How To Make a Product Video Stand Out

Video marketing is ever-popular – and for a reason. It gives you the opportunity to really showcase your product or service. But in a flooded market, how do you make yours stand out from the crowd, so you know, you actually sell stuff? Whether it’s for your home page or a full-blown TV commercial, here’s how to make your product video really pop.

The less said the better

Okay, you could talk for days about how innovative your product is and probably be pretty convincing. If anyone actually listened. But they won’t. Think about when a 2 minute ad pops up on Youtube and how quickly you zone out or press skip. We’re bombarded by advertising everywhere we go so you need to make your message succinct and memorable.

There are a few things you need to cover:

1. Why does your product exist in the first place? Just to clarify, this isn’t your cue for an existential crisis. If thinking about your product gives you an existential crisis, you’ve probably got a marketing problem from the off. You need to be thinking about what market gap your product is filling. How are you making life easier for your audience? What problem are you solving? If this comes with a hilarious product genesis story, even better.
2. Why is your product the answer? This is where you tell everyone why your product is going to solve all the problems in the world. Or just the one you’ve already outlined. Your choice.
3. How does it work? Tell your customer the main features and how to use it. Make this as simple as possible. No one wants to buy a stapler that’s as complicated to operate as a Formula 1 car.
4. What next? CTA’s (call-to-actions) aren’t just marketing nonsense. There’s no point telling your customers all this wonderful information if you don’t even tell them where to get the product or service!

All of this should take up about 60 seconds. 90 at a push, or 120 if you’re really really funny or the video is seriously well-produced. This means you need to plan ahead, and have a script outlined that gets all this covered. Don’t try and bypass this limit by talking at 120mph – give the message time to settle in your customer’s mind.

Know your audience

The importance of this really cannot be overstated and that’s why it’s a cornerstone of marketing. Know who the audience for your product is and tailor your message to them.

But knowing your audience isn’t – contrary to popular opinion – just intuition. You can’t force particular people to buy your product. Not to sound negative, but are you sure you even have an audience?

Do your research and make sure there’s interest – and who’s interested – before you blow thousands on a video that’s going to do zero work for your brand. This means market research, surveys etc. This doesn’t have to be a laborious process. If you’ve got a company Twitter account, their analytics tool gives you a breakdown of the demographics of your audience and even their main interests.

Make it engaging

A wobbly video of you droning on and on for 30 minutes isn’t going to fool anyone. You’ve got to tell a story. There’s a reason car ads do more than just show you the car; they show you where it could take you.

Equally, don’t go overboard with conceptual stuff. As beautiful and eye catching as an ad might be, this can overshadow the message. It’s no use if your customer has no idea what the ad they just watched was for. You want a well-produced video that drives conversions, not a piece of high art. Ultimately, for a product video, the audio is what’s most important. If your visuals detract from the message, you need to rethink them.

Make the music complement the video. The right song can make an otherwise average ad outstanding.

If there’s a place for humour, definitely inject some in there. Branding isn’t just about the product; it’s about your tone and values. This should run through the video.

Keep it professional

Poorly produced videos make it look like you don’t take your company seriously. If there’s a voiceover, make sure the quality’s high. Any editing should be smooth and polished, and the camera work shouldn’t look like a scene from The Blair Witch Project.

If in doubt, hire a pro. They’ve got the equipment and know what they’re doing. Remember – with the right video, the return on your investment could be huge. Your video needs to stand out from your competitors to get conversions, and a small money injection definitely can’t hurt.

P.S You can hire videographers on Twine.