Over 80% of marketers use video to promote their brand and increase awareness. It is THE best way to communicate and convince your target consumer that your product is the answer in matter of seconds.
So why is it so effective? And what are the key benefits to using video Ecommerce formats in your marketing strategy?
Using video content marketing can sky rocket your conversion rates, boosting sales.
Video gives a super clear view of your product, demonstrating it in 360 degrees and in action. In fact, Wyzowl explains that explainer videos have the potential to encourage 74% of viewers to buy a product. Proving that product videos have the capacity to push up revenue.
Harnessing the power of video Ecommerce can boost ROI for brands.
Using video may be daunting for brands as it costs money to create content. However, effective promotional videos can ensure good return on investment. Interactive video platforms can help provide brands with a simple template to make videos quickly and easily. New streaming commerce formats such as live shopping, actually allow brands to create free, streamed content and sell products in real time via a broadcast. This removes the need for lengthy, high production video content.
Increase your customers trust in your brand by educating them quickly with video content.
Dynamic, creative and eye catching video content draws in the viewer and provides them with clear information on product offerings. This drives qualified traffic to Ecomm sites to boost conversion rates. Other formats can help take video to the next level to educate and engage. Interactive video content marketing instantly hooks the viewer with addictively clickable content. The consumer can play a role in the content by tapping to view product info and adding their preferred size and colour to their bag.
But with all this information... Where is the best place to distribute video content marketing?
We've put together an analysis of the best channels to share your videos!
1. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the best place to get your brand seen by other businesses. It is a more professional environment where explainer, mind-sharing video content does well.
Pros:
B2B focussed brands can streamline content to reach their target audience
Start a conversation with people from target businesses
Cons:
Less space for intensely creative advertising content, content may be more professional and explanatory
Not as B2C focussed as other platforms
2. Facebook
Facebook has the biggest social base in the world. With 2.8 billion users globally this is a great platform to get your video content seen. Content is sociable, entertaining and casual. Videos here need to grab the viewers attention in seconds to hook them in for the whole.
Pros:
The opportunity to reach huge audiences and broaden your customer base
Direct your viewer straight to your brand page to boost sales
Cons:
With so many users, there is a LOT of content. As a result, videos could get lost and need to be super engaging to stand out amongst the crowd.
3. Instagram
As a purely visual platform, video content is at home here. Video formats include stories, posts, reels, TV and live streams. Instagram is branching out towards more shoppable video streaming options in the US.
Pros:
Video can be seen in a variety of formats so the limits are endless
Connect socially with your customers through social shopping features
Product tags give direct links for your consumers to buy
Cons:
Videos could go viral, or get lost in the sea of content
If you have a small following, there can be limitations to what you can do, such as swipe up on story
4. Twitter
The Twitter newsfeed is typically made up of social content from celebrity users or influencers. Tweets are often textual or image based with short snappy information that entertains in just a few sentences.
Pros:
Less pressure on creating lengthy content and more focus on creating short but effective videos
Video content isn't as prevalent so using video on Twitter could make your brand stand out
Cons:
Video content is not as common so may not perform as well
Twitter's demographic tends to be more millennial (40% of users) than Gen Z so certain audiences could be missed
5. Pinterest
Here, inspirational content connects likeminded people. Videos can range from 'How To' tutorials to styling videos and other product demo content. Pinterest is mainly used for product discovery.
Pros:
Target customers who are already searching for products like yours, Pinterest helps brands reach out to informed traffic
How to videos increase customer trust by showing them exactly how your product can solve their problems
Cons:
Smaller number of active users means less people to reach out to
Limited video formats available in comparison to Facebook and Instagram
6. YouTube
YouTube is the biggest platform for video in the world with 500 hours of video uploaded every minute. Brands use streaming commerce to sell their products in live streams and on demand video.
Pros:
Organic content has the ability to go viral on YouTube
Videos can range from 2 minutes to long explainer videos
Cons:
Youtube does not allow third party players so you cannot post interactive or shoppable video formats
7. Ecommerce Landing Pages
Videos can be embedded onto Ecommerce landing pages to add an extra, dynamic element to your website.
Pros:
Turn uninformed traffic into qualified visitors willing to make a purchase and boost conversion
Create eye catching, interactive and shoppable content that creates a memorable shopping experience.
Cons:
Embedded videos have to be in the right place to be seen
If your video is on auto-play it can give you conflicting engagement results
8. Email Newsletters
Adding video to an email newsletter is an easy way to market your brand and inform your customers of new updates.
Pros:
Cheap and easy way to get the word out to customers who are already interested in your brand
Drive more customers to your site using exciting formats like interactive video
Cons:
Emails can be sent to junk or spam inboxes
Some users ignore emails or delete them instinctively
9. Blogs
Blogs are a staple part of content marketing and SEO. Videos can supplement written content to explain a product quickly, visually and in detail. They can be embedded in posts easily.
