As a brick and mortar retailer getting into video marketing, you’re probably asking yourself an important question: what type of videos should we create other than commercials?
While commercials, especially local TV commercials and highly geo-targeted video advertising on Youtube and Facebook, are great for attracting customers to your store, there’s a lot more your business can use video for.
Below is a series of examples to inspire you when beginning to create your own marketing videos for your retail business.
1. Drum up more foot traffic with a hearty brand video.
Because of the similarities in tone and style between local TV spots and brand videos, let’s start here. A brand video is a video that focuses on you, the business-owner, sharing your brand. Essentially the Why behind your business and what makes you, well, you. Brand videos are great for attracting new visitors to your store, as well as engaging web visitors – with the idea of attracting them come give you a visit in real life.
Here’s an example from a brand video we created for Alisonville Nursery. Watch as the owner and nursery staff share insights into what they find compelling about their company as the visuals show off the location and make you want to get lost inside the expansive garden and home store. You can similarly create brand videos that dive deeper than a commercial, and that can live on a Yelp page, company website, or Facebook page for those looking to learn a little more before making the trek out.
2. Show off your style with a short social media video.
One of the best (and most affordable) video types you can create for your retail video is a short-form social content video. These are 15 to 30 second video snippets made for consumption on social media, and as such can be square or vertical format depending on the platform you will be posting. For example, if you’re trying to create a social video series for Instagram, you could create a series of 3-4 square format videos for your main feed to go along with something like 7 to 10 shorter vertical format clips for your Story.
Check out this short social video we created for our client AllModern, which doubles as a customer testimonial video, as Gabby Cohen, head of PR and brand strategy of SoulCycle, shares how she teamed up with SoulCycle to re-design her bedroom as part of a bedroom make-over co-branding partnership. The video is short, and part of a series of similar content, which is how you should be planning your social content strategies as well.
3. Use a compelling testimonial to engage and nurture.
One of the biggest things that you need to do when convincing someone to take a chance on your retail business is answer their doubts and fears. Every customer, even the most open, go into any new purchasing situation with a skeptical mindset. They need to find the highest rated, most affordable option available, and so you will need to convince them that you can get the job done and not be a waste of time and money.
Customer testimonials are a great way to use the concept of social proof to answer those doubts and fears by using a satisfied customer to speak on your behalf. This is someone speaking to their experience using your service, and was satisfied enough to say so on camera – that’s a big endorsement. You can use customer testimonials in combination with other video types, like this product slash testimonial video we created for our client X Power’s line of air mover dryers and fans.
4. Selling a retail product? Create a how-to video for your customers.
You don’t have to have a physical location to be in the retail industry. All kinds of consumer products fall under the realm of retail. Whether you are advertising your own product, or simply looking to attract more business based around a certain series of products, creating a how to video to show off select merchandise is a great way to nurture more leads.
Here’s an example of a how-to video we created for Lemonlight client Toshiba’s latest toaster oven. It’s simple enough to use, but for both those would-be customers looking to learn more about the product their researching and for those recent customers who want a quick overview of the product they just purchased, these types of videos provide value and insight that positively nurtures the viewer’s experience with your brand.
5. You can also double a product video as a how-to video
When setting up a video shoot for a new product launch, plan to dedicate part of that product video shoot to cover how the device works. You can then take that and turn it into a separate how-to video in the edit bay. This can be a quick 30-second featurette, like this one we created for our client TRAKK’s new backpack product. These videos are good for including on an e-commerce product page or sharing on social media.
6. Show your showroom with a fun filled event video.
For those brands out there that do have brick and mortar locations, the best way to attract and engage online leads with video is to show off what your location has to offer. Otherwise, why would they bother coming to your store over the convenience of Amazon or some other big retailer? If your location as an eclectic collection, vibrant community, or unique aesthetic, try hosting an event with those in your network to show off all that your store has to offer.
We have two examples for you for adjacent industries. First, check out this event video we made for the San Diego Beer Fest as an example. While the San Diego Beer Fest is a massive annual event, you can think up a similar event that can bring brands and locals together in a celebration that takes advantage of your biggest asset: your storefront.
Second, a bit of a departure. You don’t need a physical location to create an event video for your retail business. Check out this video (we didn’t create) from one of our other former clients, Sondors. Primarily an e-commerce business that started as a successful crowdfunding campaign, Sondors hosts test-ride and bike-owner events in different cities for members of their community to all get together, hang out, and share the love.
If you have a community of customers who are passionate about your products, host an event for them to come out and show their support, meet new people, and share their love. Then, film it, and share that in email newsletters and on social media to nurture on the fence purchasers to make the plunge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv-iafkK4MM
Need a partner for production? Reach out!
We would love to help you create a series of videos you can use for your retail business as part of one of our video packages. Schedule a call today to get started with one of our producers. You’re one phone call away from your very own retail video victory story.