Creative Ways You Can Use Video To Increase Sales

1. What type of video will work for you?

Implementing every kind of video across the eCommerce marketing spectrum would be very time consuming and costly. Not to mention, it wouldn’t necessarily help you increase sales. It’s best to explore the different types of video you can use and decide which is right for your business. It depends on what you’re selling, your audience demographics and budget.

Product videos

Product videos can help increase sales. They’re also a great addition to your product pages. It’s all about showing the customer every aspect of the product before they buy. Hubspot has also noted that 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by video. There’s a number of ways you can showcase your products through video. For fashion items, you could consider using a runway style video, similar to how ASOS implement video on their product pages. This helps you to easily show how the product fits, how it moves, and the quality more so than you can in a still image.

How-to videos

Demonstration videos that are educational and entertaining will help customers learn how to use the item. By showing off functionality you’ll not only be demonstrating why they should pick the product, but also overcoming potential objections to buying it. The Blendtec ‘Will it blend?’ videos are a brilliant example of this. They use video to show all the crazy things their blenders can blend, like iPhones and Macs – and went viral in the process. They did an amazing job in evidencing the high quality of their blenders, while also having fun and adding brand personality into the mix too… (excuse the pun!)

You can also use reviews and feedback to shape how-to videos. Are there any common themes or problems that people may have had with what you’re selling? Help audiences overcome blocks like this by making videos about them.

Videos that tell a story

You can also use your videos to tell your story or the story of the product. These kinds of video really resonate with audiences. Today’s shopper is increasingly conscious about where products are from. How they’re manufactured, the materials they’re made from, workforce welfare, ethical sourcing of items – are really appealing topics to include in any product story video. The same applies if you’re considering a brand story. Highlight what drives your brand, the who, how, what and why you’re doing what you do. People are increasingly drawn to shopping with companies who have strong mission statements and are involved with social and environmental causes.

Reviews and testimonials videos

It’s one thing for you to say how great you are. Capturing videos of other people, real customers, saying how great you are is even better. People find video testimonials to be more trustworthy than written ones, so incorporating these where possible, and if right for your business, can be a really powerful tool to help you boost conversions and sell more.

Unboxing videos

Watching videos of people unbox deliveries and new products are incredibly popular. In fact, some people earn millions of pounds making them, pulling in huge viewing numbers. This is a great trend to jump on and incorporate into your video strategy if possible. You can reach out to relevant influencers for partnerships with this, or you can do it yourself, showing the unboxing experience. Many retailers are seeing these kinds of video boost their sales. Using memorable packaging is a fantastic way to highlight your brand here too – making it Instagrammable and something people want to share with their friends.

2. Where to share your video?

Videos are really adaptable across channels and you can promote and share them with your audience in a variety of ways.

Using video on your website

Embedding video onto your website will help attract more people to your site. Insivia found that websites are 53 times more likely to reach the front page of Google if it includes video. The most obvious page to include video on to boost sales is your product pages. Use video alongside high-quality photographs and excellent product descriptions.

Product pages are also a brilliant place to display social proof videos like testimonials and review videos. Create dedicated and informative landing pages about your products for the demonstration style videos where users can learn more about a product before buying. Having landing pages constructed with well-written and informative content paired with video can benefit your SEO efforts too. Bringing more people to your site, and boosting sales.

If you’re wanting to create video content about your brand story, an ideal position is your about us page. It’ll add depth to your brand, and allows your audience to get a real feel for who you are, and your message. People buy from people so this is a brilliant technique for conveying who you are.

Email marketing and video

Working in eCommerce, email marketing is an essential tool. Did you know that email campaigns are more likely to get higher open rates when a video is mentioned in the subject line? Hubspot has found that adding video to your emails can increase click rates by 300%. This shows it’s definitely worth including video in your email marketing strategy.

Social media video content

Social media platform algorithms favour video content. Those posting videos are undoubtedly reaping the rewards of getting more brand awareness and engagement on these platforms. Video posts are among the most shared on social media, so if you’re looking for an extra boost, this is a great place to share your videos!

Many platforms are reliant on video; Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook live – there are countless ways to reach your audience. In fact, 62% of people said they were more interested in a product after seeing it in a Facebook Story, according to research from Marketing Land. It’s super simple to log on and do a live feature on Instagram and Facebook with just your phone – no fancy equipment needed.

However, just be careful and take note on demographics here. If you’re advertising to younger groups Snapchat is relevant. However, if you’re appealing to more mature audiences consider where on social media they will be, like Facebook.

3. What are the benefits of using video for eCommerce?

Boost sales

Using videos as a part of your eCommerce strategy is a great way to increase your sales. Unbounce have found that using video can increase your conversion rate by up to 80%.

Reduce returns

Not only can video increase your sales, but also reduce returns. By providing the customer with as much information as possible on the item using video helps you reduce your returns and create a more efficient eCommerce strategy. Getting a better understanding of the product helps manage customer expectations so there are fewer reasons to return.

SEO

Most online experiences start with a quick Google. Incorporating video onto your landing and product pages is a great way to boost your SEO and open up to a huge audience. Google’s algorithm loves video, so websites using video receive higher positions and visitor numbers.

Inbound enquiries reduce

When information is missing, customers will typically reach out to you to fill in the blanks, be that a tweet, a call or email. Videos can counteract this by offering that extra bit of clarity around the items you’re selling.

Marketing and brand awareness

By producing super sharable and entertaining content, you’re going to boost your brand awareness as people want to share this with their friends!

4. Other things to consider

What does your audience want to see?

How well do you know your audience and their buyer personalities? Use these demographics to shape the type of content, style of video you produce, and your chosen distribution channels. Take reviews and feedback into consideration too. How can you add value to the buying process while using the videos to help increase your sales?

High-quality video

Make sure you produce high-quality video. Much like images, you wouldn’t upload a pixelated, blurry or poor resolution picture for your products – so don’t do this for video.

Length of video

You don’t want to be making epics. Instead opt for short and to the point videos that the audience can consume quickly and efficiently, helping them make their buying decision easily.

Include a call to action

Decide on the action you want your audience to take – more than likely to prompt a purchase, so end your video with a direct instruction to inspire action.

Editing your video

The right music and editing can make all the difference to your video so make sure you try out different styles and find what works and fits with your brand. Be aware of copyright issues and do your homework on where you source music from!