How to Make Product Videos that Actually Drive Sales Up
Let me ask you something: How many times a day do you watch an ad about a product you’re not interested in?
If you regularly spend time online or watch a modicum of television, then the answer would be a couple, at least. And how many of those actually stick with you and make you think about trying the product out? Probably not many.
Creating a marketing video that lingers in your potential customer’s mind while reinforcing brand confidence is no easy feat. Fortunately for you, there is a style of video that, if done right, can be a fantastic asset to show your audience the appeal and value of what you offer: Product Videos.
The key there being “if done right”, though - which is what we are going to talk about today!
In this piece, we go over the essentials of making awesome product videos and the aspects you should pay particular attention to when creating them.
Different Types for Different Goals
There are a few different ways in which you can approach the viewer to try and sell them on your product or service.
You could make a purely visual and very dramatic showcase, a formal presentation of its many features, or take a more casual approach, maybe even with the testimony of a satisfied customer. Today, we’re gonna focus on the first two you should consider when choosing how to structure your product video.
1. Product Demos
The first and most common of your options is the standard product demo, an audiovisual showcase of how your product works, looks, and feels.
For these types of projects, you’re going to want to focus on conveying your product's identity: what it is and who will want to buy it.
There’s a lot of emphasis on visual displays on product demos. Naturally, you'll always want to tell your customer what your product is about, but you have to also show it while highlighting its strengths and appeal in a demo.
For example, demos for sports cars often show them in action and showcase their speed and style.
2. Features Overview Videos
The other main type of product video you should be looking at is known as a feature overview, and it’s dramatically different from a demo.
Overviews provide an in-depth look at a product, and they often focus not so much on style and presentation but rather, information and practicality. A feature overview is a perfect place to expand upon your product's uses, its different functionalities, options, and the like.
Not every product is fit for an overview video. Some products are simple and have one specific function, but others, like, for example, a smartphone, may benefit from having all of its tools and tricks displayed and explained neatly to the viewer.
The Best Place to Start
The first hurdle you'll have to overcome when marketing your products in video comes long before production even starts, and that’s understanding your brand and product’s identity.
Being mindful of your product’s strengths and capitalizing on them can help you transform a good product video into a great one. You’ll also want to familiarize yourself with your target audience and the ways you’ll want them to engage with your brand.
Some products are for everyone, and that’s great! But suppose you're looking at a more specific demographic. In that case, you should adapt your methods to what you know of it and focus on appealing to the kind of individual you consider your “average consumer”.
Going back to the sports car example, there's no point in appealing to children when making a product video about it. So, the video should make the most out of the car’s style, its specs, its brand, and use those attributes to get the attention of your previously determined target audience. Since your video is trying to engage adults, you’ll want a mature and modern look and feel for the piece.
If, on the other hand, you’re advertising a minivan, you might be more interested in appealing to families. So, a warmer, more welcoming vibe would be more appropriate to your piece, as well as a focus on answering questions about the available space, how comfortable and sturdy it is… that sort of thing.
Get a clear understanding of your product and who your video is aimed at, and producing a great piece becomes much easier.
On Pre-production and Your Video’s Structure
Going into the pre-production stage, these are some of the aspects you should keep an eye on to ensure maximizing your video’s quality.
Artistic Agency
As mentioned before, there are many differences between a product demo and a feature overview, one of which is, generally, artistic agency.
In a feature overview, what matters most is informing the viewer, making them well aware of what they are getting into with their purchase. For this reason, a feature overview should not lean so much into the dramatic aspect as it should focus on being practical and to the point.
Quick, segmented episodes for each highlighted feature, a clear, natural look of the product, and a breakdown of its use or application are staples of the style.
A demo, however, can and should be more artistically driven since it should encapsulate not only what the product is and whom it is for but also what the product feels like.
If the product video is for a fresh beverage, the demo can contain drops of water, condensation, ice, fresh environments, etc. If it’s a gaming console, the look should be modern, stylized, fun, and cool.
Script
Ideally, your video should be concise, easy to digest, and understand. The last thing you want is a confused or bored viewer, and the best way to make your video impactful is by writing a script that hooks them right at the beginning and ends with a bang.
Save the best for last, but never start with the mundane or take too long to get there. If a person stumbles upon your video by accident, it’ll take a couple of seconds for them to decide whether to watch or skip it, and that’s why those first moments are so essential.
The Angle
Something you should always have on your mind when presenting a product to someone is, what need is it taking care of? Why should the viewer buy it? Always show the effect the product has on the buyer’s life. What they can use it for, the results it yields, and the difference it makes.
A human element goes a long way when showcasing a product. For example, in the case of an overview, showing a person making use of the product’s features will make it more relatable.
Branding
Your video should not only serve its function as an advertisement for your product but also for your brand - which has an image that should always be protected.
Visual and tonal consistency in a line of products is very important, and so it is for all your promotional material to make sure you don’t misrepresent your brand’s identity.
Sound Design
The last piece of advice we want to give you here revolves around your piece’s musical choices.
Most product demos will have music to back them up and help convey the brand's personality, but this shouldn't just pick a random song you like and put it in. A song can either elevate your video or render it ineffective, so take your sweet time deciding what tune you want the viewer to bop their head to while they think of your product.
The Importance of Leveraging Your New Product Video
Once your video is done, you’ll want to get the most out of it - and that includes getting the most people to watch it. And while luck plays a role, there are ways in which you can make luck come to you, so to speak.
The most obvious avenue to get your video - and product - out there, is paying for promotional channels. There are a lot of websites and media platforms, such as Facebook or YouTube, in which you can put your video as an advertisement with specific targeting criteria. So, once again, knowing your demographic will yield good results.
Another method, much more accessible but a little trickier, is to leverage your social media and online presence yourself!
Social media platforms, mailing lists, and online communities are a great way to cut out the middleman and reach out to your audience directly, with varying degrees of engagement depending on your intentions, content, audience expectations, etc.
Some brands interact with their communities on a daily basis, while others keep it less personal and use the web just to make announcements and promote their content; it's up to you to decide which approach is a better fit.
Wrapping Up
Promoting a product is no easy feat. So, to make your life easier, you should focus on producing videos that do the heavy lifting for you.
A great product video always serves to polish your brand identity, clearly conveys your product’s key selling points, and portrays them in a concise and engaging way.
There will always be some people who aren’t interested in your product or your video, and that’s fine. But a great product video will maximize the number of people who are and make those people want to see its benefits for themselves.