Is a Front Page Video a Good Idea?

The debate between the front page home video being a great idea or a bad idea continues, and there are fair arguments on both ends. The web link http://web-video.co.uk discusses the ins and outs of video marketing, including what makes it great- and why so many fall to quick traps.

To summarize, some marketers dislike the home page video. They believe that the content of a website should stand on its own two legs. A video has the potential to take them away from a larger point being made, particularly around the actual content and selling point of the website. A two-minute video may be great, but it is not landing a sale. It is not a click on the phone contact page. On its own, it is quite meaningless.

Detractors claim that a video on the home age is a portal to so much more. Consider the uninformed visitor who just landed on the website. A video can introduce them to what they have happened upon. It can answer essential questions without forcing a visitor to dig through the website (which they are unlikely to do). A web video on the home page can also set a tone. For example, a t-shirt website is nothing unique. There are millions (and probably more). The video could be highly expressive and humorous. It can detail to the viewer that this is a silly brand with a silly theme. Lastly, it can announce that this website is a perfect fit without forcing the visitors to dig around.

Videos can also have promotional discounts in them that buyers who watch the video to completion can actually take advantage of. This helps prompt a potential sale. Videos can be poorly used. For example, an invasive near-full screen YouTube embedded video is quite ugly. Worse, a video could automatically play. Developers should not assume that visitors have their volume set right, or that they are not already playing music or another video in the background. Automatic audio is a quick way to get a visitor to click back immediately. Check out http://web-video.co.uk/ to learn some amateur mistakes, and how they are quickly avoided for the best possible video.