Why Videos are a Must-Have in your Documentation Arsenal

Videos have gained unprecedented popularity. I am not talking about the entertainment videos. I am talking about corporate videos – product videos, training videos, company profile videos, company presentations in video format.

Is this craze for videos just another passing phase or are they here to stay?

I believe in the latter – in fact I think this is just the beginning and that videos are soon going to take the domain of documentation and training by a storm. Of course, I don’t agree with those who say that videos will soon replace “written documentation”; I think videos and written documentation (in print or online format) will co-exist with videos being the primary touch point for user seeking help / information.

Perhaps a couple of years ago, when you needed help using a product, you would turn to the user manual for help. Today, if I were to purchase some product, I am quite likely to search sites like YouTube to see if I can “see the solution” to the problem rather than read it in the manual.

For example, I recently bought a new cell phone and found that it was so hip that I couldn’t even figure out how to open it to put the battery inside (It takes all kinds of stupid people, like me, to make the world!) I was too scared to try anything rash with the expensive piece and the 2D picture in the user manual didn’t help much really. So, all I did was log on to YouTube to see how someone else somewhere else in the world had solved the problem I was having. In less than 4 minutes I had found my solution!

This example applies to companies too. When looking for information about companies, we all gravitate towards their websites. A couple of years ago, I would have been happy to read about the company and its products / services. But today, when I see that the company has put up some video on their website (especially if it a short one), I almost never leave the page without seeing at least the first few minutes of the video. Videos are crowd-pullers and they definitely ensure that visitors spend more time at your website.

Think about a scenario:

1. You put up your product / company video for free on YouTube.
2. Somebody stumbles upon your video while searching for some keyword and likes what you’ve put up there.
3. He then visits your website to know more about your company and your product.

You have just landed a prospective, interested customer on your website – practically for free.

So you see? Videos don’t hurt. Spend some time and add some to your communication arsenal.