Marketing Inspo: How to Use Video Marketing to Increase Engagement and Sales in Your Business

When it comes to video marketing for businesses, we have good news and bad news.

Let’s start with the good news.  Video can be incredibly effective in helping you connect with your audience. Research shows that 64% of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social videos and that video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80% or more.

The bad news? Just about everyone recognizes the value of video. In addition to competing with other businesses using it for views and attention, you’re also up against savvy content creators (think: people creating TikTok content).

It’s a crowded and competitive landscape out there, so you need to work extra hard to ensure that your video initiatives take off.

Below, we’ll tackle the types of videos you can use in your strategy plus offer tips and examples to inspire your efforts.

Check ‘em out!

1. Create unboxing videos

Unboxing videos are a great fit for businesses that sell physical goods that customers can touch and explore. Cosmetics, gadgets, and accessories are some of the most popular categories of unboxing videos because these types of products are easy to show off and talk about on-screen.

There are a number of ways to use unboxing videos as part of your strategy.

Produce your own

If you have the resources for it, consider filming your own unboxing videos. Set-up an in-house studio (it doesn’t have to be fancy) and have a team member unbox and unwrap your product. This is a great tactic for generating buzz around an item that just launched or is on its way to launching.

A well-made unboxing video that’s unveiled at the right time can get your customers excited about your merch. Be sure to showcase your items in the best possible light so people can’t wait to get their hands on your products.

Team up with influencers

Get to know the influencers in your community and send them free products to unbox. If you handle your social media strategy in-house, identify those who have an active and engaged audience then explore partnership opportunities with them.

You could also use influencer marketing platforms such as Octoly or Famebit to quickly identify the right people to team up with and launch campaigns with them.

The cosmetics company, elf, is big on engaging influencers. The brand regularly sends them free merchandise to unbox and review, and this helps elf drive awareness for its products.

Check out the example below:

Encourage your customers to film videos

Another approach is to get your customers to film and share unboxing videos themselves. You could, for example, include a request in their order confirmation email, asking shoppers if they would be interested in filming an unboxing video when the item arrives.

The key to successful unboxing videos

No matter what approach you decide to take, a huge part of your video’s success lies in how well you package your products. In order for an unboxing video to be effective, the package being unwrapped needs to look super attractive and pleasing to the eye.

Invest in custom product packaging materials like branded tissue paper and tape. With the right materials, you can make your packaging “pop” and this will make the unboxing experience (regardless of whether or not it was captured on video) more memorable.

Check out this custom packaging from Emillie Ferris, who sells hand-made embroidery products. Emillie uses branded tissue paper and stickers to wrap the items that she sends out, and this creates a delightful unboxing experience for her customers.

2. Go live

There’s nothing quite like interfacing with people in real-time and getting comments and feedback on the spot. That’s why if you love spontaneity and have a highly engaged audience, it may be a good idea to shoot live videos.

Here are a couple of quick tips to supercharge your live videos:

Do a Q&A

Use it as an opportunity to answer people’s top questions. Hop on camera and ask your audience to submit their Qs so you can answer them live.

If you prefer more structure with your Q&A sessions, schedule a live stream for a future date then ask your followers to send in their questions in advance. This will give you the chance to review their submissions before going live, so you can prepare.

A cool example of this tactic in action comes from the personal finance expert Ramit Sethi. When the US went into lockdown due to COVID-19, Ramit created a daily Instagram live series called Fireside Chats with @ramit.

In these videos, he would answer pre-submitted questions about a particular topic and offer his take on what his viewers should do.

Invite a guest

Not a fan of going live on your own? Invite a guest — like a customer, team member, or subject matter expert — to go live with you.

That’s what Marie Forleo, the author of the bestselling book Everything Is Figureoutable, did during one of her live #SelfCareSaturday sessions on Instagram. Marie invited fellow author Regena Thomashauer, and they spent nearly an hour chatting and demonstrating how people can deal with their emotions in a healthy way.

3. Go behind the scenes (BTS)

Pull back the curtain on your operations and give your customers a behind-the-scenes look at your business and the people in it. Maybe you can show viewers how your products are made. Perhaps you can profile one of your key team members.

You want to tell your brand’s story in a more refreshing way, and when implemented correctly, BTS videos can be effective at doing this.

Just make sure that your videos feel authentic. Many “behind the scenes” videos out there feel staged and rehearsed that they lose their charm and end up turning off viewers. While it’s totally cool to have some structure with your BTS efforts, you don’t want the whole production to feel too scripted. Give your employees or team room to be themselves.

Check out this video from Zappos, which puts the spotlight on employee Eileen Koutsulis, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. The video told the story of how she was treated and how she survived — and it did in a genuine and poignant way.

4. Use videos to explain topics or ideas in more detail

While you can certainly use text and photos to get your message across, certain topics may require detailed demonstrations or explanations.

And this is where video comes in handy.

Video is an excellent medium for discussing ideas in more depth. Video can also complement a body of text, making it easier for your audience to understand a topic.

This is something that we practice ourselves over here at noissue. While we love writing blog posts and sharing static visuals, we also recognize the power of video.

Every now and then we shoot videos, wherein we go in-depth about a particular topic. Here’s an example where we explain what sustainable packaging is all about and how it impacts the environment.

5. Make people laugh

We’re not going to lie: producing comedic content isn’t easy, so this tactic isn’t for everyone. However, if you have a knack for making people laugh and comedy makes sense for your brand, creating funny and entertaining videos will enable you to stand out and connect with your audience in ways the few other brands can.

Seth Furey, the founder of the massage therapy business Hands of Furey, does this well. His Instagram page is sprinkled with videos depicting funny (fictional) situations with massage clients.

6. Product demos

Sometimes, static images can’t do your products justice, which is why you need to show them in action.

Create demo videos to showcase an item’s various angles and features. You can also use videos to give people ideas on how to use and wear your products.

Have a look at this IGTV content from Rebecca Minkoff, in which she showcases one of her bags and shares details and tips on how to wear it.

Lights, camera, action!

Video is already a pretty big deal in the marketing realm, and it will only continue to get bigger. That’s why if you’re not utilizing video in your efforts yet, now is the time to do it.

So, plan out your storyboard, whip out your camera, and start shooting.

Good luck!