Connor Benedict April 28, 2021 Everyone is looking to stand out with their ecommerce store. There are so many options on the internet and it can be difficult to describe why your product is better than your competitors’. Sometimes you wish you could just sit down and explain it to potential customers. By adding a product video to your store, you can do just that.
In the following sections, we’ll talk about the benefits of adding a product video to your ecommerce store and some tips to help you along the way.
What is a product video?
Just like the name suggests, this piece of content is a video of your product in action. The primary purpose is to give customers a dynamic look at your product.
These videos are especially useful for educating the viewer about what your item does. A high-quality product description is great, but sometimes photos and text don’t do a good enough job of selling the unit. This is where a video shines.
Why you need a product video on your ecommerce store
Product videos can help promote your ecommerce store and make more sales. A product video can:
- Show your product in motion
- Explain hard-to-understand topics
- Correct a misconception about your product
- Present information in an easy-to-digest medium
- Establish authority and legitimacy in your industry
- Humanize your product and company
- Lead to more clicks, views, and visits to your site
With enough well-done product videos, you’ll quickly stand out amongst your competitors.
Types of product videos
There are a lot of different types of product videos that a company can create. Each kind of product video serves a different purpose. You will want to choose the style of your video based on your product and how videos fit into your larger marketing strategy.
Comparison video
In a comparison video, you’ll pit your product against a competitor’s. Alternatively, you’ll be comparing your product against the industry standard that the everyday consumer is settling for.
As the video creator, you have a lot of freedom here. You should always aim to present both products honestly and play to your strengths.
With the right setup, you can create an environment that highlights where your product succeeds and where your competition falls short.
In this type of video, you’re less concerned with a full product breakdown or explanation. You’ll talk briefly about both options on the market, show them in action, and capture the difference. This type of video works well if you can do a side-by-side shot of both products doing the same action. A great example of the comparison strategy is paper towel commercials. They often include a demonstration in which two products are tested for absorption and strength.
A comparison video should be used if there’s a preexisting item on the market with a lot of traction. You’ll be able to explain your product and why it’s the better option.
Explainer video
If you have a lot of details you want to talk about, then an explainer video is probably right for you. This is a longer-format product video that gets into the weeds. You’ll explain your product, what makes it special, why people need it, and how it works.
This video can be broken down into different sections. At the end of the video, the viewer should know exactly what you offer and decide whether or not they want to make a purchase. These videos are structured less like an infomercial and more like a product review. They work better than a series of pictures and text because they are easier to digest.
Tutorial video
Also called a “how-to,” a tutorial video will walk the viewer through the process of using your product. In many cases, it helps to see someone physically use the product as part of the tutorial rather than a series of images.
This form of video is one of the most popular on the internet. Consumers can easily recognize the format and understand the video’s purpose, so there’s no learning curve.
It’s also a great example of ecommerce SEO since a well-done video will help boost your website’s ranking on Google. A tutorial allows you to explain any parts of your product that are sometimes hard for customers to understand.
Company culture video
If your ecommerce business has a company built around it, you might opt for a company culture video. This pulls back the curtain and introduces a human element to your web-based business.
You’ll introduce yourself and show off the people behind the product. One way to shoot this video is to include testimonials from different employees and explain the company’s culture in their own words.
Humanizing your product like this is a great way to relate with customers and create a stronger sense of brand awareness. Now you’re not just a random product online — you have personality.
Make sure the message correlates with the type of customers you’re looking for. In general, you can’t go wrong with a positive, consumer-focused tone.
FAQ video
For software and products that are especially tricky, you can put together an FAQ video. Introduce a question, then answer it on camera. Stitch together all your answers for a single video.
The format usually goes as follows: the question is presented and read, an employee answers the question, the video cuts to the next question being asked, then answered, and so on. You can run a B-roll (alternative footage intercut with the main shot) of your shop, product, or whatever else compliments your talking points.
