About a week ago, I was on the phone with my little sister, Libby, who asked me when I was coming back to Virginia so we could go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg together. She and her friends all have season passes and she was telling me about some of the stuff the park has added – I learned they’re even open for a few weeks around Christmas now. Mind blown.
I was at my computer, so I brought up BGW’s website while we talked. I knew that the park had recently opened a new, tamer roller coaster called Verbolten, but I wanted to see what else had changed, since I was last there several years ago.
Whoaaaa! Busch Gardens Verbolten Roller Coaster Web Kam at the coaster's drop.
Clicking around the site, I was surprised that with all BGW’s rides and shows there seemed to be a serious lack of video. There were plenty of gorgeous professional pictures of rides, but nothing showing them in action. Verbolten had a ‘Web Kam’ that focused on the ride’s drop, but it seems to be gone now. I will give them points for trying – and the use of the ‘Kam,’ (heh) but how cool would it have been to put a small video camera in a rider’s hands and shoot point-of-view video of the ride while it’s in motion? For someone with a good grip, who’s not afraid of coasters and who wouldn’t ride with their eyes closed the entire time (rules me out!), video could have been taken using mailVU’s smartphone apps for iPhone or Android. Voila! Impromptu video to share on the website, via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest… anywhere!
People of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, it would be great if you shot some video of your rides for people like me who want to see them in motion and not have to venture to a third party hosting site. This isn’t just true for BGW; all business websites should be using video to engage. There are elements of the business that would be great to share in video, such as product demonstrations and employee bios. By embedding these recordings on your site, you’ll keep viewers in place and engaged – and more likely to purchase from you if they don’t have to hunt for the information they’re looking for.
As users of mailVU’s Business Plan know, video can be recorded and embedded onto a website with no problem. People want visuals and while pictures provide that, it’s not quite enough anymore. Video is the next best thing to being there! If I make it to Busch Gardens with my little sis, I’ll be sure to take lots of video with my Android to share.
Want to learn how video can bring your website to life? Email us at info@mailVU.com or send us a video mail – we love that!
-Kamilla
