“Do my videos give my customers content that is unique and interesting?  Is it valuable enough that they are willing to spend their precious time watching it?”

Compelling content that is targeted to your customer is important, even in online videos.  Content is what increases the time people spend on your web site and decreases your bounce rate.

But if you are convinced your video content is first rate and people still aren’t sticking around to watch it, there could be several other factors playing into the mix.

It could be that your viewers are in situations where they either:

1. Can’t turn up the volume
2. Can’t hear or understand the audio

It makes perfect sense when you think about it. In public places such as an office, library, or coffee shop, and sometimes even in the privacy of their own homes, people are hesitant to turn up the volume because they don’t want to disturb those around them.

On the other end of the spectrum, people are often in loud situations and environments where they can’t hear the audio over the background noise.

There are also those who can’t hear what’s being said on videos due to hearing loss.  Statistics show 36 million people in the United States alone suffer from hearing loss, with more than half of them under the age of 65. (It’s not just old folks, young people are affected, too).

If you’re thinking that there’s nothing you can do about this – that the situation is out of your control – you are wrong.  There is one very simple solution that will solve all of these issues and that is:

Caption or subtitle your videos!

According to a trial done at PLYmedia, people will spend up to 40% more time watching videos that have captions or subtitles.  The trial also showed that when captions or subtitles appeared in the video, 80% more people watched the video in its entirety compared to the same video without captions.

That tells us that captioning your videos is a powerful tool that works to keep people watching for a longer period of time.  It knocks down barriers and eliminates excuses.

If that doesn’t completely convince you to caption your videos, than this might:  It’s a good possibility that search engines will soon be able to index the text contained in videos.  They can already index the text in Flash files, so the technology to index video files is very likely just a heartbeat away.

No matter how you look at it, stats like these simply cannot be ignored, in my humble opinion.  There is a need out there that is waiting to be filled.  I believe smart marketers will be quickly moving on this information and adding captioning to their videos. Will you be one of them?

Related posts:
Should You Use Video on Your Blog or Web Site?

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For starters, I was confused.  Once I clicked on that “Add to Order” button, was I was going to be immediately charged for that extra item? Or would I have the opportunity to remove it from the cart before my order was finalized?  Either way, it didn’t give me any time to think it over, research the product, or do a price comparison.

Secondly, I’m not an impulsive buyer.  I rarely make a purchase unless it is well thought out.  And forcing me to go through multiple pages of upsell products in order to get to my order confirmation page just didn’t sit well with me.

This past week, direct response copywriter and marketer Michel Fortin posted his opinion about this method of upselling on his blog and it has sparked some  passionate comments from his readers.  Michel compares it to taking the customer’s order and holding it hostage.  And his wife, Sylvie, actually refers to this as “upsell hell.”

But what’s interesting is that Michel and Sylvie aren’t against upselling.  In fact, they are big proponents of it.  And in all truth, so am I.  The issue isn’t with the upselling itself, but the timing of it.  The Fortin’s and I believe that upsells on the web should occur *before* the customer enters their credit card number and submits their order.  It’s just common courtesy.

On the flip side, our opponents say that they utilize this method because it works.  It allows them to close the initial sale (they’ve already captured the buyer’s credit card number) and it gives them the opportunity to sell more products without the risk of the customer abandoning the shopping cart.  They believe that they are in jeopardy of losing the sale altogether if they offer upsells before the sale is clinched.

While I agree that statistics prove this method works in the short term (as it did with me), more often than not, it ruins any chance of a long-term relationship with that customer.  Overall, it causes distrust and resentment.  Yes, you may get that extra sale or two, but will the customer come back and buy from you again in the future?  Or have you scared them away forever?

Personally, I’d rather profit less from the initial sale with hopes of profiting more in future sales from customers that come back and buy from me time and time again.  And while this is partially because I am committed to running an ethical business, my desire to get repeat customers runs deeper than that.  Let me explain.

Studies have proven over and over that repeat customers:

• Cost less. Snagging a new customer is costly and time consuming.  We all know how expensive advertising is.  But in addition to that, it takes time and effort to get the customer to trust you and make that initial purchase (a good example would be answering pre-purchase questions.)   In contrast, the repeat customer has already bought from you, already trusts you, and is often eager to buy from you again.
• Buy more. Repeat customers will not only come back and buy from you again, but will often buy larger quantities.  This provides you with more sales revenue that didn’t require you to invest in additional advertising.
• Refer others. Referrals have often already made up their mind that they are going to buy from you.  They’ve heard good things about you from someone they likely trust.  They are less skeptical and more open to you than someone who has never bought from you before.  This results in an easier sale, that again, didn’t cost you additional advertising dollars.

As you can see, it’s just good business sense to try to retain your customers. But it doesn’t work when you use in-your-face selling methods such as the upselling technique we’ve been discussing today.

Instead, it’s a process that means treating your customers with dignity and respect.  It begins before they buy from you, continues when they make the purchase, and ends with exceptional customer service.

The next time you are tempted to jump on board the “upsell hell” bandwagon, remember that the effects are long term.  Ask yourself if it is really worth losing customers and ruining your reputation in the process.

Remember, it’s always about the customer.

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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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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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