Posted by There’s no denying that video content can do wonders for eCommerce brands.
In the digital world we currently live in, companies have found in video the most reliable way to engage audiences and motivate them into action. Not only do they perform great in social media platforms (as stories, video posts, and live streams), but they can also boost conversions when embedded on eShop landing and product pages.
That being said, not every type of video works the same.
As you can imagine, some videos are better at promoting your product’s most important features, while others specialize in addressing customer concerns or explaining how to get the most out of a product.
That’s the magic of the video format: the best production teams in the business can customize and personalize videos to get different results. So, in this piece, we’ll go over three major marketing objectives and dissect the types of videos that accomplish them best.
Ready to begin?
Showcasing Brand Values and Building Confidence
In the eCommerce market, trust and confidence are two highly valued assets. Even though online shopping has become sort of the new norm (especially during lockdown), many people still feel insecure about buying from a company they don’t personally know.
That is where company story videos and customer testimonials come in, taking the spotlight away from your beloved product or service and focusing on the real people that make your business possible: your employees and your customers. Because people trust other people, it’s as simple as that!
Company Story Videos
Brand storytelling allows your company to relate with your customers on a personal level. It’s like offering them a behind-the-scenes peek into the values that drive your workers to get up each morning and give their best.
Some types of company story videos try to paint the picture of what a casual day at your office looks like or showcase the employee benefits of working at your company. Such is the following example from Patagonia, which revolves around interviews with workers on how they managed to find a balance between life and work thanks to the company’s paternity leave policy.
Testimonial Videos
Just like company story videos, customer testimonials need to be authentic: meaning no hired actors! How would it look if your audience thinks you had to payed an actor because you couldn’t find a happy customer who would share their story? Not good, let me tell you.
There are different styles of testimonial videos, and you can even say there’s one for each customer, so make yours feel unique and personal. For instance, you can create a collage of different clients talking about how your product or service improved their lives, or just focus on a single case, like the example below.
Communicating a Product’s Features and Benefits
Once you’ve proven to be a brand that can be trusted, it’s time to showcase your products and services.
Explainer and product videos are great additions to your product landing page, increasing the average visit time on your site and helping you get quality leads. While they are different in nature (more on that in just a second!), they both do a great job at communicating your product’s most attractive features and benefits.
Product Videos
The best product demo videos can make the audience feel like they’ve learned everything they wanted about your product before making a purchase decision.
Not only should you include crisp footage of what your product looks like, but you also should show your product in context so that your target customers get a clear image of how to use it in their everyday lives.
The perfect product video should be a mix between “cool” and “functional.” Sure, the first thing you’ll want to do is to film your product in slow-motion and in different angles to make it look desirable. But you should also go beyond the superficial demo video and realistically show how to benefit from using it.
If you have any doubts, just look at the example below, a product demo for a coffee machine. Notice how it starts with clean product shots and ends with a simple demonstration.
Explainer Videos
Explainer videos are the talk of the town for a reason. They are one of the most engaging types of branded videos out there, becoming the favourite weapon of choice for marketers across industries. When it comes to generate brand awareness and educate audiences, there’s just no other kind of content that can compete with explainers.
Basically, explainers are short educational pieces that explain to audiences how to solve a specific problem with a product or service. They achieve this by using creative animation and storytelling (usually with a relatable and likeable character). This makes explainers a perfect blend between animated infographics and a story with a compelling narrative.
The following piece illustrates how explainers are based around a rule of threes: their message answers what is your product, how does it work, and why it’s the better option in the market.
All of that in just under 2 minutes! And that’s no small feat considering the brand is a software company that sells a very specific service that can be hard to understand for many audiences. Only an explainer video can make it both engaging and easy to follow.
Dealing with Customer Concerns
Let’s say your target customer learned to trust your brand and understands the benefits of the product or service you offer. This means they’ve reached the finish line of their customer journey, and they are almost ready to click that “Buy” button…
But don’t celebrate too early! In the eCommerce business, users tend to have last-minute doubts about your item. We all know it; we’ve all been through it: What if it isn’t the right size? Are there instructions to use it? Does the price include shipping?
Thankfully, customer service automation has made it easier for eShops to gather and classify all the frequent doubts or problems your clients have about your product. Then you can use that data to create FAQs videos and video tutorials to address those doubts and encourage your audience to close the deal.
FAQs Videos
You’ve probably thought about creating a Frequently Asked Questions page of your eShop, but FAQs videos are a more dynamic and engaging way to address your prospects’ most common doubts about your product or service.
The piece below is a simple yet effective example of this. Just take one question (or a couple, but not many more!) from your customers and answer it in the most precise and clear way.
Video Tutorials
Video tutorials are one of the most popular types of videos you can find on YouTube, and generally do well when it comes to social selling. Every hour, thousands of users go online to find a video that can help them with a problem they’re having and guide them through the solution.
But tutorials aren’t exclusively user-generated: you can produce your own video tutorials as well! After all, creating original content is one of the most effective ways to grow as a brand.
The best examples of video tutorials you’re going to find on YouTube are food recipes. Luckily for you, you can learn a lot from the way they get their message across and structure their instructions, regardless of the type of industry you work in.
So, as a general rule, video tutorials explain a process by deconstructing it into simple step-by-step instructions. Also, don’t be afraid to add a joke or two if it feels right. If you can get just a tiny laugh from your audience, chances are they are going to relate better with your message and your brand.
Conclusion
The pandemic has taught businesses a number of things, and one is the value of customer loyalty. So, once you start using videos as part of your marketing campaign and engage with new audiences, you need to start thinking about how to retain them as loyal customers. And the answer may not come as a surprise: create more valuable and helpful video content!
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there’s at least one type of video for each of your marketing needs. My advice is to create content that shows everyone that you’re interested in more than just selling. That will help you build a lasting relationship with your community of customers.
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