Inbound Marketing…sounds familiar? Of course it does; it is exactly the strategy you are pursuing when you make any kind of Product Video! One that, if done right, lets you close sales and sell products more effectively.

When it comes to eCommerce businesses, a lot of the challenge lies in keeping leads’ attention long enough to gain their trust and generate a conversion. And, to be honest, the window of opportunity is rather small!

People don’t give in as easily anymore, and their attention span is getting close to nonexistent – Which is why effective product videos like explainer videos are in such high demand.

So yes, a solid video marketing strategy can positively impact your sales without requiring constant supervision, but that’s not to say that just any product video will do! 

Let’s talk a bit about how you can make pieces that actually help you sell more.

Give as Much Context As Possible 

Users arrive at your content looking for information on a product they need, and your primary goal should be establishing a connection with them. It is your content’s job to let them know about this particular solution you have for them (your product) but, most importantly, why yours is the one they should get

Giving them as much context as you possibly can with your video is an excellent way to start. You can do so in a couple of ways that aren’t that different from in-person sales: your message, and your personality.

Clear Message

Give them tech terms, functions, advantages, tips and tricks… everything you can think of that they need to know about your particular product. But don’t overdo it.

Yes, your video should inform, but it shouldn’t feel like a lecture. Boring content is easily ignored, so work hard on streamlining your message as much as possible. Also, don’t be afraid to flex a little expertise without sounding pompous or unnecessarily convoluted. 

Lastly, you are better served by sticking to clear instructions that anyone can understand – if you are good at it, people will be impressed anyways and see you as knowledgeable in the topic. Making it that much more likely that they’ll decide to do business with your brand.

Unique Personality

No two companies are ever the same, which is why branding strategies are (or at least should be!) entirely unique. Whenever you are working on a product video – or any video for that matter – you should use every opportunity to make it yours.

Of course, that means incorporating your company’s color palette and logo in creative ways, but it’s also much more than that. What’s the image you want to project to your audience? Serious business person or friendly advisor?  Moreover, what things set you apart from your most immediate competitors? How can you translate those characteristics into your content?

These are important questions that, once answered, can help you give your video a unique personality to help it stand out from the crowd!

Pre-production Tips to Keep In Mind 

In the realm of video marketing, a few details can go a very long way. Before you sit down to draft and plan your piece, go through these tips and try to make them a part of your fledgling product video.

The end result will be that much stronger for it!

Short and To the Point

If you plan to bore your audience, you might as well give up now. Like most other marketing pieces out there, your Product Video shouldn’t be long. In fact, the shorter you can make it while still carrying your message across, the better!

Creating something that entertains as well as informs should be a priority. Otherwise, you’ll lose any viewer’s focus and interest before your video’s job is done.

What? You have 20 minutes of content and absolutely feel you can’t cut down on that content? Break it down into a series of videos then. People are much more likely to go through a series of short videos than to watch a single long one – even if it all adds up to the same run time.

Quality Is Everything

The reason why product videos work so well is that they allow viewers to get a sense of a “hands-on” experience with your product. It is the next best thing to actually having it in their hands and trying them out for themselves.

As such, the quality of your content plays a crucial psychological role in your audience. Ask any video marketing company worth its salt about it, and you’ll get the same answer every time: a shoddy video production can negatively impact the perception surrounding your product.

So, if you need to cut some corners to make your budget work, production quality is not the place to do so!

Storyboard And Planning 

If you want a tight video, you need a solid starting point that helps you keep your ideas organized and concise. Now, I’m not saying that you need every second laid out on a piece of paper, but it really helps to have an estimate of how long the video will be and the amount of time you plan to spend on every key moment of it.

Storyboards are just the tool for that!

Not only does a storyboard help you tie up your script with the visual aspects of your video; you also get to easily rearrange and explore alternative ways to present your ideas! Something that can be invaluable in terms of time and resources spent upfront, rather than trying to fix or change things in the editing room. 

A Point on Promoting and Spreading Your Video

Once you have a complete video or series of clips, how do you promote and distribute them? That’s a question you should be asking yourself even during the pre-planning stages! 

After all, the best product video in the world will do little for you if it doesn’t get seen!

So, let’s talk a bit about the best channels to bring your future brand-new vid in front of as many eyes as possible!

However you feel about social media, you can’t deny that it is the present and future of marketing distribution channels. Successful small businesses, local grocery stores, and mass corporations all make use of them for a reason! 

Sure, you can always just upload the video to your eCommerce platform – and you should! – but you would be handicapping its reach potential. Burying your video exclusively on an internal page of your website won’t attract even a fraction of the number of people you could potentially show it too otherwise. 

I’m not even talking about promoting your piece through ads (even though that helps as well), but the sole fact of having your content out there can be a game-changer!

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Wrapping Up

‘Kay, the idea here is adding some tools to your belt to help you make better product videos that actually help you sell more. Right? Well, while we didn’t cover every angle you could take to meet that challenge, the elements we talked about should give you more than a solid start!

The linchpin to any marketing video is to capture your audience’s attention long enough to deliver your message. So, here’s a cheat sheet you can use as a reference: 

Establish context with your video through a clear message and unique personality, short and to-the-point, without sacrificing quality backed up by a solid plan. Once completed, capitalize on social media and other venues to make the most of your brand new vid!

It really is that simple.

As long as you understand exactly what your target audience is looking for – and have a great solution for that need – following that roadmap will help you get the most out of your piece.

Good luck!

About the Author: Victor Blasco is an audiovisual designer, video marketing expert, and founder/CEO of the explainer video company Yum Yum Videos. Besides running the business, he’s a lifelong student of Chinese philosophy and a passionate geek for all things sci-fi.