Contractor Video Blog

Also, in the video I mention the awesome example of River Pools & Spas latest video, “Can A FIberglass Pool Be Completely Installed in One Day Video“. Watch this video next.

What Kind of Videos Should I Be Producing?

You can produce many types of videos. To start things off, publish a few how to videos and a few before and after videos of jobs you are doing. Keep them short 1-3 minutes as visitors get bored after 3 minutes. The only way you can get away with a longer video is if you are doing more of a “Webcast” educating folks live. Oh and don’t be afraid of How To Videos. If you have not figured it out by now, the web is public, very public. If you post something online, your competitors might see it. You just have to be the leader, the company people look to as the experts in remodeling, painting, HVAC, and so on. Post those How To Videos: the more the better! Also, consumers like them. You might get a few people looking to do things themselves, but many consumers use the web to research and educate themselves so they don’t look like an idiot when they talk to a contractor. Think about it, how many times have you been in a prospects home discussing their kitchen remodel or paint colors and the homeowner seems to know a lot about the latest products, appliances or paint brands? The web is making people appear smarter. So give them what they want. You’ll become their education source. Your goal is that they will bookmark your website, Youtube Channel and/or share with their friends.

One final piece of advice about videos: make sure they are halfway decent and that you are proud of your work. I’ve seen a few videos online recently that were done well but the work was not so hot. Videos can help or hurt your brand, so choose your videos wisely. If you want to learn more about why videos are good for promoting your business and getting leads, read or listen to Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk.

A few videos done by BIG companies (there is a reason they are investing in videos…so watch and do likewise)

Customer Feedback by Outback Steakhouse

Product Success Video & Case Study (Toro)

Behind the Scenes Look at Designing a Car (Ford Motor Company)

Fiesta Product Demonstration (Branding to The Right Audience) This one was funny

How To Remove Acoustic Ceilings

No Ugly Doors (Good How Tos)

Videos are growing in popularity do to companies like YouTube and Vimeo.  A YouTube video, for example, actually can help drive traffic to your website. In any case, videos are an effective marketing source. If done correctly, you will see sales increase. If the video content or filming is poor, you will see your “bounce rate” go up (people will leave your site). Video advertising should be look upon as a piece of the marketing pie: websites, proximity mailers, newsletters, customer marketing, video, events, etc. A quality video is worth the investment.

If you commit to doing a video on your website as a service company, I’d suggest filming simple clips of your office staff, your shop, your crew, customer testimonials or even your sales process.

Visit the links below to see how some larger companies use video testimonials to sell their product/service. The clips are short and simple, yet effective. You’ll see two types: testimonials and how to videos.

1. 37Signals: “What Customers Have to Say” Section
2. Highrise CRM Tour: Short How To Videos
3. Apple’s iPad Video: (was on home page) After watching the video ask yourself, “Do I want one?”
4. Kindle on Amazon.com
5. Plumbing Company in Boston (good videos: though I would have let people know how long the clips were before clicking on them and slowed it down a tad)