Video Killed the Pitch Page Star

It takes some cojones to slap a video on your product’s homepage. Done right, it can be great, but execute poorly and you’re right back to square one.

For the sake of argument, let’s compare four different videos. One from Shopify.com (a web based ‘build your own shop’ shop), one from Dropbox.com (a magical box in the cloud that synchs your files), one from Groupon.com (a social coupon based network of local deals), and one from Foursquare.com (a location based social check-in service).

Groupon

Groupon’s video showcases some killer graphics and gets straight to the point. Within seconds you’re interested in what’s going on. It’s clear that extremely talented designers had their hand in this video. The timing is great, the soundtrack works, and it’s not too long. Coming in at 1 minute 34 seconds, this is a (very successful) textbook product marketing video, executed well.

Groupon

Dropbox

Dropbox takes a slightly different approach, opening their video with a metaphor. If you can relate to the metaphor early on, chances are you’ll try the product. The graphics are excellent, and the lack of a soundtrack makes you focus on the narrative. At 2 minutes 16 seconds, the video weighs in a bit on the long end, but it’s a good use of time. Very well done.

Dropbox

Foursquare

Foursquare went with a slightly different approach. It’s an appropriate length at 1 minute 58 seconds, but the step-by-step breakdown makes the video feel too long. The breakdown definitely brings value in explaining the concept of the service, but a clever metaphor about getting out and exploring around town with your friends might be a bit more relatable.

Foursquare

Shopify

Shopify’s video leaves me wanting more, a lot more. I love the product and am an advocate for its use when someone asks me where to begin with an online shop. This video, however, does the product a disservice. The name of the company isn’t mentioned until the very end, and trying to get potential customers to relate with a cupcake baker in Toronto, Canada probably wasn’t the best choice. This video is meant to live on a Case Studies page, or in a Testimonials section. But as a product pitch video, front and center at Shopify.com, it doesn’t work.

Shopify

It’s not easy to market a web service. You spend a lot of time and money developing a product you hope people find useful, and then attempt to charge a fair rate for its use. As we just went over, often times, web services will try and explain their entire product in short, quirky little videos that potential customers can watch. These videos can have a tremendous impact on any service’s adoption rate. If you can clearly explain the concept, purpose and value of your product in a quick video, chances are people will relate with what you’re trying to sell them. Adversely, a video that further blurs the concept of your product can quickly cause some turbulence. In a nutshell, if a video is the first thing potential customers are going to see, make it a good one.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

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filed in Design