Bathtubs and Business: Why Your Website Needs Video
Yesterday, I solved a household plumbing problem all by myself! Actually, that’s not entirely true. I had help… from YouTube.
Some background: This past weekend, our bathtub faucet quit delivering hot water. So, after the required amount of cursing, I calculated what it would cost to have a plumber come out to do the job. I cursed some more, and then went to YouTube. I believe the exact search query was, “bathtub faucet no hot water.” As you may expect, there were a ton of results, one of which happened to be the exact problem I had.
Long story short, I watched the video (you don’t have to), decided it was something I could handle, toddled off to the hardware store to amass the necessary parts, came home, and did it. It was a relatively simple fix, but without the video, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. The folks who posted that video undoubtedly saved me hundreds of dollars.
The point of my story: People have problems, and they’re using YouTube to help solve them. One immutable fact I’ve learned thanks to the internet is that any problem you currently have is probably not unique. I’ve had computer problems, needed cooking ideas or advice, golf lessons, household repair questions, etc. – specific issues — all of which I’ve been able to solve, or at least shed light on through a little online research.
Notice that the plumbing video I found has over 212,000 views. What that tells me is that there’s a significant number of people with this particular plumbing problem. This video’s creators recognized this, and became the resource for the solution.
So, as a business owner, I only assume that you help your customers solve problems, too. So, why not choose a couple of your customers’ most common questions, and make videos that address them? Once you post your videos to YouTube, you can also embed them on your company’s website, just like I embedded the one in this post. That way, you’ll not only be in the YouTube space, but you’ll also add a dimension to your existing website, enhancing the experience of your own site’s visitors.
Bottom line: YouTube is the second most-used search engine after Google. So when your next customer goes there to ask a question, wouldn’t you like to be there to answer it?
At Slater’s Garage Ads & Audio, we help small businesses put a unique voice to their marketing through a combination of audio, video and social media. To find out how we can help you bring your marketing to life, contact us today.
Brett, interesting post. Over 800 million people watch over 4 BILLION hours of YouTube in a single month. So the viewership is there. You still have to be found like a needle int he haystack. But I think the idea you have of just answering the 5 top questions your customers/potential customers might have in a short video segment is a good one. We may have to steal that idea from you 🙂 Cheers.
Thanks for commenting, you guys… Yeah, there is that “needle in a haystack” aspect of being one among millions… But you can hedge against that a little bit by hosting the videos on YT, then using them on your own site, and sharing them among your own customers and social network. Doing that, you shrink the size of the pond you’re in considerably. Then any additional views you get through organic YT searches are just gravy.