In 2022, the way consumers view and value content is rapidly changing. For those brands and businesses that don’t pivot with the trends, growth will likely stunt, resulting in a drop in traffic, conversion rates, and sales. Don’t fall behind.
We know that video is key to selling almost anything online in today’s era. Stats show that 84% of online consumers find that marketing videos are often responsible for convincing them to invest in a product or service. In addition, according to Cisco, video content will be responsible for 82% of all online traffic in 2022.
The Power of Authenticity
With the shift to e-commerce that was solidified by the pandemic, consumers lose the ability to touch or try on a product or have questions answered by staff. In many cases, online shoppers have to rely on text reviews to make a purchase. However, text reviews are sometimes viewed as inauthentic by shoppers. Plus, research shows that consumers are over 50% more likely to leave a negative review (following a bad experience) than they are to leave a positive one after a good experience, so there’s a noteworthy bias to text reviews.
Maybe you’ve got some high-production, picture-perfect brand videos – these are nice to have, but they’re expensive to make and don’t reflect your real customers. Authentic videos are the missing piece of the puzzle to truly connect with your customers and give them the confidence to click through to checkout.
Look Beyond Influencer Campaigns
Before you spend a large portion of your marketing budget on an influencer campaign, consider using your real customers instead. According to a large-scale marketing survey conducted by StoryTap, 88.5% of consumers found actual customer reviews to be more trustworthy when compared to influencers. Today’s shoppers can spot a paid ad from a mile away.
Check out this video review recorded using StoryTap’s patented video technology that has helped to drive brand engagement and awareness from the voice of a real customer:
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Maintain Personal Connection with Customers
Showing brand personality through the content that you share is crucial for creating a connection with your brand’s audience.
Authentic video comes in all forms and facets, however, the bones of its execution remain the same. Consumers respond best to brands that appear “real”. In contrast, they won’t respond when things appear staged and forced. Here below are some types of authentic video content you’ll want in your brand’s arsenal.
Review Videos
Video product reviews help build trust with your customers. Stats show that 90% of people are more likely to trust a brand recommendation, even from a stranger. Video product reviews help new customers feel confident about their purchase and follow through to checkout.
FAQ Videos
Bridge the gap between your staff and your customers with FAQ videos, which demonstrate how to use a product or a step in usage, like changing out a battery, and let your customers save time.
Educational Videos
Quickly tell your consumers more about your brand’s product or service and why they need it. Engaging educational videos can also be a useful tool for your sales team.
Demonstration Videos
These showcase your product and how it works, whether that’s how to set up an appliance or how to apply a self-tanner. Popular unboxing videos (where customers show their social media followers a point-of-view video of them unpacking their order) can also fall under this category.
Testimonial Videos
Similar to review videos but with an even more emotional angle, these share the real-life success stories of your loyal clients (or employees). Testimonials can be incredibly impactful in converting new customers (or recruiting) and boosting brand trust.
Company Culture Videos
People like to know they’re supporting a company that aligns with their values. Company culture videos showcase your brand’s personality and story so that it feels relatable and admirable to potential customers and/or employees.
Here are some pointers to remember when trying to create an authentic piece of video content:
Unfortunately, many brands and businesses are still pursuing high production content aimed at heavy promotion and sales tactics. Don’t be that brand. Remain true to who you are as a company and your audience will connect with you in an authentic and long-lasting way.
Meet StoryTap’s Video Platform
If you haven’t yet adopted a video-centric content strategy, it’s not too late. StoryTap’s patented video platform enables you to easily create and share authentic experiences from real customers and employees at scale, from product reviews to self-service videos and more. All videos include SEO metadata and are fully controlled by you and free to share across multiple channels (including social media) from our user-friendly platform. Those were a lot of words, but it’s actually super simple (promise).
Download the 2022 Influencer Consumer Trust report here to learn how to align your strategy to put customers first.