WSI Internet Marketing

Video can be a powerful tool or an unwanted nuisance depending on how it is used. NEVER start playing the video automatically when the visitor arrives on the Landing Page!!!

No one likes a commercial forced on them. The visitor just may not be prepared. In fact visitors might be in the work place and might bail as soon as unexpected sounds start blaring from their computer. They may want to scan the page before investing in the video, or simply adjust their speaker volume. The quickest way to shut down an unwanted video is to close the web page. That is the last thing you want.

There are many reasons to use video; to educate, to demonstrate, to entertain and become viral… One of the more successful commercial applications of video on a website is the “As Seen on TV” scenario.

• The purpose is not to sell, but to brand and reassure the visitor that they are in the right place
• Use a shorter version (30-seconds or less) than the original TV version
• Typically works best on the top left side of the page or in a featured area

Video Testimonials are another very powerful. There is evidence to support that amateur video of a real person is more credible than professional video of a model. Not all video should intentionally be poor quality, but in the case of testimonials, or product demonstrations, it does give it a sense of realism.

Virtual Spokespersons are another “potentially” effective opportunity to establish interest in the objective of your landing page. Adding a virtual spokesmodel to your website can not only increase conversion rates but also add a personal touch.  A recent B-to-B study found that 79% of respondents found great value in video and believe this format is an effective tool that enhances brand awareness, educates customers, underscores the value of products and makes online content more compelling (KnowledgeStorm/ Universal McCann).

Video on the web is becoming more mainstream and more important on the web. However just like the copy on your landing page, the video hast to be concise and interesting. At the end of the day, you are still dealing with the attention span of a 6^th grader.

It is hard enough to get a visitor to actually read your copy, so don’t make it any more difficult than necessary. Generally small font sizes “look” better because they mentally form a block which is a convenient design element. However, effective trumps pretty every time.

There is an awful lot of psychology just to get a visitor to even start reading your copy. Make copy easy to read as possible. Many visitors will bail just because the page “looks like work” at a subconscious level.

The actual size of the font has a lot to do with it. Use 10 point or larger font. Consider a larger size if you are targeting children, adults or if you have very long copy. Captions, form field names, legal and some tech-specs can be smaller.

Smaller text promotes slower reading and a drop-off in comprehension. If you have long page of text, resist the urge to make the font size smaller. This may seem counterintuitive, but a visitor is more likely to “hunker down” and read a longer page of text if it is more comfortable to read (larger font size).

Headlines should be significantly larger and possibly bolder. Sub-headlines should be close to body copy size and bold. Make sure that you group your Headline/sub-headline/copy group together and leave space between the end of your body copy and the next headline. This forms a visual “unit” that helps your visitor mentally organize the concepts in to digestible chunks.

Consistent with making it comfortable to read, text should never run more than 52-60 characters across the screen. People can’t comfortably read long or wide columns. That is why “liquid designs” where the website expands and contracts based on the viewer’s screen resolution is not a good idea. Keep the columns at a fixed width so you don’t lose control of the viewer’s experience.

If you want to download my entire Whitepaper on Landing Page Design – Common Mistakes & Tested Techniques, you can find this and a host of other useful Internet Marketing papers on our free section of the WSIeWorks website.