Along with the shelf and the beautiful wrought-iron brackets, Sally had also bought an assortment of screws, washers and a hammer. According to the hardware store assistant, she needed a lot more. It had been an expensive morning. Now, laid out neatly on the floor around her was everything he’d recommended.
So why was she crying? Because a vague understanding of how to put up a shelf wasn’t enough. She didn’t have a clue where to start. She dashed the back of her hand across her eyes. “Right, time for tea and You Tube.”
Ten minutes later, armed with a gently steaming cup of camomile tea, she found Charlie on You Tube. Charlie made it look easy. No jargon, just clear explanations, and demonstrations. Best of all, Charlie used only basic equipment. Rewinding to the beginning of the video, Sally followed his instructions one step at a time.
Now, the shelf was up, adorned with books and a pot plant. Thank goodness for Charlie, Sally thought as she lay in the bath. I wonder how hard it is to build a cupboard? I wonder if Charlie can tell me?
Which is all very well, but…
Your potential clients aren’t Sally. You run a company that has developed an amazing new way to solve the industrial waste problem, to build cellars or underground parking beneath already existing structures, or to turn sludge back into drinkable water thanks to cunning enzymes that you’ve developed.
Now, you need to tell construction companies, companies who produce toxic waste, decision makers in the municipalities, and even governments about your product and services. And not just in your own town, or country either!
Explainer videos are the essential tool you need to spread the word
As well as press releases, and new product pages on your website, spreading the word also involves going to trade shows, setting up introductory meetings with CEOs, and government ministers, for example. But people are busy. You can leave brochures – always a good idea, and you can talk eloquently about your product. The trouble is, when the person you’ve spoken to tells the next person in the decision-making chain, they may leave things out. They may have forgotten important details.
Here’s the most important facts to remember
- Most people only remember 20% of what they read
- When watching a video, people retain 95% of what they hear and 80% of what they see
- Explainer videos are shareable! Anyone in your potential customer’s organisation can see it, even if they weren’t at the presentation. The CEO’s sister-in-law could see it! Once they’ve seen it, they can share it with decision makers
- There’s no garbled misinterpretation of your product or service. They are hearing about you and your amazing product or service directly from you – every time! All your potential client’s questions are answered even if you’re not there. And they can refer to the video again and again.
Explainer videos are vital for your company because…
- Your explainer video will point them to your website where they can discover more about the product, your company and your contact details
- Explainer videos are eye-catching and engaging. So much so that they will increase your online visibility on all search engines. Video increases organic traffic between 10% to 250%, and it triples your SEO keywords on Google’s first page search results
- Google and You Tube are the largest and second largest search engines in the world respectively. And Google owns YouTube. This means that over 80% percent of every online activity begins on one or the other. People looking for ‘How To’ information are more likely to start searching on You Tube. Each video on You Tube has a video thumbnail. It’s known as a ‘rich snippet’. 26% of Google search results also show that snippet
- Why put the videos on You Tube if they’re already on your website?
Do over 122 million users come to your website a day?
Do you have over 2.1 billion users on your website a month? Probably not. At least, not yet. You Tube does, and video engagement on You Tube is growing by 100% every year, thanks to its one billion hours of content that is viewed every day.
No matter what your market is, they are on You Tube. Google sends them there. And if your video is on there, and being watched, it will send people to your website.
The best reason to use explainer videos as a marketing tool!
Remember, consumers retain 95% of what they hear and 80% of what they see when watching a video. Whether you have live video, Q&A style videos, demonstration videos, motion graphics, or animation in your explainer videos, if you are providing practical, easy-to-understand information that customers need and are looking for, they will remember you, visit your site, and return to you again and again!
How did it change the way you do something?
