Video Marketing Guide For eCommerce Businesses

Prep Your Business

Before you create your video marketing strategy, you need to prepare your business first.

It means you need the information that will help you build your video marketing strategy.

Let's talk about them.

1. Know Your Target Audience

If you already have your brand identity and digital marketing strategy, this is easy for you already.

But why is it important?

💡 To Create The Right Video

This is important because if you know your target audience, you can create an effective video content for them.

For example...

Your target audience is Gen Z. A lot of Gen Zs these days are into entertaining videos. So, maybe you can lean into that.

Beause you don't want to produce a video that your target audience wouldn't appreciate.

That's a waste of time, energy, and budget. Speaking of which...

💡 To Avoid Wasting Your Resources

Without knowing your target audience, your video might be able to reach its goals and audience.

And that's not an option for your business.

Sure, trial and error is normal. But completely missing your target audience is a big no.

That's why you need to know who your audience is.

Another reason why you need to know your target audience is...

💡 To Talk About Their Pain Points

A video that only talks about your brand might not be the best video for your target audience.

They would take your desired action if your video marketing talks to them.

By doing that, you are talking to them about their problems and pain points. Then you're going to present the solution.

These are just three of the many reasons why you need to know your target audience.

And to make your video marketing strategy even stronger, you also have to...

2. Identify Your Goals

How would you know if your video marketing campaigns are succeeding? By setting your goals and key performance indicators (KPIs).

This will also help you produce the best video that aligns with your goals.

But what are some goals you can set through video marketing?

💡 Increase Your Brand Awareness

You can set brand awareness as one of your goals in your video marketing campaign.

Once this is your goal, you know what type of video to create to achieve this goal.

You can create videos that talk about your brand and what you do. This will make more people discover your eCommerce brand.

You can also...

💡 Showcase Your Products

Yep, this can be one of your goals.

You won't be able to onvert more customers if you don't showcase your products.

So, showcasing your products as one of your goals is great. You can produce a video content that highlights their benefits.

And when you do that, you can...

💡 Increase Your Sales

Video marketing or not, every business wants to increase their sales.

For sure, this is your goal, too.

So, when planning your video content strategy... keep in mind that you want to make sales out of it.

You should make a video that will drive sales to your business.

Since you already know your goals, another important thing you need to do is...

3. Set Your Budget

Producing video content is no joke.

It's not just getting your phone or camera, shoot something, then upload. That's not how it works.

If you want to create the best video for your marketing campaign, you really need a budget.

What are some things you need to set a budget for? We will deep dive later, but here are some basic things you need a budget for.

💡 Tools

One of the first things you need to set a budget for would be tools.

If you want to produce a well-edited video, you need to invest in tools.

There are paid tools with premium features that you can use for your business. There are also free, but some of them have watermarks.

So make sure to invest in paid tools that have all the features you need.

You also need to invest in...

💡 Filming Equipment

I'm not saying you need high-grade filming equipment.

This could be anything. If you're planning to film for simple social media posts, you need to invest in phones with high-quality cameras.

But if you want it to be on paid ads, like Google ads, then you need to invest in more expensive ones. Because there are more prospects that will see your video ads.

You don't need to empty your pocket on filming equipment. As long as it works for your plan, that's okay.

The next thing is...

💡 Set Up

You don't need to rent expensive studios. I mean, unless you want to.

But there are multiple ways to create a clean and modern set up for your video content.

You can buy props online, lighting, and other accessories that will make your videos top-quality.

Again, you need to set a budget so you can avoid overspending.

That's why before paying a sum for these things, you first have to...

Determine The Best Length For Your Videos

There are times when a 5-minute video ad doesn't work.

But there are times when it does.

There are also times when a 30-second video ad can go viral.

But there are times when they don't.

So, you need to determine the best length that would work for your eCommerce brand.

Since you know your target customers, you also need to consider that.

Now...

Which One Works Better For Your Business?

Each target audience has different preferences.

And every business is different. So, even if long-form worked for others, it doesn't mean it would work for you.

Let's see the difference.

Short-Form Videos

Short-form videos are usually perfect for social media.

It's because the attention span of some social media users is declining.

Some are just scrolling on their news feed, looking for stuff to entertain themselves.

That's why short-form videos might be the best if your video marketing strategy includes straightforward content.

