You've produced awesome video and now want to display it on your website for your audience to view. This is usually an afterthought as we are so used to video just working on the web. So "What is the best way to add video to a website?" Here are some important considerations before posting your video.
1. Allow videos to be viewed across platforms. More people than ever before are utilizing mobile devices as their primary Internet-connecting site. This means that several, if not the majority, of your website visitors are choosing to access your website via their smart phones and tablets. It is thus important to make sure that any video you put on your website can be viewed across platforms. The main way of doing so is to make sure your player has fallback settings and test.
2. Embedding from YouTube. One of the biggest choices to make regarding adding video is choosing whether to self-host or host through YouTube. YouTube is still widely regarded as the most popular video-hosting tool, however this mega-site has some drawbacks. For example, there is the inherent YouTube branding, limited customization options, and many others.
3. Adding call to actions and sharing buttons. Many custom players now allow for users to transform their videos into viral advertisements by adding call-to-action and easy sharing buttons. Such buttons allow videos that can be quickly and easily sent as emails and posted across blogs and other social media sites. Other quick-link buttons send customers automatically to an order page, mailing list sign up, or to a printable coupon.
4. Creating interactive videos. If you really want to make an impact with your online video, you should consider adding interactive elements that allow for increased engagement, customer activation, and video shopping.
5. Are there space constraints? If you have space constraints on your website, you may want to use lightbox. Lightbox operates off of a click – for example, if a visitor clicks on your video box. Once clicked, the video will launch into into an overlay that will not allow visitors to click anywhere else on the open page. Not only is this is great for websites with limited space, but such a set-up can capture your visitor's attention, focus their eye, and prevent them from being distracted away from your video's message.
6. Is your video clearly recognizable as a video? This may seem like common sense, but unfortunately it can be easy for videos to become sort of hidden in plain sight. It is important to make your video clear and recognizable. This means having a picture that leads to a video button that has “click to play” or the recognizable play symbol.
Online videos are swiftly becoming the number one way of attracting and engaging online visitors, and tranforming such visitors into customers and clients. Improving the video on your website can significantly improve your ROI.
Still curious about ways to create engaging video that will improve your business? Contact us at Avanti Vision today. Our team of talented and experienced professionals are dedicated to helping businesses to using the latest technology to create innovative marketing solutions. Our quality marketing services include video productions, web design, Internet marketing, and a host of other creative services that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your business.
