Tactics > small-business spotlight


Becoming video savvy


Time for the niche retailer to pay


T attention?


here’s no doubt that the web continues to evolve into


an increasingly visual medium. Consumers like pictures, and they like video even more. So, as technology continues to evolve at


warp speed, maybe now’s the time for small businesses to sit up and pay attention?


Video has the power to showcase products


and build brand awareness in a unique and compelling way. By engaging, educating and entertaining visitors, the niche retailer has the opportunity to connect with its customer in a way that cultivates loyalty and encourages social dissemination of the brand. It’s no surprise to learn that video is the most shared content type on the web. “Isn’t that all a bit fluffy?” I hear the cynics


cry. Well, maybe, but it’s only the start. Consider the importance that Google now attributes to video and you’ve got an altogether more measurable incentive to rethink your strategy. Since the rollout of the Google Caffeine


upgrade earlier this year, the search engine results pages (SERPS) are increasingly dominated by real-time and video results—part of Google’s mission to deliver “fresher, richer” results. Video, in particular, seems to get preferential treatment (unsurprising, given that Google owns YouTube). Not only do video results now capture some of the prime real estate in the list of organic results, but the new left-nav column provides advanced search options on video results that reflect their enhanced status.


Video for ecommerce As well as generating qualified traffic for your website (more on video SEO below), you can employ video effectively to increase conversion in the following ways:


1. Product demonstrations. The next best thing to seeing the product in “real life”, a video gives a visitor the opportunity to see its features in action, and provide some human scale. It’s an opportunity to assert your authority as an expert and build consumer confidence.


By Murray Kenneth 20 2. Brand building. No matter how carefully Catalogue e-business www.catalog-biz.com


you’ve crafted the copy on your About Us page to skilfully convey the uniqueness of your product or service and your company values, relatively few people will read it. By providing supplemental video, you can engage those unwilling to read the blurb, and do it in a way that makes it easy for them to share it with their friends.


3. Customer service. Whether it’s to provide answers to frequently asked questions, share customer testimonials, provide instructions, or simply put a human face to your operation, customer service video can help break down resistance and smooth the visitor’s path to purchase.


What makes a good video? Okay, so it all sounds quite good in principle and you’ve probably got some ideas on what to do. Here’s the conventional wisdom on what makes a good video for an ecommerce site:


1. Keep it short. The first 15 seconds are critical—so save your best for first. Three or four minutes is a good length as a rule, but note how Google enables you to search for videos of different length. No doubt there’s a trade-off opportunity in terms of competition and ranking.


2. Make it relevant. Treat your customers— and Google—with respect. Unless your video can educate, engage or entertain, you’re probably best thinking of a better idea.


3. Make it SEO smart. Like the rest of your content, you need to optimise it for organic search. I explain this in more detail below.


4. Shoot it in high definition. It’s just a hunch, but I think HD will probably rank better. Google presents you with the option to filter out HD videos, and I think that’s a pretty good indication of its preference.


What makes a video good enough? This is perhaps the biggest psychological barrier that small businesses face when considering video. Does my video need to be professionally produced, or is it something we can do inexpensively in-house? Do my customers


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