Here are some platforms that support short-form videos.

💡 TikTok

TikTok allows you to upload videos from 30 to 60 seconds, up to 3 minutes. And rumor has it that they're also testing up to 10-minute videos. 👀

And TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps for videos.

It has more than a billion active monthly users!

So, if you want to reach more people... you can try this app for your short-form videos.

But don't feel limited! Because another option is...

💡 YouTube Shorts

Since YouTube was known for vloggers who upload long vlogs, YouTube started YouTube Shorts. And it's working nicely.

Did you know that YouTube Shorts has 15 billion views every day?

That's a staggering number!

You don't need to struggle to film and upload longer videos on YouTube through YouTube Shorts.

Another is...

💡 Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels is Instagram's short-form video feature. Safe to say that it's not a photo-centric app anymore.

It allows you to film videos from 15, 30, 60, to 90 seconds. You can also edit them within the app before uploading.

And lastly...

💡 Stories

Multiple social media apps have stories, like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and of course... Snapchat.

These will be perfect if you have candid videos about your products or your brand behind the scenes.

Short-form videos have different purposes.

But if you want to create longer ones, of course...

💡Long-Form Videos

Typically, long-form videos are around 10 minutes.

These are great if you have a greater purpose for your eCommerce brand, like ads, demos, or sharing your brand mission.

So, here are some platforms where you can upload your long-form videos...

💡 YouTube

Before the rise of TikTok, YouTube was one of the most predominant online video platforms.

If you want to upload long-form videos about your brand, YouTube is an excellent choice.

But if you want more people to interact with it, you can also try...

💡 Facebook

Facebook videos have 4 billion views daily.

If you produce a video that hits close to home to your followers, they can engage with your video easily.

They can also share it with their friends, making it easier for you to widen your reach.

And of course...

💡 Instagram

Instagram also allows you to upload videos for up to 10 minutes.

This is also a great way to connect with your followers on social media.

So, what's best for your business?

Long-form or short-form videos?

Here are some things to consider when choosing...

How To Know What's Best For Your Business?

You need to make sure...

✅ It Aligns With Your Goals

Before this step, we talked about setting your goals for your video marketing strategy.

For example, you want to raise your brand awareness on social media. You can use short-form videos to talk about your brand.

It depends on your campaign goals.

That's why goal-setting is an integral part of your video marketing strategy.

✅ It's What Your Audience Would Like

Since you know your target customers, it's easier to determine their preferences.

But sometimes, you wouldn't know what they like if you don't experiment.

So, you can upload long-form and short-form videos with the same content. But for the short one, you'll highlight the best parts.

That's one way to see if they prefer long or short videos.

✅ It Works With Your Content Strategy

Some content wouldn't work in long form. While there are also some that wouldn't work in short form.

If your goal is to conduct a social experiment for your brand, you can opt for a long-form video. Then you can repurpose them into short ones.

So, you need a video content strategy.

And now, let's talk about the types of videos you can make and upload.

Know The Types Of Videos You Can Make

To create your video content strategy, you need to know what types of videos you can make for your business.

Again, each video serves different purposes. So, you only need to make the ones that will:

• Contribute to your goals
• Make your audience interact with your brand
• Strengthen your brand message

What are these videos?

🎥 Demo Videos

Demo videos are videos that demonstrate how your products work.

These are perfect if you have an innovative product and you want to showcase how it works.

Here's an example of a demo video.

This video shows how a food slicer works. And it also showcases that this product can not only slice meats, but cheese and bread.

You can film demo videos to show your target audience the features of your products. And nope, you don't have to sell big products to make demo videos.

Even if you sell beauty or any small products, you can make a demo video.

You can show how to apply the products as well as the changes when they use them.

Or, you can try...

🎥 Unboxing Videos

For these videos, you're going to show what is inside the boxes of your products and inclusions.

This Instagram Reel unboxing from Epomaker Keyboard is another great example.

They showed what's inside the box if you purchase their keyboards.

Usually, influencers are the ones doing the unboxing videos. You can ask for their permission to re-upload their videos or collaborate with them in a post.

You can also post...

🎥 Behind The Scenes

Behind the scenes will take your viewers to what's happening behind your business.

Here's an example from Up Beauty.

