Top E-Commerce Video Marketing Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Competition
Without the touch of a creative copywriter, product descriptions often lack intrigue and captivation. Also, images alone don’t tell the whole story.
This is where video marketing can help e-commerce businesses stand out.
According to a video marketing survey by Wyzowl, 91% of businesses incorporate video into their marketing strategies. Video marketing helps you attract and retain attention at this time when people are easily distracted.
In this article, you will discover the top video marketing strategies to help your e-commerce business stay ahead of the competition.
Why Do E-Commerce Businesses Need a Video Marketing Strategy?
For your e-commerce brand to stand out from the pool of over 26 million e-commerce platforms on the internet, you need to implement video marketing. Here are reasons why you need a video marketing strategy:
Videos Convert Better
Here are some statistics to illustrate how effective videos are at converting viewers to customers:
- StacksandStacks.com notes that customers are 144% more inclined to add items to their carts after viewing a product video compared to those who didn’t.
- Wyzowl’s research reveals that 88% of consumers find themselves swayed toward buying a product or service after watching a brand’s video.
- Zappos’ inclusion of product demo videos in their listings increased sales from 6% to an impressive 30%.
- A HubSpot survey highlights that 86% of marketers recognize video as an important tool for lead generation, with an additional 81% attributing video to driving sales.
These statistics reveal the role videos play in creating a product experience and convincing prospective buyers. With videos, you can offer a brick-and-mortar store experience to your audience.
Mobile Users Prefer Video
Imagine you were given the option of either reading a text or watching a video on your smartphone. Which one would you choose?
The answer is obvious; ‘watch a video.’
Even YouTube confirms it; over 70% of YouTube watch time is from mobile devices.
Those who watch your videos on their mobile devices are about 2X more likely to connect with your brand.
Videos Build Trust Between You and Your Target Audience
According to a 2019 survey conducted by Stackla in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, 90% of the over 1500 consumers surveyed consider authenticity when deciding on liking and supporting brands.
This is because video, as the most human form of digital communication, displays your face, voice, and eyes. It makes your audience feel as if you’re standing before them.
Furthermore, videos demonstrate how confident you are in your brand and products, thereby creating a strong bond between you and your prospects.
For instance, video content like video testimonials and user-generated content can make people trust your e-commerce brand when their friends and loved ones give you positive reviews on social media platforms.
READ: How E-Commerce Brands Can Overcome Video Marketing Challenges
Video Marketing Strategies for E-Commerce Businesses
Now that you know why your e-commerce business needs a video marketing strategy, here are 3 winning strategies your brand can implement in 2024 and beyond:
1. Create Engaging Product Videos
The 2 main elements that boost sales when selling on e-commerce platforms are:
- Creating a product experience for your audience, and
- Proving how effective your products are
This is where videos come in.
60% of consumers prefer watching a product video to reading the product descriptions on product pages.
Also, product pages that have videos experience 37% more add-to-cart conversions than those without videos.
Here are the most effective types of product videos you can include on your product pages:
- Demo or how-to videos
- Lifestyle videos
- Product highlights videos
- Unboxing videos
- Explainer videos
- Customer testimonial videos
- Comparison videos
How to Create Great Videos for Your E-Commerce Business
The tips below will help you create stellar product videos for your store:
Consider Your Audience’s Interests
Your main focus should be on creating product videos that solve a specific problem that your audience is struggling with.
So, ask yourself, what are the challenges that my audience is facing? What are their pain points?
Your answers to these questions will help you highlight the benefits of your products in your videos; thereby demonstrating that you care about your audience.
In a nutshell, put yourself in your audience’s shoes and approach the video production from that angle.
Focus on Benefits, Not Features
People are not interested in features. Instead, they buy the benefits they will gain from using your product.
Hence, instead of talking about only features in your video, explain the specific use case of the product and how it benefits your audience.
