A Video Spokesperson is very simply a video taped presentation done by a "spokesperson" (usually a professional actor, but sometimes a member of the organization being featured) that communicates a web site's core message to web site visitors. If done right, and that usually means professionally produced, a video spokesperson will deliver a highly engaging, persuasive, and completely targeted presentation. As a result, the web site captures a visitor's attention immediately, and holds their attention more effectively than adcopy and the written word could do.

Video Spokesperson Demo

To illustrate exactly what a video spokesperson is, you can take a look at an example here. At our site (click the text link above or at the end of this article) you can even plug in your own website url, and see video spokesperson demo on your own site, to get a feel for what a difference a video spokesperson will make.

This is intuitive for most of us. I think we all can agree that landing on a home page that is essentially a sea of text is not nearly as effective in engaging our attention as that of a video presentation. Just like in the offline world of TV, a video sequence has a way of drawing us in immediately, in a way that simply does not take any real "work" or "effort" (such as scanning through a dense page to find relevant information.) Every parent with a TV in the house knows how powerful (and not always a desired) the effect of video is on capturing and holding attention.

Of course, this applies to the online world as well. Video has literally taken root on the web as perhaps the most viral, powerful, and effective media available. However, to truly leverage the power of a video spokesperson for your website, you have to keep a few fundamental principals in mind. In other words, the act of pulling out a video camera and shooting your buddy or significant other talking about how great your website is will not usually get you the results you are looking for.

Video Spokesperson Benefits

If done right, a video spokesperson can communicate the most important elements of your site or organization's message within a matter of seconds, something that would take pages of text to do. Of course, reading and scrolling take more time and effort for your visitors, and this contributes to an increased chance of page "bounces", or in essence, loss of potential customers and leads. In the online world, a rule of thumb is that you have about 10 seconds or less to engage your visitors, and if you don't, they either hit the back button or close their browser. Nothing is more powerful in immediately capturing a site visitor's attention than a video spokesperson that establishes credibility and rapport, while effectively getting your site's message across in the least possible amount of time.

Video Spokesperson Production Values

So, what does it take to produce a high value, effective, and interesting video spokesperson? Like I said earlier, bribing your husband, girlfriend, or coworker to deliver a half memorized script recorded on your cell phone's video capture generally won't work. Keep in mind, the power of video that we talked about before also applies in the reverse; an unprofessional video spokesperson will promptly and efficiently convey an unprofessional image for your site and organization.

Your video spokesperson should ideally be a paid, professional actor, working from a professionally written, customized script that conveys all of the specific information that is critical to deliver to your visitors as soon as they land on your site. Again, engage their interest in the first 10 to 30 seconds, and you vastly increase your chances of gaining a new prospect, lead, client, or sale. To do this right, you generally need to have a team of professionals that are seasoned not only in video production, but specifically video production for the web.

Hiring a Video Spokesperson Consultant

The web video company you contract with should be familiar with file size issues, the need for transparent backgrounds and how to shoot them (i.e. green screens) and the need to produce video sequences within timeframes consistent with typical web browsing behavior. Having a video spokesperson produced by a professional web video team with this specialized experience will give you the greatest chance of leveraging the power of video, and the effectiveness of a video spokesperson, for your website.

For demonstrations, a free quote, and more information about the benefits of having a video spokesperson for your web site, please visit www.themediazoosandiego.com