Video Marketing for E-commerce: The Benefits and How-Tos

Video Marketing for Ecommerce

Last updated on October 12, 2020

Videos have disrupted the way consumers interact with the e-commerce industry.

In the early days, consumers would visit an online store, read a well-scripted sales copy, and make a purchase.

Today, your on-page descriptions don’t matter so much anymore.

Consumers want to see how the product works…

They want to see others use it.

They want video evidence of the features and functionalities you promise before making a purchase. 

The shift in how consumers interact with e-commerce sales content is directly related to how they consume content in general.

Video Marketing for E-commerce

One-third of our current online activity is made up of people watching videos.

YouTube alone records about 5 billion daily video views.

On Facebook, over 100 million hours of video are viewed daily. 

More significantly, there is a growth in product review videos.

There are YouTube and social media pages dedicated to reviewing products bought online.

Many others create how-to guides and demos to help consumers understand their new purchases.

On YouTube, the ‘How-to’ category is among their top four content categories. 

What this tells us is that consumers want to see product videos from brands.

When brands don’t meet this need, third-parties step in, and fill the content space.

About 50% of your target customers will search for videos about a product before making a purchase.

That’s half of your potential buyers.

By not creating marketing content in line with consumer needs, you could be losing to the competition daily. 

There are many reasons why every e-commerce business should have a video marketing strategy.

Here are some of the benefits to consider. 

Benefits of Video Marketing For E-Commerce

Improve sales 

Videos make your e-commerce products’ findable’ to potential consumers.

Of course, not everyone who finds your content will make a purchase.

But the higher your traffic, the higher your number of potential sales. 

76% of marketers say that video has helped them increase sales.

The effect of using videos adds up on different levels of the buyer journey.

Videos can be used to acquire new prospects.

These are the potential buyers who find your videos on social platforms.

Video can also be used to communicate product value to these buyers. 

Every e-commerce business is primarily focused on pushing the bottom line.

Creating video content should connect your business to a broader market. 

Increase website traffic

84% of marketers say that video has helped drive traffic to their website.

Videos are great for SEO.

Video Marketing for E-commerce

Google and other search engines prioritize video content on sites.

This is because they are continually adapting to user behavior.

So if users love video (which they currently do), then more videos will be pushed to the top of search engine result pages. 

Beyond unique visits, videos also impact the number of time users spends on your website.

According to Wistia, people stay 2.6x longer on a website page with videos than a page without. 

Videos are more persuasive

84% of consumers felt convinced enough to buy a product after watching a brand video about it.

In today’s market, attention is a currency.

If you can encourage people to pay attention to your message, then you can convince them to buy. 

Offer better value than the competition 

87% of people have said that they would like to see more videos from brands in the coming year.

The latest report shows that 68% of people say they’d prefer to learn about a new product or service by watching a short video.

This makes video more popular as a learning tool than text-based articles (15%), infographics (4%) presentations, and pitches (4%) ebooks and manuals (3%). 

Clearly, videos offer some value to the consumer.

As more people shift their interest from text-based content to video-based content, more businesses are expected to adapt to the change in interest. 

Videos offer a way to stand out from the competition and gain the interest of your target audience.

An online search for a product category could generate thousands of web results.

However, video results on both Google and social platforms such as YouTube are much more narrow.

Video marketing offers an active channel to escape the noise of the competition. 

Improve the consumer’s understanding of your product 

Consumers love videos because they are usually easy to understand.

According to Wyzowl, 94% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

Offering a solution to potential buyers is the first step to making a sale.

The second step is showing them, in the simplest way possible, how that solution fits their needs.

This is where video marketing wins. 

For some e-commerce brands, all you need are simple product videos. For brands with more specialized products, you may need to create demos and tutorials.

For example, Evernote, the note-taking app, has a YouTube channel filled with tutorials for using each feature in the app.

An unexpected benefit of this channel is that new users are finding the features they need and signing up for an account. 

Improve the customer’s journey

96% of consumers find video helpful when making online purchasing decisions.

The moment a potential customer discovers your e-commerce site, they’ve begun a journey with you.

To guide them along to the point of sale, you need to create content that resonates with their needs. 

Video content can be used to improve the conversion of your touch points.

These are several areas where a customer may come in contact with your brand.

They include ads, social media pages, and even product pages.

Videos can also be used post-sale for support and product use instructions.

There are several ways in which video can be used for smoother customer experience.

Once you identify their pain points, you can start working towards creating helpful video solutions. 

Reduce support calls 

Video can help e-commerce businesses with super busy support teams.

41% of marketers say that video has helped them reduce support calls.

With the right video content, you can answer customers’ questions even before they have to ask.

Creating a library of helpful video content will also benefit your support team. 

Better ad performance 

People generally remember video adverts better than text or image-based adverts.