Hook Viewers from the Beginning
The human attention span is as low as 3 seconds. In fact, Gen Z gets distracted from advertising after 1.3 seconds.
If your audience clicks on your videos but doesn’t stay to watch them through, you won’t see any positive outcomes. Hence, you must grab your viewers’ attention right from the start of your product video if you want them to watch the rest.
To do this, start the video by enticing your viewers with highlights of your product.
Keep Your Video Short
The ideal e-commerce video is about 90 seconds long. People often get bored with lengthy product videos. You will only get meager engagement metrics if your product video is too long.
Hence, your product video should be concise and straight to the point.
READ: How to Improve Your E-Commerce Business With Video Personalization
2. Use User-Generated Content
Have you ever come across a content creator displaying their latest purchase to their audience? You can find this form of content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
According to 48% of marketing professionals, content created by customers can humanize marketing. About 90% of consumers also believe that user-generated content is more effective in influencing buying decisions than search engine results and promotional emails.
An easy way to improve brand awareness, establish reputation, and enhance online visibility is by having customers feature your products and services.
Why Should E-Commerce Brands Use User-Generated Content (UGC) for Video Marketing?
Now that you understand that user-generated content is created by consumers, what makes these videos effective for e-commerce?
Highlighted below are reasons why you should use user-generated content in your video marketing strategy:
UGC Increases Brand Awareness
When customers post user-generated content across social media platforms, they are broadcasting your brand to their followers. Many in their audience may not be familiar with your brand, making these posts invaluable for increasing awareness.
By sharing user-generated videos, customers play an important role in boosting your brand’s reach and tapping into new audiences.
Attract More Traffic
After discovering your brand through user-generated videos, many viewers will want more information. They will likely visit your brand’s social media platforms and website to explore your products in depth and possibly make a purchase.
Hence, user-generated content serves as a powerful tool for driving traffic to your e-commerce site and boosting sales.
Increase Brand Credibility
It’s undeniable that shoppers value the opinions of fellow customers over those of the brand. Surprisingly, 49% of consumers trust reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family.
User-generated content offers authenticity, coming straight from real individuals rather than being crafted to sell. It offers a genuine insight into how a product is used in real life. When brands showcase user-generated content, they prioritize their customers’ voices over their sales pitches.
E-commerce brands can enhance their credibility in the eyes of potential shoppers by featuring authentic content from other customers.
How to Use User-Generated Content for E-Commerce Video Marketing
Apart from knowing what user-generated content is and its benefits to e-commerce businesses, you also need to understand how to use these forms of content in your marketing strategies to get the best results.
Hence, we have highlighted some tips for incorporating UGC in video marketing:
Use Social Media
Using video content offers a unique benefit, especially since it fits well with social media platforms. These platforms host different forms of content, ranging from TikTok snippets to Instagram Reels and Facebook live streams, making it effortless for users to share their creations directly.
Hence, e-commerce brands can effectively leverage UGC by finding them on popular social media sites. This approach widens your marketing outreach to a vast and diverse audience, thereby increasing your opportunity to generate high-quality leads and increase sales.
Use Influencer Marketing
Social media influencers have huge followings and significant influence within specific niches. Leveraging their reach can give your user-generated content campaign a powerful kickstart.
Ensure the influencer you select aligns with your target audience. Reach out via email, using tools like an email finder to find their contact details. Verifying these details is important to ensure your correspondence reaches the intended recipient.
You can use influencer marketing for UGC video content in many ways. For instance, you might request the influencer to participate in your dance challenge and share the video across Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms.
Alternatively, they could create unique influencer content about your e-commerce brand.
These strategies will motivate the influencer’s audience and yours to create similar high-quality content about your brand.
Repurpose Existing Content
Maximize the value of customer-generated video content by repurposing it across your various marketing platforms. This strategy is effective and useful when you are running out of content ideas for your brand.
