Product Videos: All the Cool Brands Are Making Them

Consumers don’t want to spend time reading about a product; they want videos. And brands that cater to such demands stand to see higher sales and gain loyal customers, according to February 2015 research by Animoto.

Among US digital video viewers polled, 62.5% said that companies using video marketing understood how to reach their customers, and 56% believed video was mandatory for company websites. Furthermore, respondents didn’t want to waste time digging through text: Digital video viewers were four times as likely to want to watch a product video than read a description.

Three-quarters of digital video viewers found it helpful to watch a video before making a purchase, so brands should take note of what they want to see in order to seal the deal. Respondents were most interested in product how-to videos, with 82.9% saying these were helpful. More than three-quarters were also interested in getting overviews about items—once again showing their desire to avoid digging through the details. Videos showing the making of a product as well as customer testimonials were each cited by the majority. Meanwhile “about the company” videos were the least popular, suggesting brands should stick to a product focus.

Other studies point to the effectiveness of digital video marketing. In November 2014 research by Webmarketing123, 73% of US business-to-consumer marketers said video was an effective content marketing tactic—ahead of No. 2 mobile apps by 26 points. And in March 2015 research by Ascend2, video ranked as the second most effective content type, cited by 46% of marketing professionals worldwide. However, responses also highlighted the extra effort video required, as it landed in the top spot in terms of difficulty (59%).

Despite video marketing’s difficulty, consumers have made it clear that it’s what they want. Marketers that want to prove they understand their customers and drive purchases would be wise to put extra effort into product video.

Courtesy of eMarketer