Pros:
Easy way to distribute video and inform users
A video says a thousand words, videos can save your time typing out content
Cons:
Not everybody reads blogs
Blogs need to be opened to view the videos so they may not have as much engagement
Conclusion...
With so many ways to distribute videos why settle for one platform? Streaming commerce can branch across one or all of these channels. While some may be better for video others may suit your brand better. As long as you're using video content marketing, you can start generating engagement and boosting conversion with a variety of formats.
For more information on shoppable video, interactive content and live stream visit Smartzer here!
Live shop technology is becoming more and more relevant for brands everywhere. The format is smashing digital boundaries to produce a revolutionary buying experience that not only converts, but entertains the masses.
It is undeniable that over the past years, there has been a colossal increase in the amount of people buying online, both young and old. This number is only growing as the pandemic has pushed millions of people towards the internet hoping to buy, communicate and be entertained.
Live shopping targets these three desires to draw in a new experience focussed customer profile.
Interactive video platforms are helping brands to achieve their live shop goals 📹
New live stream shopping technology means that brands can host streams with direct links to the products featured. A clickable overlay lives on top of the video stream with clickable pop-ups that provide information, a link to product display pages and a direct add to cart CTA. This quickly introduces the customer to everything they need to know in a matter of seconds, convincing them to purchase.
Streaming commerce opens a channel to link brands and customers in the comfort of their homes 👫
A chat bar helps customers to type questions or responses to hosts, breaking down the wall between virtual and real life. This conversational commerce format provides customers with a more personalised, bespoke, connected way of shopping. Being able to see the face behind the brand boosts customer trust and solidifies the merchants legitimacy.
Dynamic, charismatic and enthusiastic hosts demonstrate the products they know and love to a fresh new audience 🔥
Content could be anything, from brand representatives demonstrating how products are made, to live product demos, to catwalk models wearing complete looks to be bought directly from the stream. You could even host a Q and A, do a live in-store tour or feature an influencer. As long as the host remains up-beat and full of personality, live stream shopping experiences can entertain large audiences and simultaneously encourage impulse purchases in the heat of the moment.
Drawing together shopping, communication and entertainment targets most of the key areas that todays customer craves in an increasingly digitalised world. It is no longer enough to simply have an Ecommerce store, with live stream shopping you can attract an experience focussed consumer and boost engagement and conversion rates through the roof.
To learn more about interactive video platforms and live shopping visit Smartzer here!
- Jul 29, 2021
Online audience's are constantly evolving and developing and as a result, shoppable content has been given the crucial space to grow.
Recently, marketers have seen big changes in online audience demographic. It is no longer true to say that online consumers are explicitly Gen-Z. Now, close to a third of Instagram's users are aged 35 or older. Even TikTok is reaching a greater variety of age groups with 40% of its users older than 25 in 2019. 2020 pushed these demographic changes even further with many reaching towards their mobile phones for entertainment and shopping solutions when businesses were closed.
With this transfer, shoppable content has found new footing amongst a wide range of audiences. This has been largely down to how easy the interactive format makes shopping. Directly linking viewers to buy the products that they see on screen and offering them a wide range of sizing and colour options as well as product information.
Shoppable content makes life easier for online shoppers. They can seamlessly move from the content to purchasing the product – so no secondary websites, redirects or endless searching. Just instant, direct sales. This cuts out any “thinking time” and targets impulse purchase shopping.
At the touch of a button, consumers can purchase the exact product from a video. This has opened the door to a more instant, personalised, engaging way of shopping. With this brands can produce a customer focussed experience.
Here are some key examples of inspirational shoppable content shared online...
Shoppable text and articles...
In Net-A-Porter’s editorials, “Shop the Look” anchor links have been included under each image, giving the reader the opportunity to buy the featured product from a pop-up on screen. Read insightful interactive content and buy straight from the story in an engaging entertainment fuelled reading and shopping experience.
Shoppable images and lookbooks...
Jack Wills seamlessly used the magic of shoppable content to create an interactive campaign look book. Customers could browse new collections, learn about the product and then click a CTA to be directed to the product page to buy.
Interactive Video...
Luxury fashion brand, Oroton, took shoppable content one step further with a completely immersive and interactive runway show. Viewers could buy entire looks fresh from the runway in a 'see now, buy now' experience. This interactive campaign was seamlessly created using Smartzer's interactive video platform.
Livestream Shopping...
Clarks embraced a more social way of selling through livestream shopping. This form of shoppable content enabled the brand to sell in real-time, featuring products and interacting with viewer comments in the chat bar. Smartzer's interactive video platform allowed Clarks to reach incredible levels of engagement.