Part of the reason product videos have taken on such a prominence today has been through the popularity of DIY product videos. Upon its rise, YouTube opened up a forum for people to film their own how-tos, tutorials, reviews, and demos for products. Since then, product videos have become a way for consumers to interact more intimately with products and services.
A recent HubSpot study revealed 54% of consumers want to see more video content from brands and businesses they support. So when a new product is ready to hit the market, companies look to product videos to serve multiple functions. What starts with a video strategy becomes a full-fledged campaign to get your audience informed, intrigued, and inspired to make their buying decision.
So the time has come to create a new product video for your company. You’ll first need to ask yourselves a couple of questions about how you’ll want to approach it all, such as: What is the goal of the video? What type of product video will help to meet this goal? (How-To, Explainer, Demo, Spec Video, etc.) Should it be animated/ live action? Will it feature talent or simply a voiceover? Who is our audience?
In this guide to product videos, we’ll cover it all. We’ll break down the steps that go into making an effective product video.
Find the Right Video to Educate Your Audience
Regardless the variety of product video you’re producing; the aim of the video is to educate viewers about the product that you’re showcasing. The fact that 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service should be enough to get you thinking about how you want to educate your audience.
Traditionally, product videos were intended to highlight the core aspects of a new product upon release. But with more channels for companies to promote their products and services on, more styles of product videos have been put to use. With the goal of educating your audience in mind, finding the right style of product video can help you pinpoint what makes your product special.
Some of the most popular styles include:
How-To Videos
Ah, the Internet’s original product video. How-to videos are the most thorough of product videos. Usually featuring a live person, they take you step by step, walking you through the process of how the product works. For products with multiple purposes, such as software, how-to videos are great tools to showcase how your customers can get the absolute most out of your product.
Explainer Videos
The very buzzworthy “explainer video” has exploded recently as one of the most popular methods of showcasing a product in all its glory. Often executed as animated videos, explainers are masterful at making complex topics/products seem simple. By taking full advantage of visual aids, animators have turned the explainer video into a must-have for companies looking to draw viewers into their world and educate them.
Spec Videos
Spec videos are all about appearance. They’re meant to be sleek, glossy, and full of hi-def shots of the product looking beautiful. While showcasing design, spec videos also inform viewers of what the product looks like in full use.
Demo Videos
Demo videos are all about showing the product in action. They’re less instructional than how-tos, and more about showing what exactly it is that the product does. Demo videos are a glimpse into how the product works, so making it seem user-friendly will play well with any audience.
Once you’ve landed on the right method to explain your product, it’s time to take other factors into account to make sure you nail your product video.
Keep It Simple and Accessible
You’re aiming to educate, not to overwhelm. The key to writing an effective product video script is to keeping language clear, concise, and not open for interpretation.
For someone highly familiar with the product, it’s easy to take your audience’s awareness for granted. But when outlining a script, it’s best to pass it around for several revisions to people who are less acquainted with the product. One of the worst things a product video can do is confuse. Going to the necessary lengths to avoid complex language will prove valuable for your marketing strategy in product video and beyond.
How Can You Reach Your Target Audience?
Though this is a question most likely asked in the R&D phase well before the product has even been put into production, it’s an important one for planning a product video. Language, coloring, font, animation style (if necessary), and promotional medium should all be taken into consideration.
Mobile video consumption rising by 100% every year, which has led marketers to turn to video as their primary way for explaining their products and services to their customers. So while it’s important to make sure that your video’s aesthetics are aligned with your audience, it’s also pivotal to reach your audience through the most organic channels. Social media has become an indispensable source for marketing video content. Knowing which platform to use can boost your viewership and increase recognition without the towering costs of paid ads.
“Product videos should be exciting enough to capture the audience’s attention, but simple and straightforward enough to highlight the gist of the product or service. “
Drive the Viewer Closer to a Buying Decision
Ultimately, what a product video does is drive the viewer from point of interest to point of purchase. Product videos should be exciting enough to capture the audience’s attention, but simple and straightforward enough to highlight the gist of the product or service. By the end of the video, you want your viewer to be inspired to take the next step of action, which is to visit your website to learn more and eventually make their buying decision.
When shopping online, 70% of millenials say they’ll watch a product’s video before making a purchase! Considering these numbers, and the widespread accessibility to video content on the Internet through social media, producing product videos for your products and services seems a no brainer.
Product videos, when done correctly, have the ability to work as advertisements without being too heavy-handed on the sales front. A properly crafted product video can double as branded content which allows the viewer to be influenced to purchase your product without the stigma of a conventional sales pitch. If your video is able to showcase the benefits of your product while displaying the ease of use, advantage over competition and the need for the product itself, it’s an asset that checks off multiple boxes for your digital marketing strategy.
Whether for a new gadget, clothing line, software platform, or just about anything else that’s being sold, product videos are great access points for consumers. They educate, offer glimpses into the product in-use, and sway the viewer as to why the product or service can improve their quality of life/work. So next time you’re promoting a new product or service, keep in mind the possibilities of connecting with an audience that can be available through delivering a great product video.
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