Why eCommerce Brands Need to Embrace Video Content

In this digital age, eCommerce brands are looking for more and more ways to make themselves stand out from the crowd. Content marketing has taken on a whole new life of its own, and everyone wants to be the best.

There are a few ways that you can really make your brand stand out, and one of these ways is video content.

In the post below, we explain why you should be embracing video content as an eCommerce brand.

Recommended reading: The Importance of Instagram Stories in Marketing

It Taps into a HUGE Audience

People are watching over 1 billion hours of YouTube videos per day — so if you want your content marketing to be a success, you’d be silly not to tap into this huge audience.

Video is a versatile marketing tool that you can use effectively on a number of different social channels, like Facebook or Instagram.

Facebook has become very video-heavy in the last few years: people want instant gratification rather than having to slog through long-winded posts, so take advantage of this. You can post video content or even live videos to be more interactive with your customers. And by investing in paid ads, you can reach many more potential customers too.

If you hit the nail on the head with your video content, it could end up being shared thousands of times. You may even reach that elusive goal of all campaign planners: going viral.

Viral videos are an incredible way of raising brand awareness and getting everyone talking about you. If your video is the right level of attention-grabbing, funny or thought-provoking, it will resonate with your audience and they will want to share your message.

Not only is this perfect for marketing your products because you’re getting free advertising and reaching more people, but you’ve also got the added bonus of social proof. This means you — and your products — appear more trustworthy and positive because your customers are willing to shout about you for you.

It Connects You Emotionally with Your Market

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how much is a video worth?

Using video content allows you to convey emotions and feelings in a way that words simple wouldn’t be able to do.

Think about big perfume brands like Dolce and Gabbana or Chanel. Obviously, they’re selling a product whose main purpose is to make you smell amazing. So how do they market their product online? How do they reel consumers in?

The answer is in video. Perfume adverts are notoriously abstract, but they work incredibly well because they tap into your subconscious. These video adverts give you a feel for a product that you’re otherwise pretty detached from, sitting at your computer or television. They evoke a feeling of luxury, sensuality or freedom, and inspire you to buy their product with just a 30-second clip.

Chanel is a perfect example of a brand doing adverts well. Using Keira Knightley as the face of their campaigns, they evoke a sense of fun, nostalgia and beauty. This is how you connect with your market and sell a product.

It Allows You to Tell Your Story

Video content is awesome for ecommerce brands because it allows you to tell your brand’s story.

Storytelling in marketing is extremely popular these days, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an effective way of sharing information about your brand without seeming too aggressive or salesy. It helps to make your customers more emotionally invested in your brand, and it can create an identity that they identify with.

A story is also a lot easier to remember than a block of facts because it provokes emotion.

Storying is great for building trust too because it allows you to ‘open up’ and connect emotionally with your audience. This means they’re far more likely to trust your brand and buy your products. And in turn, they will remain loyal long-lasting customers and become advocates for your brand.

There are a few different video types you can create with storytelling:

• About us — you can share your origin story, what the concept is behind your product, or you can introduce yourself or your team
• Behind the scenes/how we work — giving a bit more information about the process behind your product, or what your team gets up to in the office. This feels like you’re inviting your audience in on a secret or more exclusive information
• Sharing your values — you can show your customers why you do what you do. What drives you?

It Boosts Your SEO

Video content doesn’t just look sit there looking pretty. It earns its keep: video content can make a significant contribution to how your online store ranks in search.

There are a few ways that video can help with your SEO strategy. Generating shares on social boosts brand awareness, but also ups your chances of earning a link on your viewer’s blog or website. Link building is great for generating traffic to your store, and also increases SEO ranking.

Remember that video content is still content, which is an important SEO ranking factor.

Incorporating video on your online store tells search engines that you have valuable, quality content on your site. And if you produce an engaging video that people watch on your site, then they’ll stay for longer, which makes your site look way better to Google.

For example, if you’re an online gadget store, you can weave videos into your content that answer popular questions in your niche, such as reviewing the best products or showing how things work — think fun, fast, and clickbait content a la Mashable and Techradar, as well as long-form FAQs and demos.

If you have a niche lifestyle store, you might want to invest in more aspirational, influencer-led video content. Recipes, hacks, challenges, reviews — all of these popular vlogging formats are ones that brands can also embrace for their benefit.

Videos like this will keep your audience engaged and will increase your on-page relevance and rankings. Include keywords in accompanying text such as in titles, descriptions and tags. Use tools such as KeywordTool.io or SEOquake to help you — and don’t forget to upload your videos to YouTube to drive even more traffic.

It Drives Sales

Video content also increases conversions and drives sales. Once you’ve attracted a visitor to your online store, video content gives you the chance to engage with them and impress them enough to make a purchase.

Product videos give you the chance to show off your products and give the viewer an accurate portrayal of what they’re considering buying.

If you’re selling clothes, then you can include videos showing how an item fits and moves on a model. This gives the viewer a way better understanding of a product than a photo.

Take online fashion retailer ASOS, for example. They include short clips in which their products are modelled, therefore giving the viewer a feel for the product’s cut.

Image credit: ASOS

This builds trust between the consumer and seller because it shows the consumer what to expect and proves the transparency of the site.

If you’re an eCommerce brand, including video content in your marketing strategy is clearly a must.

There are all sorts of reasons why video content will benefit your store, and there are many different ways that you can approach it. You don’t have to just settle for one; use a range of styles to reach out to potential customers, tell your brand story and drive sales.

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