Video is an enjoyable, easy-to-digest, and often, overlooked content creation strategy that converts better than any other type of content.  A landing page containing a video is bound to increase conversion rates by 80%. In addition, videos help search engine rankings and are shown to raise organic search traffic by 175%.

With the tremendous growth of e-commerce sales in the past year, brands are challenged to up their marketing strategy and create new ways to attract potential customers.

Companies that offer products online and haven’t yet started video marketing need to jump on the video production train right away.

E-Commerce State at a Glance

E-commerce rules!  In only the past year, it has generated 4.28 trillion US dollars in revenue. In the U.S only, that accounted for over 604 million US dollars.

Naturally, that drives the increase of digital shoppers as well. It’s estimated that by the end of 2021, there will be 2.14 billion global digital buyers.

It’s safe to say that we are in the era of online shopping. A time when consumers prefer to quickly browse products and services on their mobile devices and place orders that they receive the next day – no hassle, no time wasted.

For e-commerce businesses, the move towards primarily online shopping raises the bar of what counts as a good customer experience.

Simply listing your products on a website doesn’t do much for conversion anymore. There’s a need for more interactive, immersive, and truly helpful product content online. Brands have to figure out how to turn their boring offerings into entertaining story-rich experiences.

One very successful way to do that is through video marketing.

How to use video in your e-commerce marketing

Check out these tips on how you can integrate video production into your e-commerce websites and improve your brand’s bottom-line:

Product Photos Turned Videos

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. How do you know if a product will match your needs and desires?

You would want to see it in real-life situations. A great way to show your customers how products truly benefit them, is by displaying how they look like or work in practice.

Take the clothing retailer Mother. The fashion brand goes far beyond a simple display of products and visually describes in the tiniest detail how their products look and feel in real-life situations — like walking on a treadmill for example.

Customers get a unique 360-degree view of what the products worn by a real person would look like. Not only that but they show how the clothes move when you wear them.

An awesome example of user experience taken to the next level.

How-to Product Videos

The next step in improving the quality of your e-commerce website is through creating instructional videos that show users how your products work.

These videos educate customers and help them see the value of your product. Plus, “how-to” videos are a great way to help out customer support teams.

People will have clear, visual instructions on how to use the products and will save time and frustration trying to figure it out or wait for help from your support team.

British Airways gives a great example of how you can turn instructional videos into entertaining pieces of content.

Their video features a number of celebrities to draw attention to an often overlooked but quite important aspect of traveling on airplanes.

Celebrities may not be an affordable option for any brand, but their approach can be adapted to deliver a fun and entertaining how-to video for your e-commerce business too.

Behind the Scenes Video: Let Customers be Part of the Action

What will really make your audience connect with your e-commerce business? Well – feeling connected to the mission, challenges and glam of the brand is a great place to start.

Being able to walk through your process and daily tasks, your audience will understand the efforts put into delivering an unforgettable product and experience on their behalf.

It will help show the “human” side of your company – the people that make their experience extraordinary.

For example, take a look at how Glamour Magazine takes their viewers behind the scenes of a photoshoot narrated by their Fashion Director– Natalie Hartley. She guides the audience through how their projects come together, sharing her ideas and approaches in making their photoshoots a true sensation.

The audience is drawn into the process of creating something from a scratch. Showing the efforts required for just a few pages of curated content works miracles with audiences – making them appreciate the brand’s work and increasing consumer loyalty and trust.

To improve engagement with users, try creating video content around photoshoot campaigns and special events important to your brand. Show how your products are made, where do you source your materials from – every detail that is important to your customers and see your brand recognition and loyalty skyrocket.

User-Generated Videos Promoting Sales

If your brand is getting any traction with users, they’re probably expressing opinions and leaving reviews for your products.

Leverage testimonials and encourage customers to create user-generated videos – showing how they use the products, what they like about them, and what they wish to improve with your services.

People like to hear what their peers think of a product or service. They’re more willing to trust existing customers’ opinions, rather than brands claiming to be helpful. The more genuine your user-generated videos are, the more likely they are to positively affect the purchasing decision of potential new customers.

Take GoPro for example. They create unforgettable campaigns with user-generated videos showing how their cameras operate in real life.

They even make it fun by turning the whole process into a competition – enticing participants to generate all sorts of creative ideas – like a downhill bike chase on a roof-top, for example.

People interested in GoPro’s products get to see what actually happens when the camera is on and what they can expect as quality and durability.

You can create similar user-generated videos to help your potential customers get the feeling they already know what to expect from your products and be comfortable with their purchases.

GIF’s & Videos Boosting Email Marketing Conversion

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to convert potential eCommerce customers.

It’s a preferred marketing tool that 80% of business professionals trust to help them increase customer retention. In addition,  59% of surveyed customers say emails influence their purchasing decision.

To continue delivering delight, surprise and value to your customer lists and prospects, however, you should consider using animated gifs and videos in your email campaigns.

Statistics show that brands that use gifs see a 6% increase in open rate and a 109% increase in revenue.  Similarly, an initial email with a video gets a click-through rate of 96%

Embedding gifs and videos in your emails will also help you personalize your messaging and deliver value specific to each user.

Here are a few examples of brands using gifs and videos in their email marketing to get you inspired:

Headspace

Netflix

Starbucks

When you create your gifs and video-embedded emails, keep in mind the average attention span of adults is about 8 seconds. For your videos to be short, create anticipation in your video, and direct the reader to a clear CTA.

To Wrap Up

E-commerce is the preferred shopping option of the modern consumer. Dull and uninspiring product lists and low-resolution images, however, are not anyone’s favorite.

To deliver a memorable, and most of all, helpful shopping experience to your customers, you need to stay on top of the latest trends. Video production is not a strategy you can afford to miss. On the contrary, if your online business hasn’t yet started using videos – it’s time.

Video content is the future of e-commerce. It’s visually appealing, interactive, and immersive. It snatches the attention of the digitally overwhelmed and makes them stay to enjoy what you offer.

Don’t waste time. Start producing video content and delight your customers. These 5 content ideas will help you integrate video production into your digital marketing campaigns. Try it and tell us how you did!

___________________________________________________________

Terry Tateossian, Founding Partner of Socialfix Media is a fourth-generation entrepreneur who is recognized as an Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies, Forbes’ Top Women in Business, Fastest Growing Women Presidents by WPO, and 40 Under 40 Business Leaders by NJBIZ. Terry has been featured for outstanding leadership and career accomplishments in numerous industry publications as an engineer, a thought-leader in technology, and an innovator in the field of marketing. But her favorite and toughest earned title is being “Mom” to her 2 children.