How do you introduce your business on your website? Do you provide some basic text and images? Or do you include exciting elements like animated graphics and video? While many companies rely on just text and images on their website, I highly recommend creating an intro video! Do you want to know why? Keep reading to find out why and to discover the three essential elements every great intro video includes!  

why you need an intro video

An intro video is your chance to make a strong, personalized first impression with new customers when they visit your site. As with first impressions between people who are face to face, an intro video will have a major impact on the course of your relationship with viewers, and you only have a brief moment to make it a positive one. But why should you have a video? Why not wait until they call or visit your location? Here are a few key statistics Forbes highlighted that show just how powerful video is:

• During the decision-making process, 90% of people said they chose a product or service because of a video they saw.

• Conversion rates increase up to 80% when you include a video, such as an intro video, on a landing page.

• More than 60% of people are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.

• Using videos will help you gain more than a 4o% increase in web traffic from search engines than companies that don't use them.

• When given the option between reading about a topic and watching a video, most would choose to watch the video.

• Video consumption will account for 80% of internet traffic by 2019.

• 55% of people watch videos online every day.

As you can see by these statistics, incorporating video into your business plan is becoming more important, and an intro video is a perfect opportunity to jump on board.

3 common types of intro video

When it comes to creating an intro video for your business, there are a few directions you can take it. Determining the goals for the video (an essential element that we will discuss further in this post) will help you narrow down which option, or a combination of options, would be the best fit. Here are three of the most common types of intro videos you can create for your business.

1. Welcome. This is the basic type of intro video that any can use, from small startups to large enterprises. In this video, you should tell visitors who you are, what your brand is, and how you're different. By the time people are done watching, they should have a strong vision of you and your business.

In these videos, it's important that the tone and feel you present matches the rest of your brand. If your company is lighthearted and embraces humor, don't be afraid to use this in your video. If your brand is more serious and technical, make sure it stands out through your appearance and language.

2. Testimonial. Your client's opinion of your business is powerful! Where a welcome video is you talking about your brand, in a testimonial intro, your customers speak to what makes your business the one to work with. Don't be afraid to reach out to past clients to ask them for their help. Their word is viewed as more reliable and trustworthy to those just coming across your business for the first time.

3. Portfolio. Don't just talk the talk; show that you can also walk the walk with a portfolio intro video. This is a fantastic opportunity to show off the projects you're most proud of and highlight your range of skills. While you don't want to come across as bragging and arrogant, you want to make it clear you know what you're doing and are the best company to fit your visitor's needs; a video of your best work is the perfect way to share this.

All three of these options can stand alone as their own individual videos, or you can spice things up a bit by including a mix of the different options! Don't hesitate to play with ideas that work for your business, but make sure you keep your target audience in mind as you do.

Essential Elements of an Intro Video

No matter the type of intro video you choose to create, there are a few elements that you need to include. They will help keep your focus on the video's objective, allowing you to make the best first impression with potential new clients.

Have a Goal: What's the goal of your video beyond introducing them to your brand, services, and team? Your goal needs to be specific and measurable while relating to the type of video you want to create. A great way to narrow down what you want to achieve from your video is to ask yourself questions like these:

1. Do I want people to explore my website?

2. Do I want them to contact me?

3. Do I want viewers to purchase my products or services?

Once you know the type of goal you want to achieve, how much of an increase do you hope to see, and in what time period? As a word of caution, make sure your goals are realistic and achievable. Creating unrealistic goals sets you up for disappointment when you don't achieve them.

Create a Script: Before you start recording, it's important to know what you want to say and how you want to come across. A script will help you figure out what you want your viewers to know and will help you organize your thoughts in a way that makes sense. Here are a few considerations when putting together your script.

Know Your Audience: The audience is an essential element of your video; after all, the video is for them. How can you help them if you don't know their needs? If you want help determining who your target audience is, CoSchedule recommends you ask yourself these questions:

1. What problems can my product or service solve for customers or clients? At its core, this should answer the question of why your company exists and why people need it.

2. What does my current client base look like? Consider areas like age, gender, location, family structure, income, and education level.

3. Who is my competition, and what does their customer look like? You should know who the larger competition is, but don't forget about the smaller guys that are just starting.

4. What can my customers gain by choosing me versus my competition? What can you do better than anyone else in the market? Determining this will help you showcase a specific need that you fulfill.

Focus on Your Brand: While you want to make sure you're speaking to your audience with a specific goal in mind, you don't want to lose sight of your brand. Focus on what makes your business different from the rest and how you can meet your audience's needs.

Keep to the Point: Don't get bogged down in every little detail about your brand. In this case, less is actually more. You have a limited time to share your company, and too much information can overwhelm your viewers or, even worse, bore them.

Add a Human Touch: Don't forget that your business is full of unique and special people. Let this shine through in your video. Including a human touch in your video makes it more relatable.

Before you start recording, don't forget to practice, practice, practice! The more you rehearse, the more comfortable you'll be once you do start filming, and you'll also come across as more confident.

Include a Call to Action: This is your chance to ask your viewers to take a specific action with your brand. Remember the goal you created earlier? Use it as the basis for your call to action. Like your goal, the call to action should be a very specific action you want your viewer to take, whether it is contacting you, visiting a certain page, or filling out a form on your site. While you want your call to action to be specific, you want to give your viewers incentive; let them know what's in it for them when they take action and what benefits they will receive as a result.

Conclusion

One of the best tips I can offer beyond making sure to include these elements is to remember to breathe and relax while you're recording. This should be a fun and exciting experience that highlights what makes your brand the best one to work with.

Your intro video will set the tone for your future relationship; start it off on the right foot with the helpful advice in this article. Want to create an eye-catching intro video but feel like you need help? 

Tabrizi Productions would love to help you build your video marketing strategy and highlight what makes your business special 

Tabrizi Productions is a boutique video production company with a mission to make video accessible for all. We offer authentic, affordable video storytelling for companies large and small.

We are locally serving Oakland, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, and the surroundings of the Silicon Valley area. Sound like a fit? Fill out this form to schedule a free consultation.