How to Make Video Content That Truly Drives E-Commerce Sales

Clearly, COVID-19 has had a seismic effect on the economic landscape.

Nonetheless, reactions produced some interesting cracks in the marketing world. Not only did homebound consumers begin to search for more products online, but those same shoppers also became more brand-agnostic in the process.

According to mid-2020 behavioral research from McKinsey, no fewer than three-quarters of buyers reported changing the way they purchased goods during COVID-19. Rather than being fiercely loyal to specific sites and merchants, they broadened their approaches. As a result, they actively introduced themselves to new channels and suppliers in the search for greater convenience, value and availability.

How to Make a Mark Through Video Content

If you’re the owner of a small business or startup, you can take advantage of this rare opportunity to insert yourself into customers’ lives by upping your content game with videos. A well-considered, appropriately placed video can help you make a fast, credible introduction to your target personas. Yes, you should still keep up with your other messaging strategies. However, augmenting your blog posts, product pages and FAQs with how-to demos, troubleshooting tips, and other video assets will help you connect with customers in a reassuring, rewarding and authentic way.

Make no mistake: That emotional connection you create with video marketing will be critical to snagging and scaling sales. Everyone’s been thrown into a situation where people can’t always safely connect in familiar ways. Videos help you carve out a friendship with viewers, ultimately boosting their trust in your organization.

Of course, you can’t take video production and marketing lightly. To improve your online lead generation and sales with video, put your efforts in a few places: 

1. Avoid long, drawn-out videos.

Unless you’re making a documentary, don’t allow your videos to surpass the 30-second mark. Be brutal and cut scripting down to the bare essentials. Make a maximum of two or three points in each video. Oh, and avoid the stereotypical used-car salesperson “here’s why you need to buy” pitch. Even product page videos should avoid hammering people with features. Opt instead for short and sweet messages that leave viewers educated, enlightened and satisfied.

2. Spend some time on video production.

Sure, you can post homespun videos. Just make sure they aren’t actually low quality. A poorly made video risks causing your company to appear amateurish. The only exception to this rule would be if you solicit videos from your customers (e.g., GoPro does this when it sources user-generated content). In that circumstance, the videos don’t have to be production-perfect — however, they should still be easy to understand and highly engaging.

3. Avoid using the same video for too many products.

You’ve produced a terrific how-to video, so you start to put it on every product page possible. Stop. If what you’re demoing isn’t exactly the same thing the customer is considering as a purchase, you risk confusing buyers. Instead, go the extra mile: Make separate videos for every product. If each video sticks in the half-minute range, you shouldn’t need to spend tons of time making new ones.

4. Generate videos with a ‘what’s in it for them’ mentality.

Before creating any video, ask yourself: “What’s in it for them?” Videos should answer questions your buyers have or address their pain points. If you’re only making videos to talk about how wonderful your brand is, viewers will tune out. Not sure what your customers want to know? Write down the most common questions they ask. Then, generate pithy videos that offer up answers.

5. Avoid sounding like everyone else.

It’s fine to study your competitors’ videos — just don’t emulate them. Research shows that 43 percent of people feel like they’re hearing the same thing right now from every business. To keep your verbiage fresh, make sure you have a direct goal in mind before filming. Whether you want to drive engagement, bring awareness to a new pool of shoppers, or perhaps entice downsized talent to apply for roles in your organization, your videos need to shine with uniqueness.

Yes, there’s a pandemic going on. However, that doesn’t mean people have stopped spending money. They’re just spending it in different places and, most exciting of all, with different companies. By leveraging the power of video marketing, you can woo customers away from other brands and put them on the path toward becoming future superfans.

Hope Horner is CEO and founder of Lemonlight Video Production, a company that produces branded video content at scale. Hope is a three-time entrepreneur who has been featured in Inc., Entrepreneur, Forbes, and other publications highlighting her successes in the Silicon Beach community over the past decade.