Video has evolved to become an integral part of marketing strategies and its importance is increasing with every passing year. A study by Wyzowl, a leading explainer videos company, states that the use of videos in marketing has increased from 61% in 2017 to a whopping 86% in 2021.
The pandemic has highlighted the benefits of shopping online to customers and brought about a significant change in consumer behaviour. It has improved the acceptability quotient of online shopping among customers. Brands are also taking new initiatives to bring customers online and have come up with more effective ways to promote online sales, one of them being marketing their products through dedicated product videos.
Product videos are not cutting-edge discoveries. They were published earlier too, but as a supplementary asset in product marketing. In present times, where the online-only model forms a huge chunk of the total sales, businesses are focusing on videos like never before, and it is paying off. More than 84% of customers feel confident and convinced about purchasing products by simply watching detailed explainer videos.
Want to know what goes into creating an awesome product video? Read on!
A good product video doesn’t just outline the product qualities; it focuses on selling the benefits and providing a visual experience to the target viewers. This article has everything you should know for crafting an impeccable product video, coupled with examples to give you a practical perspective of what these videos can ideally look like.
Table of Contents
Product marketing & the role of product videos in it
Important stats highlighting the importance of videos
Why are product videos important?
- Customers love it!
- Gives a better understanding of the product
- Boosts customer confidence in your product
- Increases conversion rate
- Important for your social media feed
Why are product videos important for online stores?
7 stunning examples of product videos
- Lenovo’s IdeaPad launch
- Mamaearth’s how-to guide
- Nykaa’s #NykaaLand
- WeWork India’s community
- Dove featuring its target demographic
- BookMyShow introducing a new feature
- Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Wish Pack
How to make a product video: Important tips!
Draft a script before starting
Connect with your audience through a story
Make a video template for your brand
NEVER compromise on video editing
Product video strategies for 2022
Use behind-the-scenes to give a tour of your office or manufacturing setup
Approach micro-influencers for product reviews
Product marketing the role of product videos in it
Product marketing focuses on conveying the benefits of the product to the target audience, and ensuring that products receive maximum visibility among the target market.
The product marketing process includes several aspects– product positioning, brand messaging, launching the product in the market, explaining the benefits and ensuring that customers understand the value of the product, and of course, driving up product sales.
Among the several functions in this process, explaining the product benefits to prospective customers holds immense importance. The marketing team must ensure that they convey all the product benefits and features in a clear and engaging manner to their target audience.
Text is the most cost-efficient medium, but given the wide acceptability and the creative bandwidth that videos provide to marketers, product videos are one of the most effective ways to execute this function of product marketing and achieve the intended results.
You must have already figured out what product videos are, but let us state its definition in clear words.
Product videos are videos that explain the utility and benefits of the product to the target audience (simple, right?). Their exact scope may vary from company to company but this is the essence and purpose of these videos.
Such videos do not necessarily have different technical specifications vis-a-vis normal marketing videos. The only differentiating factor is their primary intent - to convey the product benefits rather than directly pitching for sales.
We have mentioned a few more stats to give you an insight into why videos are so important and why you should include product videos in marketing plans, if you haven’t already.
Important stats highlighting the importance of videos
Here are some interesting statistics that may be an indication of how videos have become an essential part of product marketing:
- Videos are versatile - Brands can create product explainer videos (73%), video ads (41%) or social media videos (67%) for marketing. If your videos are engaging, they’ll be hard to miss.
- It’s a matter of preference - Approximately 69% of customers prefer to watch a short video to learn about a product or service. The percentage for text-based articles is 18% and 3-4% for infographics, ebooks or manuals.
- Videos can increase user understanding - Almost 94% of marketers claimed that videos help increase user understanding for their products or services.
- Videos provide better returns - 84% of marketers have claimed that videos helped in lead generation and sales, while 78% affirmed that videos helped increase sales.
Not only can you make product videos to educate your audience, but also persuade them to try your products or services.
Source: www.freepik.com/free-vector/media-player-concept-illustration_9936448.htm
Types of product videos
1. Demonstration or how-to videos
If you want to highlight your product features or want your audience to know how to use your product, demo or how-to videos are perfect for you. With demo videos, you can incorporate visual elements to highlight your product features. In contrast, you can take your viewers on a step-by-step journey to use your product through a how-to video.
