With eCommerce sales skyrocketing during social distancing, you need to be able to showcase your product or service in a way that makes your potential customers feel confident buying from a distance. And the best way to do that is with a product video.
Product videos mean you don't need to explain the features and benefits of what you're selling—you can actually show them.
Once your videos are done, here are 3 ways to automate the post-production process, including automatic uploading, cross-platform promotion, and transcription.
What type of product video do you need?
I'm the founder of Yum Yum Videos, a corporate video production company, and I've worked with small businesses on all different types of product videos. The main thing I ask my clients is: Who is your target audience? What are their pain points? What grabs their attention? Once you know that, you can decide which type of product video to make.
Product demo video
Product demo videos work great for the awareness stage of the customer journey. These are audiences who've just recently identified a problem or necessity and are looking for possible solutions. They likely don't know yet about your brand or product, so you need to create content that builds that awareness. It's not time to convince them to buy.
This product demo video for an electric kettle is a great example. It shows clean (but interesting!) footage of the product while also describing its most important features and showing the different possible uses of the product. There's no call-to-action, no push to buy—it just tells the viewer what they need to know about the product.
Explainer video
As your audience starts moving through the customer journey, they'll hit the consideration stage. This time, your audience is aware of your brand and the products or services you offer, but they're still looking at other options and alternatives before making an informed decision.
Explainer videos allow you to show with a little more detail how your product works and its unique selling points and benefits. They make a compelling case about why your brand is the best option out there.
Look at this example from BetterUp, a coaching platform.
Notice how it talks directly to the viewer, addressing their specific pain points and explaining exactly how this service can solve them. It also ends with a push for the viewer to choose BetterUp. While a product demo video's main focus is on the features, explainer videos tend to be more benefits-focused. Not just "what does this do?" but "how will it benefit me?"
Review or unboxing video
Your target has done all the necessary research and now has a shortlist of possible brands. Marketers call this the decision stage, the point at which your audience is almost ready to click that "buy" button—they just need to clear just a few doubts out of the way.
The types of product videos that work best for this stage are the ones that showcase customer feedback. Because customer reviews build a massive amount of trust, review videos can be just the thing to push someone to buy.
Here's an example of a customer review video for a vegan hair product. The main thing here is authenticity: it needs to be real customers with honest feedback.
How to make a product video work
Whichever type of product video you make, there are some ground rules you need to follow to be sure your video has the desired effect.
1. Always start with a script. The script is the backbone of every video. It isn't just lines of dialogue; it should also contain instructions on tone and visuals. Starting with the script will also help you keep it short: with the exception of some review videos, product videos are usually no longer than 90-seconds long, which amounts roughly to a 300-word script.
2. Keep it light. Even if you're promoting a more serious product or service, you want to be sure your video doesn't feel like doomsday. Keep in mind not just the words you use but also the way you say those words, the rhythm and pace of your editing, and the types of animation you use (if any).
3. Brand your video. By using recognizable design cues like a single-color palette, your video will have the look and feel of your brand. Especially for awareness-stage videos, this is crucial. You want people to remember the video not just for the product but also for the brand. Consistency is key.
4. Use different cuts for different purposes. Consider editing a few versions of your video to have a specific adaptation for each of your promotional channels. For example, you could edit a short looping version for social media, and upload the full-length version on your YouTube channel and landing page.
Product videos offer your potential customers an intimate view of what your product or service looks like, its range of features and benefits, and what other people think about it. As they say, you need to see it to believe it, so make sure people see it.
This was a guest post from Victor Blasco, audiovisual designer, video marketing expert, and founder/CEO of the corporate video production company Yum Yum Videos. Yum Yum Videos offers video production services for brands from all over the globe. Want to see your work on the Zapier blog? Check out our guidelines and get in touch.
