In addition to making your website more appealing to the eye, videos can help engage visitors on a personal level and drive traffic to your website when optimized properly.

But figuring out when and how to use video on your website can be a bit tricky. If you miss the mark, you can actually cause your website to perform worse, decreasing your conversion rate. That’s why I’ve come up with 5 times I think it’s a good idea to use video on your website.

1. Show your product in action—Don’t just tell customers about your product, show them. Why do you think infomercials are so effective? Billy Mays used to show his Zorbeez towel soaking up a spilled bottle of soda. He would show someone pulling an 18 wheeler with a chain boned with Mighty Putty. Seeing is believing. Showing your product being used can add credibility to your claims.
2. Give new life to your testimonials—In the past, I’ve talked about ways to give your testimonials more credibility. Sure, written testimonials are good, but video testimonials are even more believable. They don’t feel forged, and they give potential customers a 3^rd party endorsement from someone like them.
3. Add clarity to your message—Sometimes, it can be difficult to clearly express a message in just text. Using video in conjunction with your copy can help clarify the message and drill it into the customer’s head.
4. Highlight your expertise—Customers trust those they perceive to be experts. That’s one of the reasons blogging is such a powerful tool. Videos let you take that a step further to educate your customers and to position yourself as an expert. Just make sure you don’t talk down to the viewers as that will make you look like a jerk, not an expert.
5. Promote sales—Have a special sale coming up? Promote it with a video. Think of it like a commercial. You can even include a special coupon code in the video to entice customers to watch it.

Do you use video on your website? Has it helped you get more conversions? Share your experiences by leaving a comment.