal length for watching business videos on their phone, and half of consumers surveyed (51.1 percent) said under a minute is the ideal length of a video to inform a purchase decision, proving that longer isn’t necessarily more effective.
Include a call to action
What do you want your potential new customer to do now that they have watched your video? Include a compelling call to action so they can easily purchase or navigate to other important content like contact information, locations and directions, hours of operation or sign up for an email newsletter or connect with you via social media.
Both Quince Living and SmartCookieHappyCookie are examples of companies that have done homepage videos right.
Quince Living is a family-owned housewares company that specializes in high-quality Scandinavian and UK gifts for the kitchen and home. The company’s homepage video introduces visitors to Quince Living, using vibrant colors, upbeat music and beautiful photographs to help bring the products to life. The video shows the wide range of products for sale, from outdoor accessories and kitchenwares to handbags and tea time essentials — giving visitors a window into the diverse product offerings, all in less than a minute.
Mary Schiller is a life coach and her website is SmartCookieHappyCookie. A critical element of sales for personal services firms such as life coaches, nutritionists and personal trainers is personality fit — an even tougher sell for web-based companies. The SmartCookieHappyCookie homepage video highlights the services that Schiller provides to her clients and also effectively conveys her personality through inspirational text, music and a fun video clip of her. The video concludes with a call to action, directing potential clients to download a free copy of “The Smart Cookie’s Guide to Happiness” to learn more.
Both companies are examples of businesses that are making a great first impression on their homepage with video. For retail stores like Quince Living, video breathes life into static product images and encourages visitors to learn about the company behind the products along with what to expect when they visit the store in person. For service-based companies like SmartCookieHappyCookie, video is a powerful tool for displaying personality and highlighting what makes the service unique. Regardless of industry, homepage videos are a unique way to introduce your company to potential customers, creating a positive first impression that will give you the best chance to make a sale and create a long-time customer.
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