Since its first video was uploaded in 2005, YouTube has quickly become a content and marketing giant. With over 1.3 billion users and over 300 hours of video uploaded every minute, the online video platform has dramatically changed the way consumers understand, access, and experience content online.
This is due in part to the fact that YouTube is built primarily on user-generated content. From vloggers sharing reviews of their favorite products to beauty experts giving makeup tips and tutorials, YouTube has become the first stop for many people discovering current trends - a behavior that can have a significant impact on your e-commerce store.
Studies have shown that 80% of millennials believe that user-generated content is an indication of good quality brands, making it clear that customers are looking to engage with brands that allow them to start and participate in brand conversations. As a result, YouTube has quickly become the place customers go to get answers fast, especially when it comes to new products and services. Since different customers learn in diverse ways, videos are a fantastic way to present information differently than an explainer page, blog post, or product review.
With so many unique views every month and a growing catalog of content, getting your products in front of YouTube viewers has the potential to expose your brand to millions of potential buyers in a matter of minutes. In other words, YouTube has a marketing potential that the best brands are already taking advantage of!
Many savvy business owners have already started online businesses with YouTube to help fuel their growth, and you can, too! Here are five types of videos you need to make to secure your e-commerce store’s success.
1. The “Do This With Me” YouTube Video
When I was younger, I always enjoyed sitting at the counter while my mom cooked dinner. Even though I wasn’t actively taking part, it was nice to feel included in an activity she regularly did. While this might sound dull on paper, there’s something extraordinarily social and comforting about being involved in your friend’s routines; this type of intimacy keeps you involved in their lives in a very different way.
This idea of “doing things with” others has sparked a huge video trend that’s particularly popular in the makeup and cosmetic industries. Known as “Get Ready With Me” videos in the beauty community, these videos focus on taking the viewers through some routine. Whether it’s organizing a planner, prepping for meals, or taking your makeup off before bed, these videos draw the audience into a seemingly mundane task as a way of building trust and deepening the relationship they have with the videographer.
You can quickly get in on this trend and the connection it creates by making your products part of someone’s “Do This With Me” process. Many YouTube users who create these types of videos end up gaining quite a following, so locating one whose interests line up with your brand values is a great way to find some product placement opportunities. When viewers see the YouTuber they’ve grown to trust using your products, they’ll be much more likely to try that product themselves. As a result, getting your product featured in this type of video is like getting a celebrity endorsement!
With the rise of ad blockers, this “join me” style of video is a fantastic way to get your product involved in an already enjoyable experience that viewers want to watch. Now, instead of your marketing efforts being an annoying interruption, they become a welcome interaction that customers can look forward to.
2. The “Look What I Got!” Haul YouTube Video
Have you ever gone on a shopping spree and couldn’t wait to show your friends and family all of your new stuff? Haul videos take the excitement of a shopping spree and turn it into exciting new YouTube content by having someone go to a store, buy a lot of items, and then try them on or review them for the audience.
While it might seem a bit unorthodox, this style of video has become extremely popular in the YouTube world. Haul videos are a tried and tested style of YouTube content and the fact that they span almost every industry means they’re the perfect way for you to once again get your brand in front of your broad YouTube audience. No matter where they live, customers can be exposed to the value and products your brand has to offer, getting them excited to buy from your store in the future.
Much like the “Do This With Me” videos we discussed earlier, the trick to creating genuinely useful haul videos is finding a social influencer or YouTube personality to post your products to their channel. After all, sharing about your products on your store’s channel will come across as sales-y, disingenuous, and biased. You can get around this by sending some of your products to a famous YouTuber who’s interested in the types of things your store sells. Once they’ve received them, invite them to do a haul video on their channel unpacking your products.
You can also consider bundling your products together in hauls to show off their complementary features. This works exceptionally well for cosmetics, clothes, and tech, but don’t let that stop you! No matter which industry you’re in, combining multiple products in a single haul allows you to show off each product in combination with others, inspiring customers to think about the many ways your brand can deliver value.
