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Darren Rowse of Problogger.net fame posed this question to his readers last week: “What are the Benefits of Adding Video to Your Blog?”

So far, the response has been intriguing. While benefits of using video on blogs and web sites are indeed being discussed, people are also sharing their personal feelings about it. Surprisingly, it appears that there is no middle ground. These folks either love online video or hate it with a passion.

I get pretty excited when bloggers get feedback like this from their readers. The insight they provide can be a real eye-opener for web site owners and bloggers like you and me.

In this case, the comments Darren received from his simple question can help us determine whether or not we should use video in our blogs or on our web sites, and if so, what we can do to make it a pleasant experience for everyone.

(As a side note: While Darren specifically asked about video on blogs, I believe that a great deal of what his commentators shared can also be applied to video on web sites. See if you agree).

Let’s dig in and take a look at some of the gems I extracted from Darren’s faithful readers.

3 Things People Love About Online Videos:

1. Provides a break from reading. Several people noted that having the ability to listen rather than read was a nice break for their tired eyes.
2. Adds a personal touch. People enjoyed seeing videos of the blogger in person and felt it provided a personal connection as well as added credibility.
3. Shows rather than explains. People particularly saw value in “how-to” videos, where there is a clear benefit in illustrating how to do something using video rather than attempting to explain it with words or still pictures.

3 Things People Hate About Online Videos:

1. Takes too long to load. Even on a high-speed Internet connection, many people felt impatient with the loading time of online videos. And those that don’t have access to high-speed Internet simply don’t have the bandwidth needed to watch videos online.
2. Difficult to watch in public. Because watching video requires sound, those using the Internet in a library, café, school or even in the vicinity of their own home were unlikely to watch video online because they felt it was intrusive and disturbed those around them.
3. Poor accessibility. People with a hearing loss are often left out when it comes to online videos, because few provide captioning or subtitles. In addition, those with normal hearing complained of instances of not being able to understand the speaker in the video due to regional/foreign accents or poor audio.

So Should You Use Video on Your Blogs and Web Sites?

Taking the above considerations to heart, I believe using video can be beneficial to web site/blog visitors if it:

• Educates through the use of visuals.
• Demonstrates how to do something.
• Increases credibility.
• Provides an alternative to reading for those with vision issues or tired eyes.

With that being said, I firmly believe that you need to provide a written transcript for those without high-speed Internet, folks with a hearing loss, and for people who simply prefer to read.

Leaving these people out of the mix conveys the message that they are not important to you. And if they believe they are unimportant to you, then you will become unimportant to them. If that isn’t motivation enough for you, then take into consideration that video currently provides no search engine benefit. Written words in a transcript, however, do.

I think the bottom line here is common sense. Don’t jump on the video bandwagon just because it seems like it’s the popular thing to do right now. Keep your goals and your customers at the forefront of your mind and it will quickly become clear as to whether or not you should use video on your blog or web site.

Remember - it’s always about the customer.

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Mario Sanchez-Carrion of Shoestring Branding has posted an excellent story on his blog on How to Handle Customer Email.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mario’s post. It’s not only well-written, but entertaining. In essence, it details Mario’s experience in contacting, via email, four car dealerships with a simple request. He asked each of them whether they: 1. Had the base (no options) car model of his choice in a specific color in stock, and 2. If so, what was their asking price.

One dealership never replied. Another emailed with hype and spam and never said whether they had a car meeting the specs on their lot or not. The third emailed him with a quote that included options and a dealership fee. Mario responded to them asking - again - for a base price without a dealership fee, but in the process, they made a big mistake. They took two days to get back to him. During that time, he was already well into the buying process with the only dealership that promptly and accurately answered his email.

I once had a client tell me she didn’t want to communicate with her web site visitors by email. She was used to doing business by phone and that’s what she was comfortable with. I told her she needed to learn to effectively communicate by email or she would lose business. She was so set in her way of doing things, however, that she ultimately decided a web site was not for her.

Another client insisted on providing only his phone number as a contact method on his web site. Interestingly, he was out of business within a year. Whether his failure to provide an alternative to a phone number as a contact method contributed to that, I don’t know. But it does make you wonder.

Many web site visitors prefer the convenience and anonymity of email over the telephone. The problem is, just as many online companies don’t want to be bogged down with answering emails. Neither do they want to invest the time and money in training staff to do the job. As a result, they neglect emails or do a poor job of answering them and their sales suffer.

What these businesses seem to miss is that the Internet is accessible to almost everyone, and people are no longer limited in who they can buy from. To top it off, it’s easier than ever for folks to shop around and compare prices. However, it’s not always the lowest price that wins the sale, but often, the business that responds timely, accurately, and respectfully to any inquiries the customer makes.

There’s a sense of peace that comes with knowing that someone who cares (or at least appears to) is on the other side of the web site. And, truth be told, some customers are willing to pay more for that assurance. Some won’t buy without it.

Remember - it’s always about the customer.

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