From Instagram to Facebook to YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, & More – Here’s Why You Need to Be Creating Video at Scale
Last updated: October 13, 2020.
We all know how important video is in regards to content marketing. But getting great at it now is a must, because the trends are undeniable. 5 Billion YouTube videos watched every day. Google is actively working on a partnership with Shopify to monetize this further. Instagram is working on shoppable Reels. Video plays an important part in the customer journey. Web Smith recently wrote about how TV consumption is shifting to mobile/social.
In the future, the majority of eCommerce transactions will occur on mobile devices inside social apps that primarily distribute video content. Instagram has already started going down this road. Snapchat is doing it. TikTok too. Google is not going to get left behind and will figure this out with YouTube (a video ad campaign with clickable elements that allowed viewers to make purchases just got an 11X return on ad spend). Apple Pay is getting huge adoption. I wouldn’t be surprised if mass adoption (i.e. eCommerce transactions inside social video apps) occurs within two years.
On Taobao, China’s largest eCommerce platform, 42 percent of product pages include short videos and live streaming is growing quickly. Viya, China’s star saleswoman, rules a $60B live online shopping empire. In November 2019, Kim Kardashian partnered with Taobao to promote her KKW Fragrance brand via live stream on Singles Day. She sold out of 15,000 bottles in 3 minutes. WeChat is doing it too. Video is being incorporated into Amazon’s product pages at a fast rate. Facebook just bought a live-streaming startup. Popshop raised $3M to bring live streaming to shopping. COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of streaming video. The future of eCommerce is video.
Inspirational Video Content to Help You Level Up Your Campaigns
Creating video will pay dividends for your social accounts, advertising campaigns, brand affinity, and more. Below is a series of examples to motivate and inspire you to create more video for your own brand. I will be doing a follow-up post that’s centered more specifically around how to create these types of videos. The examples below aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list – just a good handful of unique content we’ve found lately. Hopefully, it helps you think outside the box a little. Don’t be intimidated. There’s endless video creation tools available (and platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram have great native editing abilities you can take advantage of). Utilize existing creators you find on social as well. And if you need any help or just want to talk strategy, contact us today!
Video on the product page:
Read Marco’s tweet below (and the related thread). Glossier does a fantastic job of incorporating video on their product pages (and throughout their entire brand as well).
Video in reviews: Love this ad from the movie 1917 that David found. A truly unique way to show off reviews that hasn’t been done at scale before.
Video advertising other payment options:
Have a higher-priced item you’re trying to sell? Try a retargeting/social campaign touting the advantages of Afterpay or Affirm.
User-generated video content with filters: Who doesn’t love playing with fun filters? Especially when it’s on-brand. Kristen breaks down (the good and the bad) of this interesting approach by Smile Direct Club (read the thread linked to below).
Interactive video on Stories:
These have been going viral lately. Creating these types of spinners isn’t actually that difficult (you can also commission the freelancers who have made the current popular ones). Create an on-brand spinner (since they’re hot right now), share it on social, and turn it into an ad.
Pet stock video to grab attention: Suburu may very well have created the dog video clip below themselves, but if your budget is smaller (or if your timeline is faster), getting relevant pet-related stock (sometimes free) video content and tying that in with your brand can work wonders when it comes to engagement and conversions.
Add a creative flair to an image and turn it into a video:
Check out the Stance Instagram post below. For anyone that has a basic understanding of Adobe, adding the little flairs you see is quite simple. But it’s on-brand and looks great.
Lean into native app editing tools: Crocs did a great job in the video below utilizing the native editing features of TikTok to create funny/engaging content perfect for the platform’s audience. Snapchat and Instagram also have great native editing features.
More creative flair:
Similar to the Stance example above, Beekeeper’s Naturals does a great job of turning a beautiful image into an engaging video with some graphic design additions.
Behind the scenes: TAFT does a great job of giving its customers a little behind-the-scenes look into the manufacturing process. When customers see the attention/care/passion you have for your products, they will be more likely to buy.
Shocking your customers in a fun way:
Freshly Picked did something so simple but so amazing in the post below – poured syrup on one of their shoes that was sitting on top of a stack of pancakes, paired with copy in the post that talked about the stacks of discounts you could save. Genius.
Utilizing creative freelancers to create content for your brand: There are a ton of incredibly talented freelancers out there. Many of them are available for hire. Find some cool/unique content you like? Contact them to see if they can make something for you? Just check out the video below. It’s unreal!
Browse the rest:
I included several more examples below. Hopefully, they help spur your creative juices and motivate you to create better video for your brand. I highly recommend you do so. Video has never been more important. Contact us today if you need help!
It’s hard to compete with Nike when it comes to video production (and pretty much everything related to brand/marketing for that matter). But it’s good to have something to strive for. The video below, released on the anniversary of the Berlin Wall being taken down, is incredible. They even commissioned Hans Zimmer to remix a David Bowie song for the piece.
Want even more examples? Click here to read a great article on video commerce in China. Ready to level up your video strategy?! Contact us today!
