That Can't Be Right!!??

Early results from video engagement

It is very early days, and normally we don't talk about results until we have real quantitative data. However, the results in this case are worth talking about, even at an early stage. I have talked about the use of social proof for a long time over many articles on this site and the Just Audiology Stuff Blog. I have even published quantitative data from research published on other excellent sites.  But, I have been abysmal in my success at convincing a customer of ours to deliver that video. That is up until recently!

Sites with video so beautiful you could cry!

In the recent past we have convinced three customers that video is the way to go. Two of those customers used Danny Yates to deliver a work of art to them and us. The third is in the process of doing so. We have built and published the first two sites and had a huge amount of excellent feedback in relation to them. 

We thought they would rock

We thought that both of these sites would rock, in fact I would have bet the house on them delivering conversion rates above our other existing sites. I mean that is why I have been recommending video for years, because as social proof it is unbeatable. And social proof, drives engagement and conversion.

We were right

So we have a months worth of figures on one site in relation to conversions on site and two weeks from the second. The figures took us by surprise, onsite conversion tracked by form submission was far above what even we expected, in some cases it is up to five times more than what could be normally expected. In fact, we queried the server to make sure it wasn't a mistake. When Steve told me it wasn't I had to go and sit down for a minute. When we have six months of figures, I will write an in depth post to what we have found out. 

The Phone Call

I called the owner of the site that is up the shortest time, to sort out some strategy and to ask him about the phone calls generated by the site. This is something that we can't track because most Practices don't use the set up to generate trackable phone numbers. So it is up to the Practice owner to ensure that the sources of all calls and appointments is captured and tracked. 

What he told me made me have to go and sit down again. They have had a huge increase in calls on top of the recorded form submissions. Nearly all the calls mentioned the website as the source. He has booked enough appointments to be exceptionally happy for the next few weeks. 

A mixed bag

Now the appointments are a mixed bag, earwax removal, hearing tests and clean and care on competitors customers. However, he is happy because he is collecting data to work, getting the opportunity to convert in the short and medium term and actually getting leads from his website. Something that has hardly ever happened before, he said that he had more contacts through the website in the last two weeks than he had from the last year.  

Its because we are cool, you know we rock right?

I would love to sit here typing inane rubbish about how cool we are, and this is how we roll. But that would be disingenuous. Yes we knew that the video sites would deliver more conversions than others. Yes we used a whole new strategy on those sites in relation to visual design and an evolved understanding of the psychology of copy. However, those things would have delivered an increase, but they would not have worked as well without the support of an outstanding video. 

Danny Yates, with some input from us in what we were trying to achieve, delivered outstanding videos of great power. Videos that drive huge trust in the brands they portray. So yes, we are cool and we really rock, but it is partly because of our vision and a great deal to do with a collaboration with another creative. So take a bow Danny, Big D, :)

You really need video, and you probably need it now

So this is the last time I say it, (probably not, but you have to generate drama) you need video testimonials on your website. You need a brand video that drives trust, that drives engagement, that drives conversion.