I am considering adding audio and/or video to the product and services pages of my website. The idea being that when you come to the web page, you'd get to either see and/or hear me talk about the product on that page. I would set it up so that you would have to hit the "play" button to hear it, so it wouldn't be annoying.
This upgrade would represent a huge amount of time on my part to get all of the recording done and then get it to upload onto the appropriate pages (if I add it to all of the online classes as well as the product pages we're talking about over 70 pages which means over 70 recordings).
So the question I have to ask you all is - if I build it will you listen? In other words, would you be likely to listen to and/or watch the recording or would you just read the text? Would you be more likely to listen to something or would you prefer video? And why...
Any feedback you could offer me on this would be greatly appreciated...
Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.
I have to say I just had to give a friend the advice of taking some video off his site. However is you were to say have video of you touring a home and telling about the home that would be a great tool.
I have not found my podcasts - when posted or linked - to give me any kind of additional drawing power, not nearly as much as the blogs.
But if you sprinkle a few "soundies" in - sporadically and keep them short (I like the video idea), some will listen. I know there are companies touting - and bragging about - home-listing podcasts and iPod-friendly MP3 and MP4 downloads, but it is too early to justify the effort (unless you can get a college intern to do it for a grade ot pittance).
Less than 1% of portable MP3 players - like iPods - are used for anything other than music. Is that worth any effort?
Regardless, if you DO decide to do it, start with the new stuff - leave the old listings "as is" - I have over 90 podcasts and almost 70 from archived radio shows where we did a "market conditions" segment. They will stay gloried in their imperfection. They will be a monument to our broadcasting evolution as it will not increase their popularity one iota if I edit them.
Your choice. I would start fresh, if at all. If your goal is to entertain, do it. If it is to maximize your time and ROI - nope. But that's just me talking...
Good luck.
Thanks for the feedback, guys!
Art - I've had a little more response than you have from my podcast. But mine is a little more targeted and I have a lot less competition (being a real estate trainer).
Art & Jeff - I see your point for the purposes of listings, but I'm actually wondering if you, as agents/lenders, would be interested in hearing me, a real estate trainer, talk about the products I have for sale for you. Any thoughts on that?
Update:
I recently read a report from MarketingSherpa that said that a company that did video for products (even after people requested them) found that not only did the video not improve the conversion rates, it actually DECREASED it. Hmmm. I'll have to think on that one...