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Insurance agencies that want their prospects to stick around longer on their website have an easy tool for making that happen – video.

It turns out, giving website visitors text to read or photos (great visuals) to look at simply isn’t enough to keep them engaged. But, if you were to add an interesting short video to your website, they’ll be more likely to hang around a lot longer on average, even if it’s just an extra two minutes per visitor.  Just think, that’s time they are spending with you and your insurance

agency versus with your competitors. The longer they stay your website, the greater the odds are that they will make a decision to buy from your insurance agency.

Of course, many insurance agencies have incorporated videos into their websites years ago because they understand the advantage behind using video marketing. If you haven’t already taken the initiative, you should seriously think about it. For one thing, web pages with video (well thought out and well put together video, that is) are more likely to rank on the first page of Google searches, according to Forrester Research.

With all this being said, it’s important to note that even insurance agencies and businesses already using videos may not even realize just how effective they are.

The saying isn’t new, but I bet you’ve heard that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Although that is true, Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research suggests that a one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words. So are you convinced yet that video is a key ingredient to your website?

That blew me away, so let’s take a look at how Forrester Research and Dr James McQuivey arrived at that amazing number. Almost all video contain 30 frames per second, and if a picture is worth 1,000 words, then each frame is worth 1,000 words, and in turn, you would have 30,000 words a second. Then you must multiply the 30,000 by 60 seconds and it’s 1.8 million words. Those are some real numbers, and by now I bet you’re convinced. So what are you waiting for?

Regardless of whether you believe me and/or Forrester Research, you must look around you and ask yourself, are your friends and family looking at videos on a daily basis? I bet the answer is yes, which should give you a clue that video is powerful. The next step is how and where to begin, and I would personally suggest you to start with a free service called Animoto. It’s a very easy video making tool, and I promise you, no matter how young or old you are, you can make a video in under 10 minutes. Let’s look into why video will make a difference.

Research verifies the difference video can make. For example:

• Engagement: Video will help keep prospects on your website longer and keep them engaged.  Video is a great way to explain and get your brand across to your audience.
• Email marketing: When marketers include a video in an email, the click-through rate increases 200 to 300 percent, Forrester Research reports. Yes, and additionally, if you and your agency put the word “video” in the subject line, then open rates are boosted nineteen percent, and that is a large number.
• Mobile devices: Online video accounts for more than 50% of all mobile traffic, and  those numbers continue to grow.
• Customer activity. Video significantly influences purchase decisions. For example, 64 percent of consumers are more likely to buy a product from your agency after watching a video (according to comScore Inc). Not only that, 71 percent of consumers surveyed by Animoto said that watching a video left them with a positive impression of the company or service.

Video has gotten easier to create and use, and will continue to get easier because it’s become a part of everyday life. If insurance agencies don’t embrace it, they will miss out on a chance to increase their insurance sales, and be even more successful in the marketplace, especially online. Your insurance agency needs to start with a video strategy today, and if you need help please don’t hesitate to reach out to us, we are to help you in the video world.

Happy Marketing Folks!