With all the hype and talk about content marketing and its many success stories, is there still room for straightforward product or service promotional videos? You bet your bottom dollar there is!
After all, having raised brand awareness and nurtured your prospects with engaging and relevant digital content, they will still want to know what your product looks like, how it works and whether it’s exactly what they need.
However, the language and tone of product videos have changed over the last few years, as people’s expectations for video content have also changed. Hundreds of hours of video are uploaded online every minute and it’s readily available on all kinds of different platforms. So, to make an impact a product video has to be about more than just the product.
That said, there are plenty of creative ways to put your product centre stage and still engage with viewers. The following factors, many of which are also utilised effectively in content marketing videos, can be the difference between a great product video and a poor one:
The Problem
The first step is to get viewers’ attention by saying, ‘I understand your problem!’ In the case of some products, it might not be a specific problem – but instead, a desire or need. Even so, the message is the same whether you’re selling luxury, non-essential goods or a solution to back pain; it’s about making it clear to your target audience that you know where they’re coming from.
The Story
Telling a story is a very effective way of engaging with your target audience, helping them understand how you can help them. Storytelling doesn’t have to be a full-blown production; it can be a simple narrative, such as explaining the viewer’s ‘problem’ in a way that resonates with them.
The Solution
Naturally, the solution will be the product and how that, through the story you tell, addresses the problem your customers have.
The Experience
You also need to show customers what it will be like to have your product. This might mean showing them how easy and simple it is to use, or the lifestyle-enhancing benefits it can deliver. In the example of a product for back pain, the experience might include everything from the ease of using the product to the rapid results it delivers; whereas a luxury product such as a designer handbag may focus less on the practicalities of the product, and more on what it is like to own it – e.g. the image value, the prestige.
Customer endorsement is an extremely powerful way of underpinning product or service claims, so it’s worth including short on-camera comments from satisfied customers.
The Brand
Product videos should also be aligned with the brand, and in the case of established brands, this can effectively validate the product in the eyes of the viewer. For less well-known brands, or those undergoing a re-branding exercise, the product video becomes another opportunity to build awareness and communicate brand values.
The Vision
Ultimately all the above factors contribute their part to the big picture or vision of what you are trying to build, and one that your target customers will want to buy into. This might be a world free of back pain, or one where if you have the right handbag you’ll lead a charmed life! Whatever that vision is, it will be something that will inspire customers to buy your product.
For examples of product and service videos we’ve produced for our clients, have a look at our video portfolio here.