What is Video Marketing?

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Video marketing refers to the use of videos to promote a product or a service. It is a form of digital marketing that capitalizes on the growing popularity of videos.

History of video marketing

Video marketing has been around since 1941 when a watch-seller in the US ran a commercial in New York. For the next six-and-a-half decades, TV commercials ruled the video-marketing field.

Rise of YouTube

The founding of YouTube in 2005, however, changed the idea that is video marketing. Brands started using the platform to engage with their audience. Such campaigns were effective too. Nike’s promotional video featuring Ronaldinho, for example, raked up a million views.

Ecommerce and video marketing

Now, around 50% of online shoppers search for product videos before buying something. Also, 72% of internet users liked to get product information as videos. These stats are forcing ecommerce stores to add videos in their marketing efforts.

How to Promote Your Ecommerce Store Through Video Marketing?

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1. Set a Strategy

Before you start making videos for your ecommerce store, develop an ecommerce marketing strategy. It will reduce expenses and help you extract the maximum value from your efforts. A typical product video has applications on:

• Product pages
• Email marketing
• Social media campaigns

On product pages, use close-ups, reviews, and explainers (more on this soon) to entice and educate a buyer. Such videos aim to handhold customers in the final stages of their journey to conversion.
You can use a video testimonial on an abandoned-cart email. If the customer is new, use a 'how-you-work' video on a welcome email to introduce your brand to them.
Upload a how-to video on YouTube so that top-of-the-funnel customers find your content. You should upload most of your video content on YouTube.

2. Make Use of YouTube

The number of people turning to YouTube for answers to their queries is rising by the year. YouTube is second only to Google in search volume. This makes it the perfect platform to introduce your store to customers.
For example, imagine that you just found out about the existence of rice cookers. You want to see what it is and if it would make your life easier.
A search on YouTube affords you an explainer video. You learn that the device can save a lot of your time, thereby improving your life. You also take note of the creator of the video -- an ecommerce store selling home appliances. In this example, the store gave you useful information. But, it also made you aware of its existence and relevance.

3. Make Use of Instagram

Instagram is a great platform to keep in touch with your potential customers. The TV, Stories and Reels allow you to upload different types of promotional videos.
The IG TV gives a regular business account a maximum air time of 10 minutes. Air time for verified accounts, however, goes up to one hour. Use IG TV for posting videos capturing:

• Day-to-day store activities
• How-to-do videos
• Influencer promotions

IG Stories has a time limit of 15 seconds. Use this feature to post a time-lapse video of the brisk operations at your warehouse.
The Reels is the latest addition to Instagram features. You can capture the video directly to Reels and do post-production there.
Extra : Instagram Live is a feature an ecommerce store can exploit. Use it to hold a Q&A session or capture the unveiling of a product.

Related : Instagram SEO: Benefits & Step-by-step Process to Optimize It

4. Show Them Who the Best Is!

Creating brand awareness alone may not bring you sales. You also need to prove to your customers that you are better than your competitor.
Video testimonials and case studies can help you do that. Testimonials are especially powerful in convincing a potential customer to trust your store.
They operate on the same principle as their more famous written cousins. That is, people believe other people, not brands. But, video testimonials are more trustworthy as customers appear in them.
Now, let’s look at a few video types that you can create as part of your video marketing strategy.

Types of Ecommerce Product Videos

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1. Close-up Videos

Close-up videos show the product from different angles. They help the user draw a clear picture of the product in their minds. These videos are apt for goods that have an aesthetic value as well.

Making a close-up product video

Ensure that you capture every corner and contour of the product. Lighting and surroundings are of paramount importance. They should cast the features of the product in sharp relief. All elements in the background should serve to enhance the appearance of the product.
Extra : Wyzowl recently surveyed the effectiveness of product videos. Around 80% of the respondents said product videos helped them make purchasing decisions.

2. How-to Videos

Next up are the tutorial videos. These, as the name implies, explain to the consumer how to use a particular product and how it adds value to life.
To make a good tutorial, you need to understand who your audience is. You also need to analyze whether your product has a particularly complicated aspect. If so, your tutorial should seek to address that first.
The next step is to create a storyboard (what you want to show for each paragraph of your script). Now, you are ready to practice and, subsequently, record.
The point of any tutorial video is to nudge the consumer into the next stage in their journey. The more useful you show your product to be, the more successful you will be landing a sale.

3. Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials in video format are the ultimate advertisement for your ecommerce store. They are authentic and give much-needed social proof to a skeptical buyer. There are several ways you can invite such videos:
Sending an email : Request your loyal customers to leave video reviews
Making a social media post : This will elicit both positive and negative reviews Promising them help: Tell them that you will do all the post-production tasks. If they want a script, help them write one.
Get an interview : Interviews give you more control over how the testimonial turns out to be.
Extra : If you can, incentivize video testimonials. Offer those who leave video testimonials a coupon or a discount for their next purchase.