For example, Raw Beauty Wellness, a Skincare & Haircare brand, occasionally posts how-to videos for their products on Instagram.
Source: www.instagram.com/p/CUNCM6tglNG/
2. Customer testimonials
User-generated content can be really effective for marketing. Almost 60% of customers consider user-generated content as the most authentic content. The best thing about testimonial videos is that they can be created for any product or service type. Customer testimonials can include honest experiences or reviews from people who have benefitted from your product.
Here’s an example of RAS Luxury Oil’s customer testimonial.
Source: Glowing Elixir For The Skin - Review
3. Screen capture videos
A screen capture product video is a recording of a computer or mobile device screen created to guide customers. You can provide detailed steps to walk your audience through a particular task. These videos are especially beneficial for explaining technology-oriented products that are used on mobile phones or desktops, like software or online tools.
For example, this is a product video from Nokia Mobile using screen capture to show how to use Google Assistant with Nokia 4.2.
Source: Nokia 4.2 - It's got it all. And more, with Google Assistant
Videos with 3D effects can work really well for industries like real estate and engineering. Animation effects can also be incorporated to create larger-than-life scenarios for consumable products.
Check out this product video example with 3D elements for Pepsi Zero Sugar.
Source: vimeo.com/300411817'
#Pro Tip: Did you know that Shopify allows you to create an immersive shopping experience for your customers? Learn more about creating 3D models and videos for your product pages here.
Why are product videos important?
- Customers love it!
- Gives a better understanding of the product
- Boosts customer confidence in your product
- Increases conversion rate
- Important for your social media feed
1. Customers love it!
We’ve talked about this before - people love watching videos. There are numerous statistics published every year that show customers prefer video content. No matter who your target audience is, you’ll find product videos to be beneficial for every demographic.
Wyzowl’s 2021 survey also reported that people consumed an average of 2.5 hours of online videos per day. They are even twice as likely to share videos than text-based content or social media posts.
2. Gives a better understanding of the product
Customers can comprehend your products better and faster through a concise video. Recent stats affirm that people retain 95% of brand messages through videos when compared to text. You can incorporate varied shots and effects in your product presentation to ensure that your customers don’t feel like they require in-store inspection of the product.
Keep in mind that the videos don’t have to be lengthy to increase your product’s recall value. You can achieve that even with a 30-60 seconds long video.
3. Boosts customer confidence in your product
Creating and sharing high-quality content will add to your brand image. It’ll show people that you’re committed to providing better service by going the extra mile and investing in rich media content. Online shoppers, in particular, feel confident about buying a product after watching related videos.
Whether you have explainer videos to educate your customers or user-generated videos that reflect customer reviews, product videos support the idea that you deliver what you promise.
4. Increases conversion rate
Marketers consider product videos as a valuable asset because of their potential to boost conversions. Websites with videos have experienced 4.8% higher conversions when compared to sites with no videos.
Consider this - if your customers understand how your product works and how it can benefit them, they’re more likely to make a purchase. The key here is engagement. Creating videos that your target audience can find relatable can work wonders with influencing them.
5. Important for your social media feed
Most brands deploy an in-depth social media strategy to find and connect with their audiences online. Including videos in your social media feed can help you catch people’s attention and retain it for a longer duration.
While picture posts have their own way of garnering attention, videos make people stay on your post for a few seconds longer. And guess what? It seems that online shoppers don’t mind staying a bit longer as it is observed that video posts get 48% more views.
Why are product videos important for online stores?
One challenge that most online stores face is building trust in their business, especially if they follow an online-only model. In addition to the benefits outlined above, videos can help online stores overcome this challenge too.
The reason is that videos are inherently more transparent to customers. Imagine customers watching the founder or the store owner themselves explaining the product. Put yourself in a customer’s shoes, wouldn't you feel more confident about trusting such a store and making a purchase from them? We’re sure you would.
Product videos are important from an SEO perspective too. Unique and interactive product videos help in getting organic traffic and increasing engagement. The engagement that is achieved with videos decreases the bounce rate by upto 11% and low bounce rates are considered as a positive signal by search algorithms, helping in ranking your page higher in the search engine results page.
