Making good videos can dramatically improve your sales. It’s obvious when you think about it; while customers in bricks-and-mortar shops can interact with the product directly, on Amazon they can’t touch, feel, or poke it. But a video that shows someone using the product can help to fill in the gaps and make them feel more comfortable about buying it.
The most important thing for FBA video content is that you bring the product to life. Don’t try to follow the example of TV adverts. Instead, think of how you’d demonstrate the product if you were showing a friend why you’d bought it. Show how clothing can be worn with different accessories or in different combinations (a jacket with jeans, with a dress, with leggings). Show how kitchen equipment is used – how to fry in a wok properly, for example – or how happy dogs are to play with a dog toy.
It’s important that you think about the environment in which the product will be used, and show that in the video. For instance, if you’re selling hiking gear, show it on the trail, not in the studio!
There are a number of styles of video you can use;
• product highlights – focus on the product, showing each feature with a written message. Give clear insights on how to use the product – putting it together, switching on, complimentary products or consumables, and so on.
• unboxing – start to finish. This is particularly useful if your product is delivered flat-pack or in pieces; show your customer what it’s meant to look like and how to get there.
• Show the benefits – for instance, if you’re selling a tripod for video filming, film the first 10 seconds of your video hand-held, all shaky and wobbly, and film the rest of the video using the tripod.
• Owners talk – why they love the product, what it did for them.
Both of these styles will help to sell your product, and they’ll also help you avoid negative reviews by showing your customer the product and managing their expectations.
While what you’re showing will likely be factual, don’t forget that video gives you a chance to address the emotions, too. Often, buyers make a rational comparison of products, but they actually take the buying decision when their emotions are involved. So a video that shows happy dogs and happy owners, with an upbeat jazz track as background, might be just what you need to get your sales moving.
Knowing your customer is important. If your product is aimed at computer geeks, a Sex in the City style video won’t do the job; if you’re selling romance (for instance, scented candles), dial the lighting down and keep the focus soft. Overall, one of the most important things you can do before filming is to think about the tone of the video as a whole; factual, geeky, romantic, snappy, hip?
You also need to keep your video short and sweet; condense it down to 45 seconds or even less and you’ll keep your viewer’s attention.
Other tips for good video include:
• using good lighting or natural light, avoiding areas of high shadow or strong sun;
• using captions rather than voice-over (if people are playing the video without the sound turned up, it gets the message over);
• using royalty-free music or soundtrack;
• use a good video editing software to cut different shots together, rather than trying to create a “one-take” video;
• look at videos by big players in your product area to see what the professionals are doing;
• amortize the cost of your videos by using them on social media and your own website as well as on Amazon.
Get good video running, and you’ll keep customers engaged and on your site – which means your conversion rates should get boosted.