Ana Gotter — August 11, 2017 — August 11, 2017
You would never purchase something online without seeing a picture of it first. Product images let you see an item up close and personal, so you can get a feel of what you’re purchasing. Product videos, however, are even more effective for a number of reasons, especially when you know how to optimize them for conversions.
In this post, we’re going to go over exactly why all product pages should have videos, different types of product videos, and how to create product videos that practically guarantee conversions.
Why All Product Pages Should Have Videos
Imagine that you’re doing research before buying a new watch, and you’ve narrowed it down to two. One site has product pictures, which are professionally taken and look glossy and beautiful. The other, however, has a product video, showing how it looks a person as they’re waving, and an up-close view of the watch that shows the hand ticking and the crystal face gleaming. All else being equal, the video will make a huge difference in driving sales.
This is more than just a hypothetical theory, and there’s plenty of data to back it up, including:
- 57% of retailers report that the average order value increases for at least 50% of customers that watch videos on a product page.
- Almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store.
- Retail site visitors who watch a video stay two minutes longer on average and are 64% more likely to purchase than other site visitors
Another big bonus? Video can work wonders for SEO, with it being 50% easier to achieve a ranking on the first page of Google if you have videos on the page. Who doesn’t want their product page to come up first when an interested customer is searching for it?
Different Types of Product Videos You Can Choose
There are different types of product videos that you can choose from, depending on what the product is and what you’re trying to accomplish. You can always create multiple short videos and upload them individually.
Different types of product videos that are effective include:
- A close-up video that shows the product from all angles, which often includes someone discussing the features of the product while it’s shown. These videos should be ten seconds or less.
- Tutorials showing how to use the product, which should be two minutes or less.
- Videos showing how the product is made, often also including why the process or materials are beneficial. These videos should be kept under 30 seconds.
Best Practices to Create Product Videos
Now that you’ve started to think about what types of product videos you want to create, you have to think about how you’ll actually craft it. Fortunately, there’s plenty of best practices to keep in mind to help you maximize conversions.
Showcase User-Generated Content
Videos that include or act as personal recommendations from real people have powerful selling potential. Whether you’re collecting UGC (with users’ permissions) or asking your employees to talk about their favorite product, this goes hand-in-hand with the personal touch. People want to buy from people, not a website.
Introduce the Product At the Beginning of the Video
You want users to know exactly what product they’re learning about in your video. Not only will this help clarify that the video is about one specific product or collection (which helps sales), it will benefit you a great deal if it’s shared off-site, too, including on social media like Pinterest. It helps focus users on the product, which can increase the likelihood of purchase.
Choose Your Thumbnail Carefully
Whether you’re sharing it on social or using it on a product page, you want it to represent your product and brand well. You also want it to have an enticing thumbnail to get users to click; an up-close look at the product is typically a good choice (even if it doesn’t naturally appear in the video) for product videos that you will share on your site.
Ensure They’re Mobile Optimized
This is so important. More and more time spent online is happening on mobile. There are even increasing numbers of online purchases are even happening through mobile devices. You need to make sure that your site and your product videos are optimized for a mobile. Using embedded YouTube videos is typically a safe option; they work well on most mobile devices.
Ideally, test your site and the video player on as many different types of devices as possible, including both phones and tablets. You’ll also want to double check different browsers.
Keep the Tone Consistent With Your Site & Brand
Product videos should match the tone of your site, and if that’s a fun, quirky brand, great! Your videos should reflect that. They don’t have to be boring; and they shouldn’t be. Whether you’re offering value or entertaining viewers, do what you can to make your product videos stand out just like you would with any other type of content. This is where you get to make your brand—and your product— shine.
(Warning: this video is a little loud, might be a good idea to turn the volume down.)
Final Thoughts
When possible, everything that you’re selling should have product videos on the individual product page to increase sales. While most effective when geared towards users in the consideration stage of the digital sales funnel, introductory videos can also win over new site visitors and tutorial videos can help keep repeat customers around. And once you’re ready to create those incredible product videos, Shakr is here and ready to help.
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