To deny the effectiveness of product videos is to go against some well researched marketing trends.
While an eCommerce website can succeed without video, to refuse valuable opportunities is not consistent with a solid eCommerce marketing plan – you would be taking much bigger risks unnecessarily to deny less reliable strategies.
There is an undeniable need for online videos in marketing, even with the current saturation of the market. Let’s face it; our brains are wired to respond primarily to visual stimuli. Our visual sense provides most of our dominant sensory input, and thus it plays an important role in the formation of opinion. This is not just science jargon; it is a fact that most Americans spend 85% of their online time watching videos. Similar statistics can be found everywhere, and an undeniable link between customer interest and the visual medium is formed.
If that does not provide you with enough incentive, consider the fact that search engines are much nicer to videos in comparison to other inputs. By far, the most popular search engine in existence is Google. Its algorithm dictates that it should prioritize results that have included video in their content. It simply prefers multimedia results instead of bland text. If you manage to properly optimize your product video, it will be much easier for people to spot your content online. Taking into account that Google also owns the most popular video hosting site (YouTube), it is a marketing goldmine to harness the reach of this wonderful platform.
People just don’t like to read when alternatives are available. Data released from both social media and eCommerce sites show an increase in public interest for posts that include music, pictures or videos. YouTube and Facebook are especially effective at gathering data, due to the fact that they both have an integrated voting system. Not only are videos more interesting on an individual level, but they also get shared a lot more. It has gotten to the point where prominent companies have tried to stage viral videos and replicate their success.
Cost is another factor. A few decades ago, to air a commercial on television could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Having a video commercial was a privilege reserved for the very rich. Nowadays, this opportunity is dirt cheap and accessible; it would be a shame to waste it.
The final point is probably the most persuasive, as it is an argument of precedence. If seeing is believing, suffice to say, you might want to look around and be amazed by just how many companies (including competitors) are making use of eCommerce websites and willing to use product videos. It is rather difficult to single out individual examples, as many are in the lot, it is slowly becoming a norm rather than ‘a well-kept secret’ to take advantage of this medium. From corporations to small startups, from giant online retailers to small backyard traders, they all recognize the potential.
As is the case with any innovation, those who fail to adapt will ultimately become obsolete. Making product videos is a relatively low cost, low risk investment that promises a disproportionately high return on that investment.