Testimonial video
If you have a number of happy customers, you should ask some of them if they’d be willing to be in a testimonial video. In this promotional video, you’ll have previous customers talk about how great their experience was with your product.
You can cut together several different testimonials and release a single testimonial video. The expectation is that they touch on the aspects of your product that makes it unique.
Tips for taking the perfect ecommerce video
If you’re ready to create a product video for your ecommerce site, keep these simple tips in mind.
Skip the product videography expert
You don’t need a product videography expert. It always helps to have a pro involved, but with a high-quality phone camera, you can record and edit a video on your own. This can also help you cut costs if your business is just getting started.
Mind the length
People are busy, you know that. When they click on a video, they probably don’t have an hour to commit to learning about a random product they found online.
The perfect clip is between 30 seconds and a minute, though it depends on where you want this video to go. You can make lengthier videos when it comes to your FAQ, testimonials, and culture — especially if they’ll be embedded on your site, rather than posted on social media or used in an ad. When creating a video explaining your product, what you do, and what makes you unique, keep it short and sweet.
Quickly get to the point
One way to ensure the video stays short is to stick to the point. You don’t need a lot of buildup in these clips. People are playing it for a reason, and they want quick answers.
Too much wasted time could result in someone skipping over your store.
Focus on the human element
While a well-edited video of your product against a clean background can be successful, viewers respond well to people. Think about when you’re shopping for clothing online — you want to see the products on people, not laid flat.
Showcase your employees. Give them an opportunity to introduce themselves. Let them talk about how great your products are. This is a great way to avoid being just another ecommerce store.
When people put faces and names to companies and products, they become more connected to the brand.
Where should you put a product video?
The kind of video you shoot depends on how you’d like to use it. In general, there are a handful of places that work perfectly to host your product videos.
Product page
Include videos right on the product page. As the customer shops through your ecommerce website, they’ll see the product in action.
On the product page, stick to videos that specifically revolve around the product being shown. Don’t forget which stage of the sales funnel these viewers are on — you may want to save the testimonial videos for an email.
Social media accounts
Your social media accounts are another great place to put product videos. You can feature any kind of video, just keep in mind that different social media accounts work best with different video lengths. For example, Twitter is the best place for videos that are around 45 seconds.
Social media ads help you connect with potential customers. If you use this alongside a good customer retention strategy, you can see a huge boost in long-term sales.
As people interact with your videos, they’ll click through to your website and look at the rest of your products. Ensure that these posts and your accounts easily link back to your website and help people connect with you faster.
A lot of the people exposed to your video on social media may be skeptical. They might not be actively looking for a product, but your video could sway them, moving them to the next step in your sales funnel.
Email marketing campaign
When you’re running your email marketing campaign, it’s always a good idea to work in some videos. Remember, each email should focus on a certain topic. If your video coincides with the topic, embed it or add a link to the video in your email.
You have a lot of freedom regarding the type of video you can include in these emails. Since your potential leads have already provided their email address, they are probably more open to learning about you, your work environment, and your products. That means that you can use longer-format videos, including testimonials and FAQs.
Throughout your website
Besides your product page, there are plenty of other tabs on your site that can host a video. This is especially true for your FAQ and testimonial pages on your site.
Your homepage can also be a great place to embed videos. Your homepage might be long and include a lot of information. Try including different kinds of videos to cover the information you want customers to know right away. Potential customers who might be turned off by a wall of text often respond better to video.
Ads
Another great place for product videos is in your ads. Product videos for marketing can be used on ads run on social media, YouTube, or a PPC (pay per click) ad on a website. No matter where it goes, seeing an informational video will help your ad stand out and grab peoples’ attention.
You want to make sure videos on social are short, get to the point quickly, and showcases the best parts of your product.
More ways to improve your ecommerce store
Product videos can show your product in motion and provide all the information potential customers are looking for. A well-shot video can convince someone that you’re better than the other options on the market. If you’re looking for other ways to boost business, improve your marketing know-how by reading The Download, our free online marketing guide.
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