I just came across this remarkable example of how to use video on your site to effectively draw in your customers and had to share it with you!
From Daily Candy this morning I stumbled upon Marais, a new start-up shoe company run by a bunch of awesome, down to earth, versatile and smart women. And how do I know that about them? Because I "met" them on their site through photos and videos.
Not only are their shoes fantastic enough for me to want to buy them anyway (key to successful business #1: have a good product! :) but their marketing efforts really seal the deal:
- The entire site is infused with their personality- when you first head there, you're led directly to a page that introduces all the women involved in the company. Click on their pics, and you see an about page on each of them that integrates photos and video- you can see them and hear them and get a sense of who they are.
- The about pages also link to the girls' individual favorite shoes from their line so if you identify with the style of one of the girls, you can click right over and see (and purchase!) the shoes they like best.
- The whole "Marais world" section is really brilliant- it creates an ideal "world" of what it's like to live in their shoes. It depicts the lifestyle who they see as their target customers, allowing us to relate to them all the more. This awesome "A Day with Marais" video gives a glimpse into what the girls behind Marais are like and also what their target customers are like. It shows them having fun hula-hooping, picnicing in the park, walking along trails and running around taking pictures, all the while wearing their line of shoes, of course. They make you want to be part of their world. Plus, the video let's you see the shoes "in action" so to speak and makes them appear to be super comfy and perfect for everyday life.
Obviously I'm exactly the customer they're targeting- a fashionable 20-something who likes cute, but comfortable shoes and can't spend a fortune on them. And let me tell you, their marketing worked on me. I checked out every shoe, thought of which colors would look best with which outfits hanging in my closet... I didn't purchase today, no, but that doesn't matter. I'm affected, they're in my head and bookmarked- I'm going to remember their site and I'm very likely going to buy from them in the future. That's what you want your marketing to do too.
I think they are a great example of really effective marketing and branding- they create a presence in a real way and look, it got them on Daily Candy! Check out their site for ideas of how to incorporate video and more of your personality into your own website, so you can connect with your customers even better.
