There’s a reason YouTube is the number 2 search engine, behind only Google. Modern humans are visual creatures, and we love few things as much as video. Faces, voices, movement and music grab and keep our attention more than mere words on a screen can. That’s why product videos, done well, successfully showcase what you’re offering and why customers should buy from you.
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Limelighting Your Ecommerce Store
As we said in our blog on creating successful product pages, customers can’t hold your product in their hands, so it’s up to you to satisfy their senses and close the sale. Reports show that online shoppers are 174% more likely to purchase products from a website that includes product videos, and 93% find videos useful when comparison shopping. Videos keep customers engaged longer, enhance their online experience, and boost conversion.
When properly optimized for desktop and mobile viewing, videos also get shared. Customers can be passionate about promoting products they love, so posting your product videos to YouTube or Vimeo makes it easy for them to share and helps you get your product in front of a much broader audience.
So, what do you need to get on screen? Tools and talent.
Hollywood, Downsized
Though you’d probably love to have the financial and professional resources to create a Hollywood blockbuster for every product on your site, chances are your budget’s not without its limits. But if you can get creative with your tools and your talent, you can produce useful and effective product videos inexpensively.
Do you have a newer model smartphone? That’s one tool. The iPhone 5 series, for example, comes fully equipped with a 1080p HD video camera and a long list of potential upgrades. You’ll be ready to start shooting, with a few relatively inexpensive upgrades:
- Add-on lens kits with multiple filters provide a wide range of shooting versatility.
- Microphones and LED lighting attachments capture crisp, clean audio in enhanced lighting conditions.
- A mini steadicam and dolly provide smooth, fluid motion and boost your video’s production value and professional look.
When we talk about talent, we mean both people and skills: paid actors and strong voices for narration (called “talent” in industry lingo). You may want to use your friends or the guy in the warehouse, but pick your on-screen people carefully. They have to be invested, and they have to be believable. Consider your message and who will deliver it best.
The same goes for filming, editing and production: you need the know-how to make it look good. Final Cut Pro for iPhone and other relatively inexpensive programs let you edit your video, adding music, graphics and images, and adjusting the sound and lighting. Editing is relatively straightforward for those with some video experience, but it does take considerable practice.
When to Go Pro
A word of advice: Review your finished video critically. Consumers are accustomed to phenomenal video production, and anything that looks less than professional will put them off. Avoid the “hostage video” in which a nervous amateur reads a teleprompter in bad lighting against a plain backdrop.
If the video doesn’t make you want to connect with the company and product, think twice about putting it out there. You would be better served by hiring a professional production company that has the expertise to create something really impressive.
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When you need an edge in ecommerce, or when you’ve got a great new product to showcase, think about video. Contact Marketing Torque for outstanding video solutions to enhance your global web presence and increase online sales. Call us at 508-502-7440.
