How to Use Videos on Your Homepage for User Experience and Results

Digital marketers have been telling us for years that video is the most popular digital content format available. Companies have thus increased their video marketing spend, and as a result, we’re seeing a lot of well-executed homepage videos across all industries and niches. 

If you haven’t boarded the homepage video train yet and you’re looking for some best practices and helpful examples, you’re in the right place. Read on for the best ways to use videos for boosting UX and achieving your target marketing results. 

A Case for Video 

The main reason video is so appealing lies in the shortened attention span of modern internet users. We want to get as much information as possible in a way that requires minimum effort on our part. This makes the video the clear winner, leaving the blog post in the dust. 

Users watch over 1 billion hours of content on YouTube every day. Of course, we can’t compare the second largest search engine with a homepage video, but you get the idea.

When you want to elicit emotions and communicate with your audience in different layers, video is a clear choice.

Video is also good for SEO. It increases the time a user will spend on your homepage, which is something search engines love to see. The more views you have and the more time visitors spend engaging with you, the better for your rankings. 

Naturally, video is also incredibly sharable – much more so than text. Images may give it a run for its money, but video – especially if it’s the kind that provokes thoughts and emotions – will get a lot of shares. 

There’s one drawback of video you need to be aware of, however. Not everyone will have the time or the interest to watch it. When a visitor is looking for a specific piece of information, video fails miserably, and text wins. 

To circumvent this potential issue, always ensure your videos are accompanied by the kind of copy that will enhance them. This copy will help you convert those among your target audience who prefer to read rather than watch. 

And now for the best ways to create videos that entice and convert.

Tell a Story

One of the best ways to utilize your homepage videos is to tell a story with them.

It can be the story of your brand; it can be a personal story from a customer or an employee. You can do a cartoon, a live-action flick, or anything you want really. Just go for something that appeals to your target audience, and make it genuine. 

You want to make a video that has the power to evoke the kinds of emotions you want your clients and customers to associate with your brand. Most importantly, make sure you speak from experience and from the heart. Overproduced videos that come off as dishonest can do more harm than good. 

This tactic is executed well by Bay Alarm Medical, a medical alert company, which features several homepage videos. Their header video shows the product in action, yet it’s their testimonials and media coverage video that tell stories that convert. They’ve managed to find satisfied clients who can speak well about their product without it sounding scripted and rehearsed. 

Source: Bayalarmmedical.com

Share the Actual Product

Showing the product in action (if you have one) is incredibly important. Images work very well, but there’s nothing like watching a video to inspire a visitor to make a purchase. 

You can throw in some background as well. Share how the product is made, advice on the different ways it can be used, and testimonials from others who have used it in the past. 

Your main aim here is to ensure that what a viewer sees is what they will actually get. Don’t try to turn the product into something that it’s not. 

Product videos work best in the apparel and clothing industries, where seeing the fit in a video is often much more helpful than seeing it in an image. Born Primitive, a fitness apparel company, has gone the extra mile as well, showing their products in sweaty workout action. They’re demonstrating not only the kind of lifestyle they promote but also the values they stand behind.

Source: Bornprimitive.com

Focus on the Pain Points

Video is also great for shining a light on some of the pain points your audience is looking to address. You may need to select one or two specific issues to mention in the video, as overwhelming viewers with a whole host of issues may not be the best course of action. 

However, as long as you are clearly able to define the problem and to do it in terms that speak volumes to your target audience, you can spark their interest and ensure they’re willing to keep the communication going. 

Show Mojo, a residential leasing automation service, has a video that does a good job of stoking the pain points of their visitors. They also manage to position themselves well as the solution to the problem in a manner that is both visually and emotionally engaging and that does not demand a lot of effort on the part of the user. 

Source: Web.showmojo.com

And Provide the Solutions

Providing the solution is, of course, the next great way to utilize video on your homepage. You can choose to focus more on the problem or more on the solution. Either way, you will at least tease your product or service – don’t just leave your audience hanging. 

When talking about solutions, you need to at least introduce the problem as well. The introduction can be brief, but it should be enough to help your audience grasp the intricate ways your product or service will help improve their lives. 

A video that finds a nice balance between pain point and solution can be found on pet focused company Jackson Galaxy’s homepage. It not only features some of his cuter satisfied clients but also speaks about his expertise and the solutions he can provide to cat owners.

Prove Your Expertise

Finally, you can use your homepage video to demonstrate your expertise. The goal is to clearly show your audience why they should choose you and not one of your competitors.

The key here is to find a way of telling your story that does not focus on your ego and that does not sound all too much like bragging. Ideally, you want to: 

• show your results 
• show the processes you employ
• explain the challenges you’ve overcome
• explain how you deal with setbacks

Final Thoughts 

Whether you choose to tell an emotional story or showcase your expertise in a video, make sure it is well-produced and that it loads fast. Don’t forget you need to accompany it with plenty of clever copy too. That way, you’ll also accommodate the visitors who are not as drawn in by moving images and would prefer to get their information from a text.