If Content Is King, Then Video Is God

There's no doubt about it. Communicating clearly is the key to more sales in any marketing strategy. And the perfect strategy demands the right visuals.

Except there's no such thing as a perfect marketing strategy.

Much like your product line, your marketing strategies are inevitably going to evolve, along with your audience. Especially your digital marketing strategy, which has witnessed a level of refinement and innovation unthinkable just five short years ago.

Trends come and trends go. Today's viral buzz can become yesterday's cliché quicker than you think; and the face of digital marketing is never permanent. It's constantly evolving, adapting to new deliveries and new online shopping habits.

But if there's one thing that remains constant, it's the strength of video.

Is It All in Your Head? Why Video Matters

The impact of visual information is hardly the result of a shift towards digital communication. It's largely hardwired into our brains.

A 2014 MIT study found that humans are capable of identifying images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds and it's no tremendous surprise why. Visuals are by default the single most immediate form of cognition we possess, with almost 50 percent of the human brain's cortex being devoted to processing visual information.

Consider the static image. It conveys a single moment in time. The expression on a face. Perhaps a memory. But ultimately? It's singular. It's one-dimensional.

But consider video. It's dynamic. It conveys action. A broader emotional spectrum. Nuanced. And significantly richer in depth.

Is it any wonder that video is predicted to account for over two-thirds of all global web traffic by the end of 2023?

eCommerce Content Marketing and Video

The main appeal of content marketing has always been the lack of a hard sell.

Unlike traditional marketing, content marketing manages to “persuade without persuasion.” It demonstrates. It conveys. It's less about your product and more about a shared experience; one which customers from any walk of life can relate to.

Video augments this shared experience by providing a more in-depth look at brands. It can both demonstrate how a product is used in real life situations as well as provide your back story, adding value to your content by portraying your products in a much warmer and much more human light.

Video isn't about flash or gimmicks. Nor is it necessarily about influencer marketing outreach. It's about establishing a sense of empathy—one of the most vital components to any successful marketing strategy.

By the Numbers: The Impact of Video on eCommerce Content

• YouTube estimated in 2017 that over a billion hours—or 8.4 minutes per person—of social content video was viewed across the globe each day.

• A recent forecast from Zenith Media predicted that the average person spent almost 100 minutes per day viewing video online in 2021.

• It's been estimated that 90 percent of consumers have claimed video based content made a direct impact on their purchasing decisions.

• A recent survey from independent marketing agency Wyzowl revealed 87 percent of brands indicated a significant increase in traffic to their site as a result of video marketing campaigns.

• A 2019 report from PwC estimates that spending on mobile video advertising in 2023 will be three times greater than non-video mobile advertising by 2023. The same report also predicts that online advertising will rise from $123.1 billion in 2019 to $160.8 billion by 2023. By comparison, only $70.6 billion was spent on traditional TV advertising in 2019.

Best Practices for Video in eCommerce Marketing

Be cognizant of video length

Approximately 66 percent of all online video ads in 2019 were at least 30 seconds long. But the length of your video will vary not only based on the information your ad contains and target audience, but will have to vary for each specific delivery channel.

While a 30 second video length should be a sufficient benchmark for most Amazon sellers, you may find it insufficient to relate relevant product information. On the other hand, the optimal length for a YouTube campaign is roughly two minutes—which may be far more time than you actually need, cutting into your marketing costs if you're not careful.

Don't pad your video with irrelevant selling points. Stick to the key features which make your product unique and try to explain them simply and concisely. Your video is supposed to be reflective of your product. A reflection which compels, not one which over elaborates.

Don't stick with just one type of video

Different marketing strategies will vary from channel to channel. And that's nowhere more evident than with video campaigns.

Video marketing isn't a traditional marketing campaign where repetition of images and slogans accounts for a driving factor in sales. Digital marketing demands diversity and fresh content.

Perhaps you're looking to integrate video into your social media marketing campaign. Maybe a Sponsored Brands video on Amazon will help boost conversions. Maybe you want to put together a how-to guide for new customers. Or maybe you've already developed relationships with top influencers.

Don't be limited to one category. Content marketing is about a value-added experience; and the more diverse the content, the greater the value for customers.

Ensure your marketing mix is optimized for mobile commerce

With m-commerce now predicted to reach over 43 percent of total eCommerce retail sales by the end of 2023, failing to integrate mobile marketing into your video campaign strategy can be a costly mistake.

But keep in mind that the attention span for most users of mobile devices can be considerably shorter. Try to grab the viewer's attention within the first 3 seconds of your video and ensure that your main points are clear, concise and can be explained during the first 15 seconds.

The mobile experience is centered around brevity, and few users will have the patience to sit through vague and irrelevant content, no matter how cleverly it's produced.

Integrate testimonials into your video

Just how strong are customer testimonials in marketing?

• At close to 90 percent, customer testimonials have been estimated to have one of the highest shares of content marketing efficacy.

• Almost 70 percent of consumers will trust an online recommendation from someone they've never even met.

• According to a 2019 Wyzowl survey, 77 percent of customers indicated video testimonials impacted their final decision on purchasing a product.

The power of peer recommendations may be nothing new. But integrating them into your marketing campaign is one of the primary strengths of video.

Customer testimonials lend credibility. They lend accountability. They lend relatability. And above all, They lend authenticity—perhaps one of the most reliable tests of your brand's ultimate strength.

Search Engine Marketing for Video

Visibility in search engines is always going to be one of the key focal points for any eCommerce business. But are you utilizing search engine optimization fully?

It's been estimated that video constitutes up to 26 percent of all Google search results. And the reality is that very few potential customers will be scouring YouTube specifically for your product.

Much like Amazon, Google never reveals the metrics behind their algorithm. But it's not a secret that the amount of time users spend on a page can influence its ranking and SERP results. And it's simple logic that session length + quality content = more conversions.

Search engine optimization tips for video

• Engineer your video thumbnail yourself to ensure that it's both relevant to your product line as well as visually appealing

• Tag your video appropriately, with a title tag that's relevant to both your content and your product

• Keep in mind that much like non-video content, Google can crawl the text of your video transcript for additional SEO ranking

• If possible, enable a moving video preview to allow users to gain a better understanding of your content

• Use encoding file types supported by Google, including 3GP, 3G2, ASF, AVI, DivX, M2V, M3U, M3U8, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, OGV, QVT, RAM, RM, VOB, WebM, WMV and XAP

• Self host your video on your own eCommerce store. If you're pressed for time or simply don't know where to start, Color More Lines can craft a highly compelling and conversion-focused video short that highlights the strength of your product line—at a competitive rate that's well within the means of your business.

What's the Future for Video Marketing Campaigns?

Content may be king. But which format has the right to wear its crown demands constant evaluation and refinement.

It may turn out that seemingly new and cutting edge strategies such as OTT and livestream shopping will eventually go the way of dial-up modems and rotary telephones as more effective and streamlined delivery methods are introduced into marketing. But that's the nature of marketing: it doesn't rest.

Not all online services are going to benefit from video. But most online products will. And your customer base is going to be much more receptive to both your brand image as well as an example of just how your product can impact their lives.

Video provides that example. And it doesn't need aggressive hard sell tactics to do so. All it needs is basic skill, creativity and above all, your product.

Your product quality may be living up to its full potential. But is your content?

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eCommerce account management is only part of what Color More Lines does. And content creation and videography is just a small fraction of our creative services. Find out more at Color More Lines.