It’s no surprise to see the rising impact of video in marketing. You should use video to increase conversion rates, but if you’re not convinced by this, read this article to change your opinion.

You think video isn’t converting? Think again…

In 2014, 1 in 4 people who had the intent to buy from an online store used YouTube to search for videos related to the product. In 2016, the number of people who use video to get a better idea of the product they want to buy has increased for sure.

Video works great because it has a big retention rate for people who want to buy those products. More than 2/3 of the shoppers watched 80% of the video, according to Invodo (2014). If you think this is a secret marketing tactic, you’re wrong – it’s all about psychology.

Why does video increase conversion rates?

An older article on Forbes talks about this subject but I’m just going to talk about the marketing benefits of using video to increase conversion rates. You should give this 2013 article a read since most of the things there are still relevant to this day.

Using video you’ll capture the audience. People tend to pay more attention to videos if a they’re watching a person and not just random text with a soundtrack. People’s trust will be at the highest level if they see another human face in the video. This is how the brain works, making the face area as a gathering point for information and trust.

Another thing that captures the viewer’s attention is the movement. It’s related to our DNA through the power of peripheral vision.

Human voice = better information. The simple fact that you have a human relating facts by voice to another human being is extremely important. It makes it easier for people to convert the information they receive to content they can digest.

We all seek emotions. It can be tricky to make a product video and also deliver emotions to your viewers. That’s why you should have a good video content strategy and promote different videos at specific moments of your conversion funnel. The body language is extremely useful if you want to use video to increase conversion rates.

How should you use Video to Increase Conversion Rates?

We know that images increase conversion and there is a lot of content on this topic, but how about videos. Can you really use them to increase conversions rates? Yes, but you need to have a strategy.

Video works better for some areas and not so good in other niches (although it still improves the conversion rate).

Looking at the following chart, we can see that the conversion rate increases by 113% for gifts, 101% for electronics but by only 14% for personal care products.

I would go on a limb and say that this low percentage is present because of the history of TV ads for personal care products. This field is already saturated with video content, so a different approach would be better.

There are several tactics you can apply to use video and increase conversion rates. Here are a few:

Have a section for informational videos on your website.

Let’s say you have one product you’re selling on your website. Whatever that may be, you can start a video area for your website with relevant content. Tell people how they can use the product, where and what are some best practices.

Use videos in product details.

Do you have an online shop? People want to buy your products but they first would like to see it in action. This works great for clothes. You can add some small 30-second videos with people wearing the products trying to point out all the benefits.

Have videos on landing pages.

You use landing pages to increase conversion rates? Add videos to those pages and you’ll have a bigger CVR%. Try to be as natural as you can be and don’t make a “sale video” but a nicer, friendlier one.

Use videos as testimonials.

Testimonials are great to build trust in your company and products but some people think they’re just blocks of content made up to fill blank spaces on your website. Adding them in video form will make them real and your trust level will increase.

Tips for those who use videos to increase conversion rates

  • Keep the video relatively short but informative.
  • Use custom thumbnails to increase people’s curiosity.
  • Have male and female participants, depending on your product.
  • Use calls to action.
  • Find the best placement on your website, usually above the fold and have a fairly large video player.
  • Don’t forget to measure your videos impact.

You can even try and add videos to your email marketing strategy. Start with some split testing and make any changes you may feel adequate.