If you’ve shopped online, checked a social media newsfeed or driven by a billboard, you know that video is all the rage. Everywhere you look, companies are using the power of video to inspire you to take action. It’s no secret 30-90 seconds of captivating, motion storytelling can change the behavior of an audience, but how do you harness the medium to fit your company’s objectives?

How Video Impacts Conversion Rate

If you’re a frequent reader of the Lean Labs blog, you know that a landing page is vital to your online success. Using video — in the right way — on a landing page can be the perfect way to leverage the power of video and boost your conversion rates. 

In this post, we’ll walk you through the benefits of video when it’s done correctly and the flat-spin effect of video done poorly.

How to Use Video Correctly

Video can increase conversion rates by more than 80 percent. 

Yes, you read that right. Eight. Zero. Percent. 

That’s a pretty significant number. 

The key to seeing these results ties directly to the subject and focus of the video. As always, you need to be aware of what you want next. What are the steps you want your visitor to take? 

You already know your copy needs to be clear and your calls-to-action should be simple and quick. The same goes for video. 

Make sure the story being told is pertinent to the offer on the landing page. For instance, take our landing page for repurposing content. You get a brief video which explains the ebook being offered to our clients. The call-to-action shows visitors how to download the material and learn more.

Videos Can Build Trust

A video gives your customers a first-hand perspective on the product or offer. You can show them how the product works and demonstrate how it will have a positive impact on their life. 

By being transparent, you’ve eliminated several of the viewers’ hesitations and increased the odds they complete the call-to-action. As a by-product, you’ve increased the time each visitor is on your landing page. 

Video Done Badly…

Video can be distracting. 

It's really easy to counter-act the rest of the content on your landing page, resulting in a confused visitor who quickly clicks away. No matter how polished the production, if a video strays from the landing page’s main purpose it will invariably do more harm than good. 

This may seem like common sense, but an off-mark video can be hard to spot. Take this one, for example:

It’s so off they removed it from their homepage, and it’s only found on YouTube and blogs as a bad example. It’s a very creative video, but it takes one and a half minutes to even mention the name of the company.

The negative effects of video can be severe. 

It’s proven that a still image is much more effective than an off-key video. 

If you don’t have a solid way to tie the video into the offer or the bandwidth/budget to produce an on-point clip, it’s not worth the time. Find a quality image that will bring an emotional connection the topic of the page and stick with that. 

Otherwise, you’ll end up investing time and money into a project that will self-destruct. 

Don’t feel like you’ve failed if you opt for a still image over a video. Like all inbound marketing, quality over quantity is the best approach. You’ll come across the perfect time to use video on your landing page, and when you do, you’ll know how to tackle it.

Checklist to Success in Video Marketing

• Refer to the landing page’s offer in the video
• Keep the length between 30-90 seconds
• Opt for a still image if you can’t stay within these parameters

There’s no guarantee to the 80 percent conversion increase, but focusing your landing page videos with the above tips can transform your content. You’ll see more visitors sticking around longer to explore your offer or product and, more than likely, an increase in those who convert. 

Don’t just crank out videos for the sake of being on the video bandwagon. Keep the tool in mind and realize when to maximize the benefits for your landing pages. And remember, always be testing. It could be that adding video to one of your landing pages decreases your conversion rate. In that case, don't be too proud to go back to static images.

Always stick with what performs the best!