4. How-You-Work Videos

To connect with your customers, you need to gain their trust. And to gain their trust, you need to show them who you are. Create videos that capture your business in action. Shoot how you pack goods, the precautions you and your employees take, etc.
You don't need a separate cameraman to do all this. If your phone has good cameras, you can do this yourself. You can also tell your story as an entrepreneur and express your gratitude to your customers.
Such videos connect with your consumers at an emotional level. They give your ecommerce store a physical foundation in their minds. According to a recent study, customers tend to buy from stores with which they feel connected.

Best Video Marketing Tools

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1. TubeBuddy

This tool is for your YouTube marketing efforts. It comes both as a mobile application and a browser extension. It helps you with: Topic research : Helps you find which topics to create videos on
Video creation : Gives you templates and tools to make videos
Video SEO : Helps you make your videos rank higher on YouTube.
A/B testing : Helps you find out which version of your video gets more views.
It has three plans starting with Pro, which costs you $9 a month.

2. Vyond

It's a great tool to make short-animated videos of your products. Its earlier name was GoAnimate. Major advantages of this tool are:
Library : You get a vast library of short videos, animations, templates, and backgrounds.
Easy to use : Its user-friendly interface makes learning to use the app a cakewalk.
Sound effects : A collection of sound effects free of royalty. Automatic lip-synching and text-to-speech features are available.
It comes in two plans with Premium being the cheapest. The monthly fee is $89.

3. Agorapulse

This tool enhances your marketing efforts across social media platforms. Through this tool, you can find your target audience and keep them engaged. Major features are:

• Find out trending hashtags
• Schedule your posts
• Manage your comment section
• Find out trending topics
• Measure engagement

Available in both app and extension forms, Agorapulse comes in four plans. The cheapest is the Medium plan, which starts at $99 a month.

4. InVideo

This video-making tool has over 3,500 editable video templates to choose from. You also get access to a billion pictures free of royalty. Major features include:

• Customize the videos by integrating logo and brand colors
• Use short animations to make your videos super cool
• Use the layer-editing feature to add elements seamlessly
• Add the background of your choice

The tool claims that you can create a stunning video within 15 minutes. Also, you get to keep the reseller rights. Subscription ranges from $10 a month to $30 a month.

5. VidIQ

You can use this tool to raise your ranking on YouTube. A metrics-section keeps you up-to-date with the performance of your videos. Other major features are:

• Has an SEO tool that helps you find the best keywords for YouTube videos
• Has a comment-moderation tool that helps you converse with your best subscribers
• Has a competitor-analysis tool that helps you find out more about your competitor

The tool has a basic free plan. Paid plans start with Pro, which will cost you $7.5 a month.

6. Clipchamp

Small-scale business owners love this tool for its ease of use. This online tool has all the features of standard video-editing software. Other major features include:

• A great library of video and audio clips
• Ready-made templates that make video-making simpler
• Own webcam-recording and video-compression facilities

The tool comes in three plans. The basic plan, recommended for personal use, is free. Paid plans start with Creator, which will cost you $9 a month.

7. Adobe's tools

Adobe offers 3 main tools for video marketing -- Animate, Dimension, and Premiere Pro. Professional-video makers and graphic designers will find these tools highly useful.
Animate : It allows you to create high-quality animations. You have access to an asset section containing templates and sound clips.
Dimension : This tool helps you combine 3D and 2D designs. But, you should have Photoshop and Illustrator to make good use of this tool.
Premiere Pro : You will find it easy to work with if you have Photoshop or After Effects experience.

8. Vimeo

It is a video-distribution platform akin to YouTube. You can embed Vimeo videos wherever you want. Vimeo controls let you know who is watching your videos and from which location. Major features include:

• The Premium plan gives you 7TB of storage so you can host all your videos in one place
• Team collaboration is available. Ask your team members to review and annotate videos
• Track the performance of your videos to help you fine-tune your works

The cheapest paid plan is Plus, starting at $7 a month.

Video Marketing & Ecommerce FAQs

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1. Why Should I Make Videos for My Ecommerce Store?

Most say that the inability to touch a product is the biggest drawback of online shopping. Videos seek to solve this issue by giving online shoppers a virtual touch.
No content format can highlight and explain your product better than videos. Moreover, video consumption on the internet is increasing by the year. This hints at the mass appeal video content have.

2. What Are Video Reviews, and How I Can Use Them?

Video reviews are customer reviews in video format. They are a valuable form of user-generated content (UGC) that you can use to generate more sales. For example, you can use video reviews on product pages and email marketing campaigns. In both places, they serve as valuable social proof.

3. Will Video Content Replace Text?

By 2022, 82% of all the content consumed on the internet will be videos. According to a 2018 study, 85% of US internet users watch videos. So, videos will become the predominant form of content on the internet. And platforms like YouTube are only going to be bigger with time.

4. What Are the Best Platforms for Video Marketing?

YouTube : People consume over a billion hours of video on YouTube a day
Instagram : This popular social-media platform lets users share videos and photos. It lets businesses reach a comparatively younger audience.
Facebook : Most businesses these days have a Facebook page with photos, videos, and GIFs. The platform has 1.39 billion active users.