By now, pretty much everyone knows that video is what really sells products online, and that means virtually all marketing gurus have included video productions in their marketing initiatives. Creating really good videos is another matter however, and it’s safe to say that a great many product videos fall well short of the mark in achieving their intended objectives.
So what’s the best way to create really great product videos for e-commerce? Obviously the ultimate goal of any product video is to drive sales, and that means your product video should subtly guide potential buyers through the process, and help get them to the point where they’re ready to make a purchase.
Types of product videos for e-commerce
There are a number of different types of product videos which you can make for e-commerce, and many of them have different functions, even though they all have the same ultimate goal. The most common kind of product video is a product review, which is generally short and sweet in describing the benefits and functionality of a product. Most often, product review videos will include people, because it’s a well-known fact that viewers relate well to other people.
User-generated videos can be very effective because they are actual purchasers describing how their lives were changed by purchasing your product. The only drawback to user-generated videos is that you can’t really rely on them, because it happens fairly often that users don’t get the actual benefits or advantages correct, and at that point they become vehicles for misinformation.
Influencer videos are those which are made by celebrities or other influencers who hold sway over large numbers of viewers. One of the great things about influencer videos is that they can help you to penetrate a whole new market, one which you previously had no access to, but which the influencer can deliver for you.
One more very common type of product video for e-commerce is the sales video, which might be as simple as an infomercial. If you ask most people, they will probably tell you that they dislike infomercials, but the plain fact is that they are very effective. The reason for their success is that they sell direct to customers, and many of them are extremely creative in the way they go about that.
When you’re thinking about how to make your product videos more successful, and about how to create the best possible product video for your organization, chances are you will be considering one of the above video formats to focus on.
Video budgeting
Budgeting is one of the main factors why some videos look great and are very effective, or why they look and perform poorly. In some cases, these subpar creations are the result of inexperienced video creators, and in other cases a simple lack of funding is at the bottom of why product videos aren’t up to snuff. Many video producers find that they are obliged to stick with a fairly tight budget in the beginning, and may be able to increase budgeting as sales rise.
Whatever your situation is, it’s important to know exactly what your budget is at the outset, because this will probably determine the quality of any video you’re capable of producing. If you’re fairly new to the game, you can expect a whole slew of costs to creep in, and some of these are from areas you could not have anticipated. If you can create a really good video, it might have a shelf life of 3 to 5 years, so if you look at it from that standpoint, the money you invest in a really good video could be spread out over a five-year period to ease the sting.
Information to include in your videos
Before you get around to anything else, you will need to get the attention of your viewers. This may sound like an easy task, but keep in mind that there are zillions of other videos online which are all trying to do the same thing. That means your video needs to come up with something unique and something attention-grabbing, so that viewers will be around long enough to listen to what follows. You have to find some way to prevent users from scrolling past your video, and you usually only have about six seconds to capture someone’s attention. Make sure those first few seconds are extremely interesting, and in some way that they draw viewers in to what follows.
After that, the first thing you need to do in your product sales video is to introduce the product, to describe its functionality, and to relate to users how it will solve an issue they have, or how it will make their lives better in some way. The bigger the problem which your users have, the greater will be your solution to that problem, so emphasize this repeatedly. It’s a good idea to remind viewers about the consequences of not having their problem solved, and just how wretched their lives will be if they don’t purchase your product to overcome that problem. When describing your solution to the issue, keep it as simple as possible so you don’t confuse anyone.
You also need to establish credibility in your product video, and there are a number of ways to do this, although all of them should be as subtle as possible. If your claims of credibility are too overwhelming, people simply won’t believe and will abandon the video in midstream. Describing the benefits of your product will go a long way toward establishing your credibility, and the usefulness of the product itself.
Next, you need to include some kind of call-to-action which tells your viewers what they should do next. This should also be something very simple so as to generate no confusion whatsoever. If you make things too complicated, you risk losing sales, and you risk losing the viewer for any future videos.
The last thing you should include in your product video is some kind of social proof which adds to your credibility, and showcases your product. Some of the best kinds of social proof are testimonials, success stories, and endorsements from well-known individuals. If you can include all these elements in your product video, you will probably have followed the best possible formula for video creation.
