If you are trying to boost your eCommerce website, using video content is a great way to do so. Videos can help engage customers and keep them on your site longer. In fact, studies have shown that including videos on your website can increase conversion rates by up to 80%. Not sure where to start? Check out these seven tips for using videos on your e-commerce site.
1) Use Videos for problem-solving
If there is one thing that you can be certain of, it’s that your shoppers have questions. And these days, they want answers—fast. In fact, according to a survey by social media analytics company Lithium, “Help me now“ was the number one request from consumers looking for help across all social networks.
Many e-commerce companies are tapping video as their go-to customer service solution on a mission to fill this need for instant gratification. About 63 percent of consumers say that product videos make them more confident in online purchases! With numbers like those, it’s easy to see why making videos is such a popular practice among e-commerce businesses.
Also, to satisfy customers while boosting conversions and sales, many companies are integrating videos on product pages to demonstrate their capabilities as perceived by customers. And if that doesn’t convince you of the potential benefits of video, then nothing will.
2) Use Videos for content marketing
The rise of video marketing is upending traditional ways of doing business online. It’s no secret that there’s a lot more competition for customer attention online today than ever before. And, if your e-commerce store wants to be successful in this highly competitive environment, you’ll have to find new – less obvious – ways of getting your message out there.
One proven way of achieving this goal is through creating valuable videos featuring your brand discussing various topics related to your niche market.
Let’s say, for example, you manufacture and sell women’s cycling clothes. Well, you could create a video featuring one of your most passionate cycling enthusiasts from the inside of a studio who shares her story about how she got started riding bikes or offers tips on what to wear during cold winter rides. Compelling stuff!
What makes this type of content so valuable? Well, rather than just putting up articles full of flat text about these topics online, videos help you build community excitement around what you do. Be sure to edit your videos, add audio, and remove background noise to make them more professional and appealing.
You can also use videos to educate consumers while building richer connections with them by inviting other experts in the field to weigh in on various topics while adding their unique perspectives.
And even though it may seem like an obvious choice right now, it’s important not to underestimate the power of videos for content marketing. According to one study that analyzed over 70 million pieces of content from B2C and B2B industries, video drives five times more shares than text and images combined.
3) Use Videos on landing pages
Videos are a no-brainer when it comes to making a splash with your product launch or special offer, but why stop there? There is also plenty of room for integrating effective video strategies into your pre-launch phases as well.
In fact, if you take the time to craft compelling pre-launch hype videos featuring yourself, team members, or any other relevant stakeholders who can share their excitement about what you do (or what you plan on doing), then you’ll always be one step ahead of the competition.
For example, you might create a video that tells your story as an e-commerce company or highlights your unique selling proposition. Besides helping you build excitement about your brand and product, pre-launch videos also help attract visitors to your site and encourage them to sign up for email updates so they can be notified about the upcoming launch. And this is just one small but effective way automated emails can be used to boost conversion rates on sites.
4) Use Videos for social sharing
Social media like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter play a major role in how people spend their time online today. They are not going away anytime soon either; if anything, they’ll only become more ingrained into our everyday lives moving forward.
So, if you are not using video on these channels to your marketing advantage, then you probably should be. You may wonder exactly how you can leverage social sharing for effective lead generation or customer engagement, but it does not have to be complicated.
If anything, the answer is simple: just create more videos! And while this may trigger some pushback from hardcore marketers who believe in sticking to the basics when something ‘works’. There are plenty of creative ways you can use videos on these platforms.
For example, instead of simply posting up product descriptions on Instagram, you could create an Instagram TV ad with a link to your landing page instead. Or, the next time you send out a tweet, consider posting up a short video rather than just using text.
5) Use video to highlight discounts or special offers
Who does not love a good deal? Whether you are running your own Black Friday sale or want to give shoppers an incentive to buy before the holidays, then you can’t go wrong by highlighting exciting special offers via video.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with promoting yourself and your products. Still, when you add a bit of context into the mix (like highlighting special offers), then landing pages can become even more successful. Because visitors can quickly see what is in it for them?
6) Use Videos for email marketing
Email marketing is one of the best ways to establish trust with leads and turn them into customers. The tricky part comes when you have to figure out how exactly you are going to get someone’s attention through email. Especially if they have hundreds or even thousands of other messages sitting in their inbox.
That said, adding videos is one of the most effective email marketing strategies because it’s capable of delivering personalized. High-value content straight to the recipient’s inbox without requiring much input from them at all.
For example, instead of simply sending out an email newsletter about your company and your latest product; you could also include a video that explains why it makes sense to switch to your brand or product instead.
7) Use Videos for social proof
Although there are plenty of webinars and videos about how well-received your products or services. Maybe sometimes all it takes is hearing it from the horse’s mouth so to speak. You don’t necessarily need to get an endorsement from an influencer either.
Instead, try asking satisfied customers to record testimonial videos. So, you can share them on your Facebook page. Then, after they have gone live and you are able to generate some organic engagement (i.e., likes and comments), consider sharing these customer testimonials across all your social media channels.
Conclusion:
Videos can be used in a variety of ways on your e-commerce site to improve customer engagement and drive sales. Have you tried using them in any of the methods we discussed? What were the results?