They say April showers bring May flowers…but we here at Green Screen Talent Now are bringing something better than flowers this month – well, that is, unless you’re a gardening enthusiast! For the rest of you business owners looking for that edge that will help push your company to the next level, we’re going to drive home what’s so important about having a video spokesperson for your website, why they’re so effective and study what makes the more memorable and famous ones so successful for the brands they represent.

The Ones You Know: What Makes Flo, the Allstate Guy and Others so Effective

Unless you have been completely isolated from television exposure over the last few years (and we’re guessing you haven’t) you’ve been witness to those catchy, almost addictive commercials for brands such as Progressive, Allstate and Geico. And that wasn’t an accident – these corporate giants have poured a ton of marketing research and analysis into determining what will keep the audience’s attention on a long-term basis, and what they’ve created is nothing short of a perfect company representative come to life. No matter who we are or where we live, we can immediately identify the gravely, distinctive voice of the Allstate Insurance spokesperson even before we see him on the screen; the same could be said for the cute reptilian Geico “rep” who is always getting himself and his British-esque accent into different situations.

Perhaps the company that has had the most success in this area is the Progressive insurance agency, what with its creation of the bubbly and instantly-recognizable “Flo” character in their commercials. What started out as a quasi-humorous ad to sell insurance policies has transformed and evolved into an almost mini-soap-opera-like approach, with Flo representing everything from a “tough chick” motorcycle rider who understands the needs of bike owners looking for quality insurance to the “fantasy girl” of the all-American camping enthusiast. The advertising campaigns put forth by this company have been brilliant, but all these examples stand out for one common reason: They are perfect specimens of the arguments for having a good, memorable spokesperson for a business.

While it’s probably true that your company won’t necessarily yield, or need, a spokesperson quite so influential and culture-rocking, the point here is that these characters have been burned into the public’s mind and immediately connect them with the brands they represent. A good corporate video spokesperson can work similar wonders for you, if only to engage your website audience with something different and visually stimulating.

 

Getting Into It: Why Put a Face to Your Company’s Name?

Why would you want to put a face to your company’s name? Perhaps the better question should be: Why WOULDN’T you want to put a face to it? Without a “face,” your business is just a name…a name floating amidst a sea of perhaps millions of other like-minded company owners who may already have a lock on the market you’re trying to serve.

Adding a video spokesperson is an incredibly effective way to add excitement to your website – take it from us, as our specialty is creating awesome, professionally-oriented spokesperson videos – because when visitors land on your page a spokesperson can communicate with them face-to-face, explaining the benefits of your product or service. You have to understand that most people landing on your website are in a rush, as seems the norm in every aspect of life today, to obtain the information they need and, quite frankly, don’t boast the attention span required to take in every word on your home page. It is your job, as your company’s owner, to grab their attention quickly and keep it there before they move on to another website, leaving you behind and perhaps handing over that profit to your competitor.

Call them what you will: A “talking head” on a website, a “video spokesperson,” a “video representative” or a “video salesperson”…they all exist to talk about your product or service while adding credibility to your business and dramatically increasing the percentage of your visitors who become buying customers (a process known in online marketing as “conversion”). We can tell you without hesitation that video spokespeople are incredibly effective at expressing your company message and far more effective at persuading potential customers than simple text, photos or standardized YouTube-style videos. Indeed, while videos such as those found on YouTube can be highly influential in marketing, the benefits of a video spokesperson on your actual website are substantial.

Implementing a video spokesperson on your website is the single-most important and powerful step you can take to achieve the online goals of your business, including increasing sales, conversions and visitor loyalty. We know this for a fact, because it is our business: People who feel connected to a live face on your website are likely to trust you and your brand more, spend more and visit your online portal more often; beyond someone merely saying “hello,” the benefits of putting a face to your business name go much farther.

 

• Deliver a Message Quickly –

We covered this important element already, but it’s worth repeating in the context of this benefits list; it is dangerous to assume that your next potential customer is going to spend enough time on your website and read several pages of text to accurately comprehend your message. In reality, you have very little time to capture your prospect’s attention before he or she finds another site to surf to. From experience, we here at Green Screen Talent Now can tell you that it’s not wise to rely on a visitor to read pages of text and learn about your company in a brief amount of time; their attention shifts and they quickly become bored…it’s just the world we now find ourselves living in. A video spokesperson can rapidly deliver that exact message you’re trying to convey in a fraction of the time it takes your visitor to read and interpret accurately.

 

• Demonstrate and Teach –

A spokesperson on your website can also demonstrate a product’s use and usability, coupled with the draw of an attractive human face and relaxing voice, yielding a potential customer who has given your website his or her undivided attention. By utilizing these techniques, the prospective customer can better relate to your company and what you’re promoting for sale.

 

• Differentiate From Your Competition –

Meeting the needs of today’s “video junkies” is no easy task in our society, but a smartly-built business website will utilize web-based video to speak their language. A personalized spokesperson video differentiates your business from your competition, and it’s more likely that your visitors – today raised on a steady diet of YouTube videos and the like – will remember your site because it stands out from the crowd.

 

• Deliver What They Want –

Studies have shown that many Internet surfers are evolving to become non-readers (is this any surprise to you, if you’ve been reading any of our blogs here?) to the point that they “absorb,” aurally, news and information rather than reading about it. The explosive popularity of YouTube, amongst other video channel platforms, demonstrates this point precisely, what with millions of hits occurring each year on YouTube concentrating on “how to” videos. What’s the point here? Again, people don’t want to read about how to fix a leak or build a swing set – they want someone to SHOW them how. To put a greater point on it, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that your customers will be willing to sit and read page after page about your product or service, how to assemble or use it and where to go next to purchase it.

 

Don’t shy away from getting creative with your video spokesperson approach – you can have them welcome your Internet visitors to your site and describe how to navigate it, while having them go over some of the benefits of your product and how to order or install it. You can even have the spokesmodel interact with your potential customer by answering FAQ-style information. In the end, you’ll find that catering to the unspoken desires of your potential customer base can improve both your perception and your conversions.

 

Some things to consider when you decide to use a video spokesperson:

1. Script – Write a script for your spokesperson to read that’s appropriate to your audience and goals.
2. Choice of Presenter – The talent you choose to represent your company depends on a combination of factors including who your target audience is and what product or service you are selling.
3. Placement on the Page – Don’t take this for granted; the best placement will depend on the design and layout of your page, as you do not want to distract the viewer from the call-to-action.

We have completed projects for countless clients for whom we wrote a new – and tougher, punchier – script, changed the presenter and also amended the placement of the presenter on the landing page. You know what this resulted in? These clients have now seen a 12.5-percent increase in leads from the home page and a 2.5-percent increase in direct sales from the home page as well.

One of the biggest obstacles facing online-oriented businesses today is that their company and products/services often come off as being faceless. But by incorporating a virtual spokesperson into your website, your brand can get a fresh face while seeing more conversions, leads and prospects. When properly implemented, a website spokesperson serves as a magnet, pulling visitors into your online world…and keeping them engaged.