When you use the influential power of other users, you can turn these YouTube videos into a highly profitable marketing campaign. All it costs is the price of shipping!
3. The “What’s In the Box?” YouTube Video
This style of video is very similar to a good old-fashioned haul, but with a bit of a twist: you don’t know what’s inside. In a haul video, the YouTuber is very familiar with the products they’re reviewing because they picked them out themselves. They carefully inspected it, considered their options, and likely tried it on/out before purchase. With these surprise deliveries, however, they’re not too sure about any of the product’s specific features and are using the video as an excuse to explore it in its entirety.
These can be compelling marketing tools because they capture the customer’s raw emotions. When done correctly this kind of video can go a long way towards deepening the trust and authenticity customers experience with your brand. Surprise unboxing videos can also plant the desire for new customers to experience the same feelings and reactions displayed in the video. With this stream of consciousness style, live reaction video, your products feel more real, accessible, and beneficial - all without you having to do any of the work.
Just like the other two examples, these videos will be most useful if you enlist the help of different YouTube personalities. At the very least, you can engage your customers to help with a contest or special event.
4. The “How Do I…?” YouTube Video
Based on what we’ve already talked about, you might be thinking that your options are limited when it comes to effective video content you can produce on your own. If this was something you worried about, fear not! The “how do I…?” video doesn’t require you to enlist the help of YouTubers or customers - in fact; it actually works best when it comes straight from you.
Video Q&As are one of the most popular genres of videos and for a good reason. These super efficient videos allow you to provide answers to common questions on your channel and teach your customers about your brand in your own words. Whether they learn best by listening, watching, or following along, your customers can engage with your products in a way that makes sense to them.
The thing to keep in mind when you’re making these videos is that you want to keep them authentic and relational. In the example above, you’ll notice that BeardBrand wasn’t trying to push their products on the viewer. Instead, they worked to establish themselves as beard grooming experts.
This should be the foundation of your YouTube marketing structure. Instead of telling your customers why they should be buying your products, show them! Use your industry expertise to demonstrate that your products are the obvious answer to your customers’ questions and problems. This mindset will help establish your store into a knowledgeable, trustworthy brand for both new and returning customers.
5. The “Watch and Learn” YouTube Video
Last but certainly not least, we’re going to look at video tutorials -- otherwise known as the “watch and learn” video method. Tutorials have a lot in common with the Q&A video method we discussed previously. The difference, however, is how they’re presented.
While “How Do I…?” videos tend to take a more conversational, friend-to-friend tone, a tutorial is strictly focused on how to do something yourself. This could be something as every day as making a cake, or as involved as changing your oil. By taking a more instructive and authoritative tone, you can create a series of videos that show customers how they can do things themselves with an invitation to “get in touch.”
These parameters make tutorials extremely efficient if your e-commerce store offers some service. For example, if you sell hair products online and run a barbershop, you could create a series of tutorial videos that show customers how to take care of their hair on their own while still offering to cut their hair for them if they’d like.
Although it might seem counterintuitive to show customers how to do things that you’re hoping they’ll pay you for, this approach is just another way for you to establish yourself as an industry expert. If you offer tutorials on the simple stuff, they’ll be way more likely to seek out your services for more complicated work in the future. When you provide lessons that teach your customers something, you strengthen a relationship that will have them coming to you first when they have a problem or need to learn how to do something themselves. You can even take the strategy a step further by inviting curious customers to “talk to an expert” at the end of your video. This invitation will make it easy for a potential customer to take advantage of your services once they realize they can no longer do it themselves then your brand can swoop in and save the day!
The Importance of YouTube for Your Online Store
As the most consumed form of media on the planet, YouTube videos are the next frontier for your marketing strategy. With a well-organized and maintained YouTube channel, you can begin to connect your brand with YouTubers who are equipped to expand your marketing reach and get your brand in front of millions of new customers.
Whether you choose to do it all yourself or enlist the help of YouTube veterans, there’s no denying that video is a valuable well of content just waiting to be tapped. All you’ve got to do is sit down, wait for the red “RECORD” light, and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
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