One thing we pride ourselves on at With Grace and Gold, is creating truly detailed, engaging, experience-driven brands and web designs for small business owners. We wholeheartedly believe in the power of a well-designed website, and how creating an experience through your website can help your visitors to feel more connected with you, and ultimately, choose to work with you. 

Though there are a variety of ways to create detail and texture within a web design, one way to do so is through video content – whether through a full-length brand video, video clips, or even GIFs used for movement within your web design. Today, we’re exploring whether video content could elevate your web design — and our recommendations for gathering meaningful, value-adding video content. 

Could Video Elevate Your Web Design?

Welcome to Episode 161 of the Brand It, Build It Podcast: Could video elevate your web design? In this week’s episode, we’re exploring the power of using video in your web design, sharing how video can enhance your online presence, and our best practices for gathering meaningful, value-adding video content.  

In a large community of fellow small business owners, we often ask ourselves, “How can I set my business apart?” From having a professionally-designed brand and web design or professionally-written copywriting to hiring a professional photographer or videographer to create your website’s content, there are a diverse array of ways your online presence can communicate your expertise and set your business apart. 

Video content, in particular, can equip you for success in a variety of ways. Here are a few key reasons to consider using video within your web design:

1. Captivating Storytelling: Video enables you to tell your brand’s story in a visually compelling way. By incorporating elements like interviews, testimonials, or behind-the-scenes footage, you can create an emotional connection with your audience and leave a lasting impression.
2. Enhanced User Experience: Video content adds an interactive and immersive element to your web design. It provides an engaging experience for your visitors, increasing their time spent on your site and reducing bounce rates. Remember, the longer visitors stay on your site, the higher the chances of conversion. (Conversion is something we share more about in Episode 160: Your Checklist for a Conversion-Driven Website)
3. Demonstrating Products or Services: If you offer physical products or specific services, video can be a powerful tool to showcase their features and benefits. Seeing your products in action or watching a demonstration of your services can instill confidence in potential customers and increase their likelihood of purchasing your products or booking your services.
4. Boosting SEO: Videos are highly shareable and can generate more backlinks – links to your website – and social media engagement. This increased visibility and engagement can positively impact your website’s SEO, helping you rank higher in search engine results pages and attracting a larger, wider audience.

Now that we’ve explored the benefits of incorporating video into your web design, let’s discuss some practical steps to get started:

1. Determine Your Goals: Before creating video content, clearly define your objectives. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, drive conversions, or educate your audience? By understanding your goals, you can tailor your video content to align with your desired outcomes. Should you choose to hire a professional videographer, this is also something your videographer can help you to determine. Their professional recommendations are truly valuable and can help you to see your business and your goals in a new way, with a new perspective.
2. Plan Your Content: Develop a content strategy that aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. Consider the types of videos that would best showcase your products or services. Whether you pursue product demonstrations, client testimonials, or educational videos, each piece of video content should serve a specific purpose and provide value to your viewers based on your determined goals. 
3. Create Engaging Scripts: A well-crafted script is crucial for delivering a compelling video message. Keep your scripts concise, clear, and aligned with your brand’s tone and voice. Focus on delivering key messages and call-to-actions that prompt viewers to take the desired next steps. This is also something a professional copywriter can help with; perhaps you can use bits and pieces of your professionally-written copywriting to create a script. 
4. Optimize Video Placement: Strategically place your videos on relevant pages of your website. Consider incorporating videos on your homepage, product/service pages, or even in blog posts. Ensure they are prominently displayed and easily accessible to visitors. Use visually appealing thumbnails or play buttons to entice users to click and watch. Additionally, consider implementing autoplay or looping features for videos that provide a captivating introduction to your brand or highlight key offerings.
5. Add Closed Captions: Closed captions create a user-friendly experience for all visitors, and help your video content to be consumable by all. 
6. Optimize for Mobile: With the majority of web traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s crucial to ensure your videos are mobile-friendly. Test your videos across various devices and screen sizes to guarantee they load quickly and play smoothly. Compress video files without compromising quality to minimize buffering and improve the overall user experience.
7. Incorporate Clear Calls-to-Action: Don’t forget to include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) within your videos. Whether it’s directing viewers to sign up for a newsletter, explore your products, or contact you for more information about your services, calls-to-action guide visitors toward taking a desired action. 
8. Track and Analyze Performance: As with any marketing effort you implement on behalf of your business, tracking and analyzing the performance of your videos is essential. Utilize analytics tools to measure metrics such as views, engagement, click-through rates, and conversions. This data will help you understand what content resonates most with your audience and refine your video strategy over time.

Remember, incorporating video into your web design is an opportunity to showcase your brand’s personality, build trust, and stand out from the competition. Thanks for tuning in!

About Brand It, Build It Podcast, Hosted by Kelly Zugay

Hosted by Kelly Zugay, co-founder of With Grace and Gold, The Brand It, Build It Podcast is a leading small business marketing podcast for small business owners, creatives, and founders. Weekly, brief, actionable episodes will equip you to build a successful, sustainable small business. Since 2014, With Grace and Gold has provided award-winning custom brand and Showit web design and completely customizable Showit website templates for small businesses worldwide.