The latest popular tool being used to improve site conversions is explainer videos.  Short videos added to a homepage (or landing page) that tell a company’s story and why you should care. They are typically 2 or 3 minutes long and can be hand drawn videos, claymation, cartoons, talking heads, or whatever else can be done. They increase trust and capture the viewers attention.

Many websites are jumping on the bandwagon, with some impressive conversion increases reported for sales and sign-ups of up to 20% for popular sites with solid traffic.

Explainer videos work for several reasons.

1. They play to the strength of web video, people love to watch video online.

2. They can help people learn in different ways, some people are auditory learners, some learn best by reading and others learn from graphical presentations. Explainer videos can contain all of those.

3.They can be persuasive and answer common questions for viewers on the spot, effectively removing barriers to conversions.

4.The videos can also make the website look professional and impressive.

5. The use of humor or other emotional copy can help the viewer connect with the site and that can also lead to sharing of the video socially.

The short videos work really well for both new businesses, which would like to give visitors a good idea of who they are and what they do, and existing businesses looking to increase conversions. The tone of the video can range from light hearted and humorous to all business, depending on the goal of the site. As with any other aspect of a webpage, it is worth testing different types of videos. Tone, layout, music, speed and message can all be tested and adjusted as can the size of the video player and the call to action to get people to watch it.

If you have a website or landing page that needs to be livened up a little, try an explainer video, others are using them and getting great results and I’m sure you will be hearing more about these very soon.