There are many product videos for marketing out there — some are as dry as the Sahara Desert. Others are a little too entertaining and aren’t informative enough. Many resemble infomercials, which might be the worst category to fall under because those product videos are easily forgettable. This begs the question: How do you create a compelling product video? One that straddles the line between entertaining and informative? This is a million-dollar question because whether you’re selling a product or service, a product video can be the determining factor on whether a person shells out their money.
There are many types of product videos for marketing, including product unboxings, product reviews, classic product demos, and tutorials. No matter what kind of product video you’re working on, here are six tips on how to create ones that’ll inspire (and not put customers to sleep), along with examples from brands that are doing it right.
Sometimes, Apple churns out those vague videos to introduce new products. You know the ones — all closeups of sleek surfaces of laptops or phones, with little context. They’re able to do this because their brand and products are recognizable all around the globe — they could afford to be unclear. For smaller brands, your messaging and purpose of the video must be crystal clear. The last thing you want is for a person to stop watching because they’re scratching their heads in confusion.
Sounds easy, right? Yes, until you start brainstorming and the next thing you know, you’re planning something close to an epic motion picture. It’s easy to get lost when the creative juices are flowing, and there’s so much to say about your product. However, according to a recent study, your product video should be anywhere between one to two minutes. While it’s true that people are more likely to stick out product videos versus company videos (because when they’re watching product videos, it most likely means they’re serious about buying), you don’t want to risk losing their attention. In the same study, 59.9% of consumers expressed that a video being too long would actively deter them from watching.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes — would you like a bulleted list of product features read aloud to you? Your audience craves a story. And while your product or service might not be the most exciting, you can tell a story about your product or service that is. For example, you can film a creative product demo by thinking outside of the box like Dollar Shave Club. Or, if you’re an unboxing a product, try to make the video as dynamic as possible by switching camera views and using upbeat music. You can even integrate animations — the possibilities are endless.
The below product video features an indoor air toxin sensor. It tells you right off the bat how harmful breathing in pollutants is and gives you stats to back it up: “90% indoors and the air we breathe inside is 2-5x more polluted than outdoors. Imagine all the chemicals, dust, and toxic gasses trapped in a room with nowhere to go. The worst part is? We do nothing about it because we don’t know.”
Then, a voiceover delves into the key features of the air monitor and how it’ll help you and your family. Meanwhile, the background features footage of a family enjoying clean air, all while going about their daily activities. Not only is there a cohesive story based around the central theme of safety, but the video also provides valuable information about air quality as well as the product. When a viewer finishes the video, they're more informed and clearly understand how the product can help their everyday lives.
If your product is too complicated to be explained in one video, here’s a fun idea — you can turn it into a series, similar to how books are broken up into digestible chapters. Each video should be able to work as a standalone, and when viewed together, your audience should get a full picture of how your product works.
Let's say you've followed the above advice, and you've successfully sunk your hooks into your viewers. You need to add a call to action (CTA) for when viewers are watching the entirety of your videos. The point of the product video is to sell your product or service, after all. Include a CTA at the end of the video, so your audience can visit your website, social media pages, or wherever else you want to direct them to.
Now that you know how to create compelling product videos for marketing, it's time to build an effective video marketing strategy. For helpful tips and tricks, read more here.
Last updated on January 12th, 2024.