They showed their viewers how to make their products. Since this is a new product to some, a lot of people were amazed with the finished product.

The video has 12 million plays and 2 million likes.

What an engagement, right?

Behind the scene, videos aren't only limited to the making of your products. It can also be packing orders, preparations for a product shoot, an influencer takeover, or even organizing an event.

Anything that shows the "work" part of your business.

Next is...

🎥 Animated Videos

If you don't want to film videos by yourself, you can also create animated videos.

This example is from Samsung.

Samsung introduced their new QLED television through animated videos. They showed the specifications of the product through animations.

Okay, this is hard to create especially if you're not a pro in multimedia arts.

If you have the budget to hire professionals or pay for the tools to create this, that would be great.

But some social proof would be good, too...

🎥 Testimonials

Testimonials can come from experts, clients, or customers.

They can film a video talking about your products and the results, just like from Indeed Labs.

They asked their consumers to take part in a 30-second video talking about their products and the benefits.

You can also do this by asking your customers or clients to take videos about how good your products are. Or, you can invite them for an interview!

Another one is...

🎥 Explainer Videos

Explainer videos also talk about your products. The difference between demo videos and explainer is that the latter focuses on the "what" and "why."

Let's talk about Logitech.

They are not showing how their products work in this video. But they're showing what are the options to choose from. They also talk about the features of each choice.

If you want to spice it up, you can go for...

🎥 Experimental Videos

The purpose of experimental videos is to see what your target market prefers. It can also be a social experiment, which proves a certain expected outcome.

Experimental videos aren't easy to make. But if it's interesting enough, more people can see and share your video.

Let's see an example.

Payless conducted an experiment where they rebranded their store. From being an affordable shoe store to luxury, which is "Palessi."

As you can see, the video has a whopping 5 million views. 👀

Sometimes, experimental videos aren't easy to make. You might need to hire an actual video marketer and a whole production team.

Let's talk about it!

Film And Produce The Video

Since you already have your video marketing plan, you can now film the video.

But wait... this depends on your strategy!

If you're planning to create an animated video, then the video creation process might be a bit different.

Here's how to film and produce your videos.

1. Ready Your Equipment And Set Up

To ensure the smoothness of your filming, make sure that your equipment and setup are ready.

You need to ready your equipment, like:

• Laptop
• Tripod
• Ring light
• Light box
• Camera
• Phone

Because if you want to produce a great video, you need to have these essentials.

You also need a setup to make your videos look high-quality. So, prepare these:

• Props
• Background
• Place or studio

If you're producing a video from home or the office, you can use props and a nice background. But if you're going all out, you can also book a place or studio to shoot your brand videos.

To know more about the best practices for video production, you can watch Debutify's "How To Make Video Ads" tutorial:

Next, you have to...

2. Write A Script Or Outline

To avoid blabbering about things that don't matter in your video, you have to prepare a script or outline that everyone can follow.

You can give this outline to your staff, videographer, editor, and the person who'll act or talk in front of the camera.

This will help everyone stay on track and avoid confusion.

You and your team will be more organized and you can achieve the output you envisioned!

And when you're writing the script or outline, make sure to include:

1. About your business. If you're going to talk in front of the camera, you can talk a bit about your business. You can also tell a bit about your brand story. Just make sure it's engaging so your digital video viewers will finish watching it.
2. Unique Selling Point. What makes your product unique? To keep your viewers hooked, it's best to emphasize what makes you different from your competitors.
3. Benefits of your products. This is important not just in video ads. You should always talk about how your products will benefit your potential customers.

Once you have the script and flow of your video, you can now...

3. Film The Video

It's time!

This is one of the most exciting parts... the actual filming!

After all your preparation, you're now putting your vision into life.

And here are some things you need to remember when filming:

1. Stick to the outline. You can change something if necessary. But last-minute changes might affect the overall production.
2. Remove unnecessary noises. You want your video footage to turn out nice and clear. Make sure there are no unnecessary noises in the background.
3. Include a call to action. Yep, calls-to-action words aren't just useful in your written content. You need to let your audience know what they need to do after watching your videos.

Whatever kind of video you're filming for your eCommerce business, there's one thing you need to do after that...

4. Edit The Video

Whether it's a simple unboxing or a professionally-produced video, you need to edit it.

