Having an online video strategy creates many paths to growth for e-commerce businesses whether your goal is to build brand awareness, engage a new audience on social media, or educate customers.
No matter what step of the buyer’s journey you’re creating content for, video can help sell more. “Sites with a video on the majority of product pages has a 68% higher average order value than sites with video on only a few product pages,” according to Invodo’s 2016 Video Statistics report.
What makes a video strategy effective? It starts with goal definition. If your video’s purpose is to build brand awareness (the first stage of the sales funnel) the scope of your strategy will narrow to encompass topics that appeal to the broad interests of your target audience.
This type of content performs well when distributed on social media, where most businesses concentrate their brand awareness campaigns.
Here are some ideas for the types of video to incorporate into your e-commerce marketing strategy, broken down by business goal.
Creating brand awareness: social video
Is your e-commerce poised to launch a product for a new audience? You’ll want to create video that tells your brand story in a highly visual and clear way on the social media platforms where you will be publishing.
The video should catch people’s attention within the first few frames. An explainer video is the most traditional approach. You can also try creating creating intrigue with a 20-second tease.
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Generating online engagement: product video
If your video strategy centers around engaging interested customers, then content that addresses their specific needs can help you achieve that goal.
The product pages of your e-commerce website—where people will go to make purchase decisions—is a great place for this type of marketing video. Target delights their customers and provides helpful design tips in the Home Ideas and Inspiration section of their website—going beyond the video detailing product specs.
Consider distributing your video across other channels such as YouTube and Instagram, too.
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Educating customers: tutorial/how-to video
Video content also has the power to create loyal customers by deepening your relationship with them. Unique quality content shows why people should choose you over the competition. This is also where consistent video communication helps your video strategy make the greatest impact.
Try connecting with customers on channels where they most engage with your brand, such as email marketing or social media.
One idea for video that educates customers is creating tutorials or a how-to video series to highlight popular or upcoming products. You could also try touching base with your customers through a survey to generate video ideas based on how their needs are evolving.
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Do you have e-commerce video ideas that have worked for your business? Share them with us in comments!