7 stunning examples of product videos
Now that we know what a product video is and how it benefits businesses, let’s look at some great product video examples.
1. Lenovo’s IdeaPad launch
Source: Introducing Lenovo IdeaPad with Attention Reminder | Smart Learning Solutions - Hindi | Lenovo India
Lenovo’s video storyline focuses on solving customer problems by employing a relatable scenario to target the potential demographic. The 30-second short video does a great job of explaining the customer problem and how the Attention Reminder feature can help solve it.
2. Mamaearth’s how-to guide
Source: Instant glow the Indian way | Mamaearth Ubtan Face Mask
Mamaearth regularly promotes user-generated content through how-to videos and skincare tips. This video features its customer showing step-by-step instructions to use the Ubtan Face Mask. The video ensures that viewers see the product application clearly and includes thumbnails to related product guides.
3. Nykaa’s #NykaaLand
Source: #NykaaLand | Get Lost In The Wonderland Of Makeup Ft. Janhvi Kapoor | Nykaa
Nykaa’s engaging video incorporates an array of different elements, including screen capture, customer ratings and animations. Brand ambassador Janhvi Kapoor wanders in NykaaLand and promotes Nykaa’s product. The video concludes with a CTA that encourages viewers to download the app.
4. WeWork India’s community
Source: WeWork India | Our Story
WeWork shares interview snippets of its community members (customers) who talk about their unique experiences. This video serves no direct promotional purpose but rather focuses on thanking the loyal customers.
5. Dove featuring its target demographic
Source: Leave your hair damage worries to us | Dove Intense Repair Shampoo (Hindi)
Dove thrives on user-generated content and reviews. This video shows real-life issues that its target audience experiences. The video uses 3D elements for the product and highlights how it benefits the customers.
6. BookMyShow introducing a new feature
Source: BookMyShow Stream - COMING SOON
BookMyShow teases its new streaming feature through a short 15-second video. You can find snippets of movies that would mostly be offered for streaming. The video concludes with a clever ‘coming soon’ message to build anticipation for the new offering.
7. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s Wish Pack
Source: The Cadbury Dairy Milk Wish Pack Is Back | Hindi (16 secs)
Cadbury Dairy Milk’s 16-second relaunch announcement integrates screen capture and animation to create a vibrant product video. It also explains how to enter the Wish Pack contest and win prizes.
How to make a product video: Important tips!
1. Have a clear goal in mind
You need to figure out what and how much you want to achieve with your product videos. Not only will this help in creating videos with better context, but it also helps decide the apt video format or length. Your goals may range from increased brand awareness to conversion or sales.
Are you trying to instil curiosity before a product launch? Are you trying to guide your viewers on how to use your product? Do you want to persuade viewers to trust your brand by creating a testimonial video? This may differ depending on the product development or marketing stage you’re in.
2. Draft a script before starting
Think of your script as the blueprint for your video goals. It’s essential to map out the plot, characters and dialogues (if any) in your script. Mention details of the video shots you plan to include or audio effects and music that’ll play in the background.
Determine how you’ll show off your product while maintaining an engaging storyline, which brings us to the next tip.
3. Use storytelling to connect with your audience
Ensure that the video plot has elements that cater to your target demographic. Customers engage with videos that are authentic and feature easy-to-understand messages or storylines. If you’re clear on who your target audience is, it’ll be easy to create a story that they could relate to. Personalise your video elements to make them relevant to your audience.
Check out how AJIO grabs the attention of Sneaker lovers through the video copy, including the custom hashtag - #AJIOSneakerhood.
Source: Sneaker Fans, Welcome to AJIO.com Sneakerhead!
4. Make a video template for your brand
Having custom video templates for your brand adds to your brand image and saves you the time to create videos from scratch every time you have to make a video. Once you have your product marketing strategy in place, you can figure out the type of videos you may require and accordingly design multiple video templates.
5. Do not oversell
It can be easy to use visual elements and emphasize a product’s attributes. Your product videos will set your viewers’ expectations for what they’ll receive. However, refrain from exaggerating the benefits of your product or overselling its features. Overselling is a cheap tactic and also one that customers hate. It not only dents your brand image but might actually turn potential leads into dead leads.