In one study, 80% of people were able to recall the details of a video advert 30 days after viewing it.

This is because video ads are attention-grabbing and pass messages quickly. 

With a 10-seconds ad, you can make a better impact on the viewer than would be possible with a whole page of text.

Video ads are perfect for reaching your mostly-distracted online audience. 

How to Use Video Marketing for E-Commerce 

Video marketing is useful when it is carefully planned to solve a problem for the consumer.

For an e-commerce business, this means reaching consumers at their time of need and providing a smooth buying experience.

The better your content performs, the more orders you could potentially receive. 

Here are some strategic steps to using video marketing for your e-commerce business. 

Create videos for each stage of the funnel 

Every e-commerce business has a sales funnel, but not every business is in control of how theirs works.

Video Marketing for E-commerce

With the right content, you can control how potential buyers navigate your sales funnel.

It’s helpful to create videos for each stage of your funnel. 

The first reason, as we’ve already established, is that consumers like video content better than text.

You want to grab the attention of consumers before they get distracted by something else.

The second reason is that well-planned videos communicate a call-to-action.

Telling a customer what to do, rather than waiting for them to figure it out, can make a huge difference. 

Here are three video types that are essential for every e-commerce business:

  • Promotional videos

This includes all the video content you need to market or promote your business.

Explainer videos give users a short but direct pitch of the product.

They describe how your product provides a solution to a problem the user has.

With an explainer video, you can also set yourself apart from the competition by talking about your unique selling point. 

Some marketers also use video for their customer reviews and testimonials.

This gives your reviews a more authentic appeal because potential customers can see and connect with people who already love your brand. 

You could also create product videos for launches, to show the features and functionalities included, to show upgrades, and more.

Customers usually want a ‘tour’ of the product, especially well-priced products, before making a purchase. 

  • Product page videos 

Product pages are the most visited sections of e-commerce websites.

They’re also the point of conversion from consideration to checkout.

Most e-commerce product pages only feature the images and specs of products.

But using video could be a game-changer.

When Ariat, a sports supply company, introduced product videos, they recorded a 160% increase in sales when product videos were viewed. 

  • Tutorials and how-to guides 

How-Tos are some of the most searched videos online.

If you sell complex products, e.g., software or products that require assembly, then you should be making these videos. 

Use influencer marketing 

Your target customers need product recommendations from somewhere.

Often times, they realize their need for a product by watching someone else use it.

This is where influencers come in.

They can promote your products to their audience and leave backlinks to your website. 

Even if you have a small marketing budget, you can still make agreements with micro-influencers.

These are influencers with a more modest following, usually between 1,000 to 99,000.

There are several benefits to working with micro-influencers over popular influencers.

The first is that their promotional services are generally more affordable and within the budget of small to mid-sized businesses. 

The second benefit is that micro-influencers usually have a loyal following within their niche.

For example, a micro-influencer in the gaming industry or fashion industry will have a significant level of influence over their community. 

As you make your in-house video content, micro-influencers will also make promotional videos to send potential customers your way. 

Set video marketing goals 

Before investing in video production, you should set specific goals for each video content.

If you have a small budget, start with your most pressing need.

Do you need social media videos, product videos, or tutorials?

If buyers ask a lot of questions regarding your credibility, you may choose to start with video testimonials.

Your video strategy should be in line with your overall marketing concerns. 

Setting goals also makes it easier to measure results.

You can determine if a video strategy is successful when it hits the marks of your goal.

Without goals, there are no defined expectations to work towards. 

Define your budget

Video production requires both human and financial resources.

If you’re looking to create high-quality videos, then you need a reasonable budget to cover the expenses.

At least, you’ll need to pay a videographer and editor. There’s also the option of learning the skills required. But doing that may take away from the time necessary to manage the business. 

For animated videos, you will have to work with a good designer or animator for quality results.

Remember that your videos will represent your brand value.

Pay for the best quality you can afford. 

Invest in advertising 

To make significant sales in e-commerce, you need a high volume of daily traffic.

There’s only so much traffic that organic rankings can send your way.

It’s helpful to invest in advertising campaigns to meet your sales target.

Video adverts perform best on YouTube and Facebook. 

Video Marketing for E-commerce

Depending on your audience demographics and their preferred platforms, you may also consider Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok Ads.

All these platforms allow businesses to place ads in different sections.

For example, Instagram enables video ads in-feed and in the stories section.

Experiment with the different options available, find what works best, and adjust your efforts for the best results. 

Video Marketing for E-commerce: Conclusion

A huge part of successful marketing is the ability to follow the attention.

Consumers are paying more attention to video, so that’s where your efforts should be positioned.

When done right, a video marketing strategy could drive more sales to your e-commerce business.

Join 83% of marketers who are enjoying better ROI by simply using video. 

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