If you don't have an in-house or outsourced video editor, you can do the video editing yourself by downloading free video editors.

Here are some tools you can use on your own:

• Canva (App)
• Capcut (App)
• Inshot (App)
• iMovie (iOS)
• Clipchamp (Microsoft)

But here are some things you need to take note of when editing your video footage:

1. Trim unnecessary clips. If you're packing orders, your audience doesn't need to see the whole video. You can focus on the packing itself.
2. Add a voiceover or music. Unless you're doing an ASMR kind of video, then this is not applicable to you. But if your goal is to make your video more engaging and informative to watch, it's best to add a voiceover or free of copyright music.
3. Add subtitles. To make your content more inclusive, you need to add subtitles so more people can access and understand your video.

After video editing and you think it's now polished to perfection, you can now...

5. Upload

Since your video is done, you can now upload it on your platforms!

Before we talk about where you can use your video ads, here are some things you need to prepare:

1. Ad copy. To make your video ads more enticing, you need an ad copy that will support them!
2. Thumbnail. Want to make your video ads more clickable and attractive? Create a high-quality and pleasing thumbnail!
3. Title. If you're uploading your video ad on social media, like YouTube, you need to think of an effective title to increase your search visibility.

But wait... I'm sure you're wondering, where can you upload or distribute your video ads?

That leads us to our next step!

Measure The Success

The success of your video ads is not constantly assured.

You need to improve your next video campaigns to achieve more goals for your business.

And to do that, you need to measure the success of your video ads to know which areas need improvements.

What Do You Need To Measure Your Video's Success?

1. Views

This indicates how many people viewed your video.

But it works differently for every platform.

For some video platforms, like YouTube, you don't get instant views.

Here's how your video ads views are calculated:

• When users watch an entire ad between 11 to 30 seconds.
• When users watch 30 seconds of a longer video.
• When users interact by clicking the ad.

While on Instagram, it takes about 3 seconds of watching before a view is counted.

Again, it really depends on which platform you upload your video ads.

But it's always best to check views so you can see how many people are watching your videos. If you think the numbers aren't a lot, you can adjust your content for your next video campaign.

To make your improvements more efficient, you also need to measure the...

2. Watch Time

Watch time indicates how long people are watching your videos.

You can get the average watch time to see how long users are watching them. So on your next video content, you can strategize the length of your videos.

For example, on TikTok.

You uploaded a 30-second video showing the behind-the-scenes of your eCommerce brand. But the average watch time is only 20 seconds.

On your next video, you try to limit it to around 20 seconds. Then check the average watch time again.

The next thing is...

3. Social Shares

Social shares indicate how many social media users are sharing your videos.

If you uploaded your video content on social media platforms, users can easily share your videos with just a few clicks.

And within the platform you're using, you can see how many people shared your video content.

This is great analytics because social shares mean your videos are interesting for them to spread.

If you get a lot of shares, analyze your video. What made them share it? Maybe you can use the same tactic on your next video, but more enhanced!

Another one for social media is...

4. Social Media Insights

There is built-in analytics within social media channels.

These are the most common analytics for social media platforms:

• Reach
• Impressions
• Likes
• Comments
• Saves
• Shares

If you noticed that you have a low engagement rate, maybe you need to lean on engaging content in your next marketing videos.

Or if you have a low reach or impressions, you can increase the quality of your video content and optimize your social media strategy to boost them.

That's the good thing about checking your social media analytics or insights.

Each insight has its own purpose, so it's easier for you to make improvements.

You can also measure your...

5. Click-Through Rate

This measures how many users clicked on the call-to-action (CTA) of your video.

The more clicks, it means the more people are interested in knowing more about your business.

So, make sure to produce an engaging video that will spark the curiosity of your target audience!

Wondering how? Wait for our bonus tip!

Again, you have to remember that it's important to measure your analytics to see if you're reaching your video marketing goals.

Doing so will give you clarity on what to adjust for your next video campaigns.

Now, I'm sure you already want to know the bonus tip. Let's jump right in!

Distribute The Video

Video distribution is an important process.

Why? Because this will help expand the reach of your video ads. Consider this as the act of promoting video content.

Even if you filmed a par video content, it might go to waste if you don't know which channels or platforms you can distribute them.

So, where to use and upload your video ads?