6. NEVER compromise on video editing
Editing involves cutting out any unnecessary shots that don’t add value to your product videos. You can use professional editing tools like Lightworks or DaVinci Resolve to not only trim your videos but also add effects or audio. If budget allows, hire a production agency to create and edit your product videos to give them the perfect finish.
7. Include a clear CTA
Promotional content without a clear call-to-action misses out on achieving its goal. If your product videos don’t end with CTAs, customers might just treat it as a simple informational video and not take any action. Customers like to be communicated to and CTAs do just that.
Do you want your audience to make a purchase or visit your website? Do you want them to sign up for a service or contact you? Direct your viewers to take action by concluding your video with a CTA.
Take a look at Myntra’s video that asks the viewers to download its app:
Source: Myntra India’s Fashion Expert X Kiara Advani
Product video strategies for 2022
Are you ready to create stellar product videos to impress your audience? If you don’t know where to start, try these product video strategies to get your content trending in 2022.
- Go Live for product unboxing
- Use behind-the-scenes to give a tour of your office or manufacturing setup.
- Approach micro-influencers for product reviews
- Share teasers before new product launches
1. Go Live for product unboxing
Live videos have been quite popular in the last few years, and they’re expected to grow 15-fold by 2022. If you haven’t yet utilised this medium, there is no better time than now. Coupled with product unboxing, you can create quite a buzz around your product.
Product unboxing on Live videos can help create an authentic image for your brand. Viewers enjoy watching the content creator’s honest reactions and can also engage in a live Q&A session if they have any doubts.
Source: www.freepik.com/free-vector/unboxing-concept-illustration_7367533.htm
2. Use behind-the-scenes to give a tour of your office or manufacturing setup
Another popular approach to garner interest is to share behind-the-scenes footage of your product development stage. You can also take your audience on a virtual tour of your workspace or office to humanise your brand. You can share your brand values or host brief interviews with the team involved in creating your product to explain why it was created.
3. Approach micro-influencers for product reviews
Micro-influencers, with 5,000 to 20,000 followers, have the opportunity to form deeper audience connections. The percentage may differ with varied platforms, but stats prove that micro-influencers tend to have higher engagement rates as compared to mega-influencers. Collaborating with such influencers for product reviews will introduce your brand to their audience and increase the possibility of receiving positive responses for your product.
4. Share teasers before new product launches
Teaser videos have the ability to grab viewers attention and incite interest in your product launch. The teaser should be short (anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds) and filled with quality content. They could simply be a ‘coming soon’ slide followed by the product name, or they could be a couple of seconds longer featuring the product shots.
Get rolling!
We genuinely hope that by now, you are convinced why videos are important, and have also got a fundamental understanding of how you can make excellent product videos to ramp up your digital marketing play.
You can always experiment with different strategies and analyse video metrics to find what works best for your products. So don’t wait any longer; go ahead and start shooting !
Learn more:
- How the YouTube Algorithm Works (Or Why Your Videos Aren’t Getting Views)
- Shopify’s Online Video Maker
Product videos FAQ
How effective are product videos for marketing?
Brands can experience numerous benefits with product videos for marketing. Some of them are:
- Help in building brand image and loyalty
- Increase ROI and conversions
- Aid boosting brand engagement
- Helps to rank higher on Google
- Generates better web traffic for the website or store
What components should be included in a product video?
The components of a product video may differ based on the type or format you choose. However, these are a few standard elements that every product video needs:
- A catchy opening
- Limited or no dead air
- High-quality visuals
- A concise call to action
- A clear explanation of product benefits or product demonstration
Can I make product videos for free?
Yes, you can create professional product videos for free by utilising tools like Shopify’s Video Maker. Most free tools offer pre-made video templates and allow you to download and share them on your website or social profiles.
How do you make a product video on Instagram?
One way to create bite-sized product videos through Instagram Stories is by choosing the app’s stop motion feature. The app is also equipped with creative tools like rewind, stickers and customisable text.
How do you promote a product video?
You can promote your product videos through your brand’s social media. Reach out to active customers and ask them to share your product videos in exchange for an incentive. You can also collaborate with influencers to tap into their audience and increase your reach.