For example, consider sharing UGC videos on your website or product pages. You can also integrate UGC videos into your email campaigns to enhance social proof.
More so, you can include a QR code to make it easy for subscribers to reach you on their preferred platform, with their contact details automatically saved on their devices.
3. Implement Live Video Shopping Experiences
Sellers use live video shopping to interact with customers in real time via live video streams. It is usually done on social media platforms or specific live video shopping platforms like Skeepers and CommentSold.
This strategy allows consumers to ask questions, watch product demonstrations, and buy on the spot. Sellers, on the other hand, can share details about the products, create an engaging and interactive shopping environment, and respond to viewers’ inquiries.
An example of a brand that has used this video marketing strategy to create unique shopping experiences for its viewers is EYDA.
For instance, EYDA has wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity to curate even more distinctive and captivating experiences for their viewers. EYDA has achieved impressive success by using live shopping videos to boost sales, improve connections, and engage new customers.
One of the brand’s first online shopping events yielded a 200% increase in sales.
Benefits of Live Video Shopping
Live video shopping can benefit your business and customers in several ways. Here are some benefits of live video shopping as an e-commerce video marketing strategy:
Increased Conversions
Live video shopping can increase online sales. Research shows that consumers who participate in video calls are four times more likely to purchase.
Furthermore, integrating video chat into online shopping experiences can boost the average order value by up to 30%. The effectiveness of video shopping lies in its ability to enable genuine, face-to-face interactions in the digital space.
Reduced Cart Abandonment
Different factors lead to cart abandonment, including distractions, difficulty in finding desired items, or encountering obstacles during the checkout process.
Live video shopping events can effectively reduce cart abandonment by offering shoppers immediate assistance while they navigate your website or app. It’s important to implement this strategy because 57% of customers are likely to abandon their carts if they cannot quickly resolve their inquiries.
Through real-time support via video shopping, you can guide customers through their shopping journey and resolve any issues promptly, thereby encouraging customers to complete their purchases.
Competitive Advantage
Without a unique selling proposition, you risk losing your market share to competitors. Hence, if competitors have not embraced live video shopping yet, it’s important to pioneer its implementation to stay ahead.
Moreover, this move is likely to attract more customers to your brand. For instance, research shows that 27% of European consumers are likely to switch to a brand that offers live video shopping.
Implementing this video marketing strategy ensures that your business remains relevant and competitive.
How Can You Launch a Live Video Shopping Campaign?
The tips below will help you implement live video shopping in your e-commerce video marketing strategy:
Choose the Right Platform
Choosing the right platform plays a key role in ensuring the success of your marketing strategy. You can explore platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Live, or even host your live video shopping directly on your website.
Showcase the Right Product
Choose products that are ideal for live demonstrations and are likely to captivate customers. Focus on presenting new releases, top sellers, or items with unique features that you can effectively display in live videos.
Engage With Your Audience
Live video shopping is all about interaction. Invite viewers to actively participate by commenting, asking questions, and sharing feedback throughout the event. Designate a team member to promptly monitor and engage with these comments.
Also, personalize the experience by acknowledging viewers by name, answering their questions, and implementing their suggestions. This engagement builds a vibrant community and increases your chances of making sales.
READ: Tips for Transforming Viewers into Buyers Using Shoppable Videos
Wrapping Up
Now you have lots of information on why you need to incorporate video marketing into your e-commerce marketing strategy. Hopefully, we’ve equipped you with the tips you need to boost your conversions, reach more customers, and build trust between you and your target audience.
However, videos can slow down your store and make you lose potential customers if you’re not careful. A mere 1-second delay in page loading time could reduce conversions by 7%. For an online store raking in $50,000 daily, this delay translates to over $1 million lost in sales annually.
Thankfully, video optimization platforms like SpeedSize can improve your store’s performance by reducing your video size by up to 99% while retaining approximately 100% of the video’s perceptible visual quality. Contact us to learn how we can help you.
