Over the past decade or so, the boom in the digital sphere has ensured that the growth of e-commerce is exponential. In just a few years, multiple competitors have come up in every e-commerce sector. That said, let’s talk about the humble video. Videos are a powerful tool for brands to distinguish themselves in the competitive market space.
It allows them to compete for the limited attention span of their target groups and establish their stance. In today’s world, merely venturing into video marketing will not suffice. You need to come up with innovative uses for your video. Here, we will discuss 11 clever ways through which your brand can leverage videos in e-commerce marketing.
Product Close Up
If you are new to video-based marketing, it is a good idea to stick to the basics and create product close-up videos. Such videos show a product from multiple angles and give the viewer a detailed perspective on what the video is about. You can expect better sales conversions from them as the viewer has a more realistic idea of what to expect from the product. This helps in improving conversions, especially when it comes to customers who do not have prior experience of e-commerce shopping.
Tutorial or Product Usage Video
The best way for a brand to convey the value of a product is to demonstrate its workings via a tutorial video. If you are launching a new product in the market, a video is a sure-fire way of convincing your potential users of the validity of your business offering.
To create a tutorial video, you can take the traditional approach wherein you first demonstrate how the product looks when packaged, what is included in the package, and how to set it up. You can then talk about how to use it, the different possible uses, and other special features of the product. Such detailed demonstrations will win the trust of the viewer and make them more likely to buy from you.
Influencer Collaboration
If you are targeting a particular niche audience, you can consider influencer marketing. For example, if you are a brand dealing in baking sheets, try to collaborate with chefs or baking influencers who have a good number of followers. Most influencers or chefs will have already built credibility and established trust with people who are interested in baking. If such a person uses your products in their videos, you are likely to get better sales.
Leverage Controversy
While creating a controversy may seem risky, there is no reason for you to hesitate and not leverage it. Colin Kaepernick protested racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem instead of standing upright.
While this was a controversial move, Nike partnered with the former NFL quarterback and created a promotional video encouraging people to stand for the things they believed in. The collaborative video worked well for the footwear brand, which reported a 31% surge in its sales figures for the year.
Tell A Story with Your Product
Most people enjoy a good story. Therefore, if you can tell a good story that has your product, people are more likely to remember the product. A very good example in this regard is that of Hyundai. In honor of their 20-year celebrations, Hyundai launched an advertisement where a senior army officer talks about how a civilian stranger helped him during his first posting.
The officer’s train had gotten delayed, and he was walking to Kargil. The civilian took a detour (at the cost of missing his job interview) and dropped the officer to his duty in his Hyundai Santro. The story struck a chord with the audience, remaining as one of the most popular advertisements to date.
Message from the CEO
If your brand is struggling to build a connection with the community, you can consider including a message from the CEO promoting the product. When the CEO of Raspberry Pi introduced Pi Zero in a promotional video, there was an uptick in interest among the tech community.
The newly launched product became a major revenue generator for the brand. When you bring the people behind the products in front of the camera, you help viewers associate a brand with your firm. That way, it is easier for you to build rapport and boost sales.
CSR Videos
Brands participate in social initiatives as a part of their CSR government mandates. You can create videos where you illustrate your brand’s charity work. These types of videos will win brownie points from potential customers who believe in the cause you are associated with. You can consider collaborating with charities in your promotional videos as that helps build awareness for your firm as well as the charity.
Video Content Marketing
If your focus is establishing brand familiarity, you do not necessarily have to create advertising videos. With video content marketing, you can explore other plausible ways of using videos. A shining example in this regard is that of Jane Lu, who founded the women’s fashion brand ShowPo in 2010. That same year, she relied on social media marketing alone to drive home over $30 million in sales.
Come Up with Entertaining Product Videos
The reason why most people have a social media presence is that they like to be entertained. If you can come up with an entertaining video, it will have high chances of being shared. The Blendtec campaign is a shining example in this regard.
In a particularly famous marketing campaign of 2005, Blendtec launched a series of videos wherein they blend random items like marbles, brick, and rotisserie chicken with their blender. The videos were so entertaining that they got over 6 million views in less than a week. The result of such proactive video efforts was a 700% increase in the company’s YOY sales figures of 2005-2006.
Videos Showing Results from Products
You can create videos where you illustrate the effects of using your product. For example, if you are an electronics brand that makes food processors, you can consider making videos where you focus on the use of the home appliance and then move on to show people enjoy the food made with the help of this gadget. Seeing others get results from the product usage is more likely to tempt potential customers into buying it.
Interactive Product Advertisements
Interactive advertisements are a relatively new concept, and brands that jump into it have the edge over the competition. Interactive ads have a 47% higher engagement when compared to non-interactive ones, and you can expect a better ROI on your efforts. You can consider adding clickable links on your interactive ads that take the viewer to the website to make a purchase.
With the above well-planned uses of video, you can steer the marketing journey of your e-commerce firm in the right direction. As your business ventures on a new path of growth, the tips of this article will hopefully drive you forward.