Promotional Video Production – Online Product videos
December 5th, 2011 in Promotional, Video Production Posted by cathy
If your video is going to be shown on your website or on an online shop product page, it’s likely that your viewer searched for your specific product and then clicked to watch the video and find out more. Your audience is more receptive a customer watching an in-store video.
Your challenge is less about attracting attention and more about providing the right information in an entertaining and engaging way.
It’s a more intimate viewing experience and so a more relaxed, casual presentation style is more appropriate. Whereas in a shop, you don’t have long to get your message across, in this environment, the viewer is settled and prepared to watch for a little longer if the content is appropriate to their search and answers their questions.
Of course, you need to communicate your product’s features and benefits, but the overall tone should make the viewer feel like they are being informed rather than sold to. Give them the information they need that helps them to make their purchase decision. After all, they’re only a couple of clicks from buying!
Using a relevant celebrity brand ambassador famous for their expertise in your industry is a very effective way to add weight to your message. For example, a chef demonstrating a kitchen gadget or a gardener demonstrating a tool. Of course, not everyone can afford (or would want to pay) for an A lister like Gordon Ramsay for example but a new up and coming chef will still add authority to the message.
Think about other places that you could upload your video and how this might affect the content and delivery style.
If you’re using a brand ambassador, consider filming something that their fans might appreciate and want to share. Depending on your brand and celebrity, this could be an extra little aside to camera, an outtake or a more elaborate scripted spoof. If you have the right ambassador, then their fans have a shared interest and are potential customers. A word of warning though – even if you want an outtake or spontaneous comment – talk to your video director beforehand as this will require a certain amount of creative and planning to get the desired tone and effect.
Another way to get your video seen by more people is to share it on ‘How to’ sites like video jug. The emphasis here is very much about how to do something – not about a specific product or brand. This will however create demand if the viewer learns that there is a product they can buy that will solve their problem – now they know what to search for.
If you want to get your video seen and shared then you have to strike the right balance between product information and entertaining your target audience. People share things that are entertaining or unusual, so you need to have realistic expectations if your video is a product video. If your goal is to make a video that ultimately goes viral, then you may need to sacrifice product detail and step outside of your brand guidelines.
See September’s blog article for more information on viral video production.