Most of the web and particularly e-commerce website make little or no use of video to tell their story, sell their wares or engage their customers.
But with the cost of entry into making video dropping to almost nil – all smartphones have a video camera – then it beggars belief that very few people really let rip with video.
Read On:
Monetising video content
Diary of a start-up: going international
Tips for optimising ecommerce
So here are some top tips as to how to make use of video to engage your customers.
Product demos and reviews
Almost anything you sell from a hotel room to a dress to a gadget will always come across to a potential customer far better in video than as static images and words. There is nothing better than seeing these things in action to get a taste of what they are like.
Compare how Samsung’s own website shows static images of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch…
and compare how lifeless and uninformative this is compared to this demo video from tech site V3.
LINK: http://content.bitsontherun.com/previews/DtdFQOin-PqnZTdIO
The video review and demo carried out by V3 shows the gadget in action from box to being used in anger.
It brings the product alive. Combining customer reviews with demos on your site of your product can be an excellent way to show your goods in action, garner great user generated content and offer reviews that people will find useful – they can even start discussion among users on your site which is all very valuable traffic.
LINK: http://youtu.be/xXyBepRbJ3s
Tell your company story
You can also use video to tell the story of your company – where you came from, what you do and why you are great. It is a great marketing tool as it can tell your story and add a human face to what you do.
Clearly harder to do than to film some simple demos and reviews, the results can be highly compelling and, handled correctly, will lead to engagement from your customers – especially if you can tell the story in parts and use cliff-hangers to keep people interested.
LINK: http://youtu.be/h6wrHMhg1ig
Messages from the company
Video can also be used to release messages from your company to your customers telling them of exciting offers, about new product lines, new stores or anything else. The more regularly you do it and the more compelling the content, the more views you will get – and the more it will be shared.
Cool bits of viral marketing
One of the best things you can do with video is to create quirky, interesting videos that can either get across some brand messaging or create some sort of buzz. Make them interesting and compelling and you can get some really cool, wide ranging viral marketing out of it.
Start up washing powder vendor Distinctive Wash Ltd created a viral video to help market its launch washing powder and so far it has had a staggering 9,072,450 YouTube hits.
LINK: http://youtu.be/tfV7f7PLkpY
HOW TO DO IT
Video isn’t super cheap or super easy to do, but it is much cheaper and much easier than it used to be. Here is what you need:
• A good idea – think carefully about what you are trying to achieve
• A good script – script out what you want to say so you know what you are doing
• A good camera – a top end smartphone camera can do it, but a mid range DSLR or above will produce even better results
• Hire a cheap production company – if you don’t want to do it all yourself there are plenty of companies that can help you do it. Check out videobabymedia.com for a range of low cost options.
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