Last updated on
March 9, 2023
Brands all around the globe have been using video marketing to promote their products and services even before the internet came around. However, the cost of making a video and promoting it on the television wasn’t cheap, and only the big companies could afford it.
That lasted until 1994 when Amazon was founded to mark the first-ever eCommerce website in the U.S. Not long after that, a lot of other eCommerce websites emerged and soon enough, the eCommerce industry grew rapidly. Fast forward to 2019, digital ad spending has finally eclipsed television ad spending.
Today, everyone can make their own video using affordable and even free video marketing tools. According to research by Wyzowl, videos are great for eCommerce marketers for a number of reasons:
The only downside to this is the more videos are made, the stiffer the competition becomes. That’s why you need to be creative in your video marketing campaign. If you’re a small business or eCommerce site owner, take a look at these 10 video ideas to include in your digital marketing campaign.
As mentioned before, a study has proven that video is the perfect medium to explain users about your product. In a product demo video, you can show tutorials on how to use your product, what makes it different from the competitors, and even showcase your trademark features.
BioLite created an excellent product demo for its portable grill in 2013 and has since attracted over 100K views. The video starts off by opening the packaging and showing the viewers what’s inside the box. It then goes on to show how easy it is to set up, how to cook on it, and how to pack it up again once the viewers are done.
If you sell small, luxurious items like watches, rings, earrings, or necklaces, you can do a close-up video of your product that highlights its beauty and details. That way, the customers will get a better idea of what they’re going to get if they purchase the item.
Take a look at this old but gold advertisement from Rolex to promote Rolex Sky-Dweller which has gathered almost 100K views. The video itself wasn’t published by Rolex, but rather by another channel. This shows the power of good content, how people are willing to share a video if they think it’s good.
This is one of the few types of videos that you can create on your own using affordable tools that I mentioned earlier. Some of those tools are made for beginners, while others are for the more advanced video creators.
Animated explainer videos are made to communicate complicated messages with short and engaging videos. They’re usually very short, just below 2 minutes. This kind of video is suitable to explain your brand or product in a short period of time for a fast-moving audience.
This animated video was created by Breadnbeyond for an eCommerce site, Fanz Collectibles, who sell custom sports memorabilia. Not just an ordinary memorabilia, there's a high-quality image inside the collectibles that can be seen using eyepiece opening.
In just under a minute, the explainer video managed to tell the audience about Fanz Collectibles and all of its values and uniqueness, something that complements and adds to their content base and variety.
Curiosity has always been a part of human nature. People love to know how things are done behind the spotlight. Create a video of how your product is made, how it is distributed, the daily operation of your business, or take a tour around your office while you tell the history of your business.
The more people know about your story, the more emotionally attached they are to you. A study found that customers who are emotionally connected to you will buy your products more, visit you more often, and more likely to recommend you to their friends.
The example of behind the scene video comes from Fox 13 News who published a sneak peek video inside the Amazon warehouse. The video shows a glimpse of how Amazon does its business and proved to be a hit, gathering over 1,7 million views.
Who doesn’t love a good story? Everybody loves good storytelling, especially the ones that engage them emotionally. Thailand is famous for creating such videos to advertise products and services.
This particular video titled “Unsung Hero” from a Thai life insurance company went viral and has touched the heart of over 53 million people around the globe. Yep, you read that right. If you read the comment section, you’ll find a lot of grown-up people who cry over advertising! Not a lot of ads can brag about that.
If your brand has a charismatic and high-profile CEO, then this kind of video is perfect. If not, then it’s your chance to introduce your audience to your people and their stories. This kind of video can help you build rapport and emotional connection with your customers.
In fact, a study found that ads perform better with CEOs in them. In 2015, Raspberry Pi created a video featuring its CEO to introduce its newest product, Pi Zero. The video comes across as a genuine communication from the CEO rather than an advertisement.
Don’t be serious all the time. People need a good laugh every once in a while. However, it takes courage to create parodies because it makes fun of existing stereotypes and status quos in our society, you might rub some people the wrong way.
With that being said, parody videos are a great way to attract viewers, like this particular video from Dissolve, a stock footage website. Dissolve created a parody video entirely using its stock footage and has attracted over 2 million views to date.
Why does this video do so well? Because people are so fed up with the generic advertisement they see on a daily basis, they crave for something different. If you can break the mold, you’ll have more chance of attracting new viewers.
Just like the name, influencers are a group of people who have a large following and the ability to influence others. Your job here is to find an influencer that matches your brand and business. For instance, if you’re a makeup brand, you need to find a beauty vlogger. If you sell vitamins and supplements, a fitness or bodybuilding vlogger is the right person to go to.
There are various ways to promote your product using influencers. The first one is a straightforward endorsement, where the influencers openly state that they’re paid to promote your product. In my opinion, this is less effective.
The second way is by asking the influencers to promote your brand naturally. For instance, if you own a clothing brand, ask the influencers to wear your cloth frequently, to make the impression that they genuinely like your brand.
Take a look at this food review by TheReportOfTheWeek, a YouTube channel that reviews all kinds of interesting foods in the U.S. The channel has 1.6 million subscribers with an average 300-400K view per video. If you’re in the food and beverage industry, it might be worth your money to pay this dude to review your product.
Any content that can increase user engagement rates is the kind of content you should prioritize, and interactive videos are an example. A study confirmed that interactive videos boost user engagement by up to 47% more than non-interactive videos. What’s more amazing is that interactive videos increase user purchase intent by as much as 9x.
Interactive videos come in many different forms, but overall they have three basic traits:
One of the best interactive videos for eCommerce are live Q&A sessions where your audience can type any question they want to ask regarding your product, and you’re there to answer them. Or you can give your audience tips and tricks like this live Q&A by Ralli Roots, an eBay and Amazon online resellers.
Your video doesn’t always need to be about your product, you can create a video about anything else that’s closely related to or associated with your product.
For example, if you sell kitchen equipment, you can make a cooking video using your equipment. Not only can you share new information with your audience (new recipes), you can showcase your product’s advantages over your competitors as well.
Or if you’re a travel agency, you can create a video about the top destinations for the summer holidays. Like this particular video by MojoTravels titled “ Top 10 Summer Destinations In Europe (2019)”. This video has amassed over 18 thousand views on YouTube.
By creating such videos, you increase your brand’s exposure. A lot of people who didn’t know about you before will know you after watching your videos. Some of the people will end up visiting your site, and once they're in your funnel, you can nurture them to convert them into customers.
Today’s generation is blessed because becoming an entrepreneur is easier than a few years back. Now everyone can start their own business online.
Moreover, you don’t need to spend millions to create video advertising and promote it on television anymore. With the emergence of YouTube and other social media platforms, even a low-budget video with great content can attract people to buy your product.
Truth be told, it all depends on you. Video is a proven tool to boost eCommerce sales and conversions, and now it’s your turn to prove it.
Content marketing guru at Mailmunch. I’m passionate about writing content that resonates with people. Live simply, give generously, stay happy.
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