How To Use Video To Promote Your Product Or Services
“Don't just TELL them.
SHOW them."
We all know that video is a powerful and effective marketing tool.
But, did you know how versatile video is?
With a little bit of creativity and a willingness to think outside of the box, you can come up with many ways to use video to reach out to a specific, targeted audience, engage that audience, and convert those qualified leads into paying customers.
Here are just some of the ways you can use video to promote your business...
1. Improve your customer’s experience with video
It’s not enough that you sell your product.
Your relationship with your client does not end at the sale.
In fact, you could argue that it’s just getting started.
You need to ensure that your customer has a positive experience using your product.
Otherwise, your client will have buyer’s remorse and will be less likely to come back to you for more business.
Furthermore, a negative customer experience will mean they will not encourage others to buy from you.
While a positive customer experience can convert clients into brand ambassadors whereby your product effectively starts selling itself, a negative customer experience can damage your bottom line and your prospects.
So, make sure your clients are getting the most out of your product and are able to reap the benefits of your product swiftly and effortlessly.
Show them – through video – how to get started using your product. Show them all the ways it can be useful for them. Anticipate and respond to any problems you think they might have BEFORE they happen.
Ikea does a good job of doing this with easy-to-follow videos that show you how to assemble, customize, and optimize the use of their products.
2. Create tutorial videos
Tutorial videos are great ways to teach your target audience how to solve a problem or complete a task, while featuring your products or services, without having to sell to them in a heavy-handed way.
For instance, if your company creates graphic design software, you might show a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a cool visual effect that is currently trending, using your software.
You’re not directly making a sales pitch here, but you are demonstrating how your product can be of benefit to graphic designers (your target audience).
By helping them solve the problem of how they can create a specific visual effect in graphic design, you’ve not only helped them, but you’ve established yourself as a trusted expert in your industry, you’ve built rapport with a specific, desirable audience, and you’ve likely engaged them to the extent that they will want to revisit your platform again to see more videos.
By building rapport and engagement, a purchase from this targeted audience is just a matter of time.
3. Get people hyped about your events
You might be holding events to build awareness for your company’s product or service.
It could be a product launch, theatrical stage performance, live music event, business presentation, motivational speech, or a product testing.
In any case, you can use video to build hype for the upcoming event, or to show what happens behind-the-scenes leading up to the event, or to feed the frenzy showing reactions to the event.
You can show small sneak peeks, teasers, or the full show, depending on the situation.
As an example, Elon Musk is constantly building excitement for his ambitious projects by releasing videos of rocket test launches, test drives of new vehicles, and tunneling technology.
He’s not just selling his projects – he is telling stories.
He is engaging and getting people excited about the future he intends to create with the products and technology he’s creating.
4. Share experiences through video
Even if you are selling a product or service, your business video can go a step further and share experiences.
Truly great experience videos will stir up some strong emotions and inspire its audience.
Video – more than any other medium – has the power to do that.
GoPro, the company that makes lightweight, portable high-definition cameras, does a great job of doing this by creating videos that take its audience all over the world – under the deepest oceans, over the highest mountains, and through the hottest deserts, on all kinds of crazy, mesmerizing adventures.
They don’t need to mention their products, because the footage – artfully shot and edited to energizing music – speaks for itself.
These videos are inspirational and motivational – they don’t feel like boring product pitches at all. And, the brand has become synonymous with adventure, travel, and beautiful scenery.
It’s really no wonder why these videos are so great at engagement and have a huge following.
5. Go behind-the-scenes with video
One way to build a connection with your target audience is to drop the proverbial curtain and show them what happens behind-the-scenes.
This insinuation of intimacy with the audience is the basis behind the success of reality television, but you can use it to build rapport with your audience.
If you have a high-end restaurant, maybe show a glimpse of what happens in the kitchen.
Or, show the blood, sweat, and tears that go into the creation of one of your most popular products.
Or, give them a glimpse of a day in the life of whatever it is you do.
What you might take for granted might seem really eye-opening and enthralling to a viewer.
Video – like no other medium – has the ability to resonate at an emotional level, so baring yourself in this way to your audience will strengthen their affinity for you and your business.
When done correctly, a behind-the-scenes video will humanize your company, as well as the people and culture that support it.
6. Give advice
Your potential client has questions.
Lots of questions.
If you have been in business for a significant amount of time, you will notice that the same questions tend to come up, again and again.
This is because your target audience has very relevant pain points that need to be addressed.
It is your job, as an expert in your business, to address these pain points and put their frustrations and difficulties to rest.
Creating videos that answer the questions and solve the problems that your target audience endures will show them that you understand them and care for them.
This is how you will get them to see you as a trusted specialist in your industry.
This is how you will build trust.
This is how you will keep your audience coming back to you for more information, again and again, until they are ready to buy from you.
This is why they will sing your praises and recommend you to others in similar predicaments.
If you are confident enough to do so, consider even doing a live Q&A video. Thanks to Facebook and other social media, going live is very do-able, and further gives the impression that you are present and reachable to your audience.
7. Share testimonial videos
Testimonials are extremely effective at converting leads into customers.
First, they show that you have a roster of satisfied clients, which helps build your reputation. Buyers want to know that you have success stories.
Second, testimonial videos demonstrate the problems that your product or service solves in real-world situations, for real people.
Third, because they typically incorporate interviews with real people (not actors), testimonial videos are very credible and reliable resources for your target audience.
Testimonial videos resonate emotionally with your audience – they will see themselves in the people and situations you portray in your video.
Again – no medium does this as well as video.
Just the Facts
There are many ways entrepreneurs and business owners can use video to promote their companies.
- Improve your customer experience by creating instructional videos about your product and service.
- Create tutorial videos that solve the problems of your target audience.
- Get people hyped about your product launches, product testing, presentations, or other corporate events, by creating videos you can share with them.
- Share wild experiences that motivate and inspire your audience.
- Go behind-the-scenes with video, and build rapport and intimacy with your audience through video.
- Give worthwhile advice on a Q&A video that will help establish your credibility and reliability as an expert in your field.
- Share testimonial videos to show your audience your company’s impressive track record.
Video is a powerful medium – make the most of it!