Every business wants a prominent shop front that’s easy for customers to find and the same is true online. Unlike your ‘bricks and mortar’ shop however, your digital shop front is constantly moving, rising or falling in the ranks against competitors, thanks to Google’s algorithm, which changes once or twice every day.

Keeping your brand high in the Google search rankings is undoubtedly one of your business priorities, so today we’re sharing the latest digital thought leadership on how to make this happen in 2017.

Google loves videos and will love you more for featuring them

First a disclaimer: Nobody really knows what Google’s going to do next…but we can take clues both from the consumption of users and the content that is driving traffic. Here’s what we know:

1. Online video consumption is growing led by the youngest users (those aged 14-25 now watch more online video than television).
2. Google has acquired companies and launched products which demonstrate their commitment to video as the channel of the future (including Avanto, Eyefluence, The Daydream VR headset)
3. Google’s competitors, most notably Facebook, have extended the reach and potential of video, introducing live streaming, Facebook video ads, Facebook 360 video and have increased the reach of native videos on Facebook. Video viewing on Facebook has grown by 50% in the last year alone. It’s safe to assume that Google is making moves to compete with this, using their YouTube platform as a driver for increasing your traffic.
4. On social networks, people engage with video ten times more than static content and are 1200% more likely to share it! Each time someone shares your video, Google picks up social signals about your popularity and increases your ranking in search.
5. Videos increase the stickiness of your website by keeping the user engaged for a longer period. When users stay longer on a page, Google increases your ranking in search.

Your customers now expect videos

Technology is enabling us to consume more video content and we love it. Surprisingly, even the prospect of video content is enough to engage customers. One study demonstrated that including the word ‘video’ in an email subject line boosted the open rate by 19% and click through rates by 65%!

Video has proven itself as the most effective storyteller; customers will happily watch a well-produced 2-minute video about your product or services. In fact, recent statistics show that including a video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80%!.

How your business can use videos

There are endless possibilities for your business to use videos. Consider your sales funnel and the types of information your customer needs at each point of their buying journey. Are they conducting research which touches your industry? Can you feed them with helpful information at this stage? Are they looking across a horizon of choices, including you and your competitors, to discover points of difference and reasons to buy from you instead of the other guy? What would tip their search in your favour – your credibility, a showcase of your work, a library of customer testimonials? Maybe your customer has already decided to buy and they just want the cheapest price or the fastest service – could you close the deal with a video now?

Here are a few ideas for using video in a range of industries:

Real estate – Walk your clients through your premium properties so they can better understand the flow of the space from room to room. Real estate listings with a video receive 403% more inquiries than those without.

Pool construction – Create an educational video about how to choose the best pool lining. Be generous with your knowledge so people see you as a friendly and trusted authority. Videos help build trust; the viewer simulates eye contact with you to sense your sincerity. Trust and credibility are important factors buyers consider when hiring contractors.

Building design and architecture – Make a how-to video about the different steps in the process of gaining licencing and permissions to build in your area. Educate the buyer on all the legal hurdles and tell them how you can help navigate the red tape. You will be talking to a large audience, since 98% of users say that they have watched videos to learn more about a product or service. Research is the first stage of the buying journey and you are establishing a relationship right from the start.

Interior Design – Showcase your latest home renovation, describing how each colour, texture, decoration and furnishing choice was selected to enhance the lifestyle of the people who live there. Walk them through your showroom and studio where sewing machines are humming with the latest bespoke curtains and upholstery designs. The video will help you develop rapport with your customers and gives them a ‘backstage’ view of the design process.

Healthcare and dentistry – Video can help you educate your patients or reduce their fears around certain treatments. When patients know what to expect, they are less fearful. The video could introduce the clinicians that they will meet (who all greet them in their language) and happy patients can describe their experiences, now that they are free from pain.

Yoga, Gyms, other wellness facilities – The online fitness marketplace has exploded with options for yoga and exercise teachers, including NamaStream, Aflete, Cody and PowHow. You can create videos to take advantage of this income opportunity, or you can promote your local classes by creating a library of ‘how-to’ videos demonstrating sun and moon salutations and a few of the most challenging yoga poses, showing your personal strength and flexibility.

Landscape gardeners – Take us on a tour through your local garden centre and show us 3 or 4 plants which should ideally be planted this month in a terrace flowerbed. Tell us how we should care for them, the rate and spread of expected growth and why you love those particular plants so much. Show your passion and make gardening accessible and fun for beginners, while speaking also to more skilled gardeners. Be sure to mention the stately homes and five star hotels where you have planted those particular flowers and finish with a call to action for the viewer to contact you for help with their own garden.

Are you excited yet?

We are! We believe in the power of video so much that we’ve added a video production expert to our team for the benefit of all our customers. Buy a marketing package today and not only will you gain from the skills of our writers, designers, website builders, press managers, social media and SEO specialists, you get Peter, our video guy. We have a feeling Peter is going to be very busy in 2017, so if you want to add a video to your marketing mix, call us now!