Are your video ads failing to convert viewers into customers? You're not alone—many e-commerce brands struggle with creating compelling video content that grabs attention and drives sales.
This is a missed opportunity because, more often than not, video ads score better than all other types of ad content, although the only way to know for sure is to test rigorously.
Intuitively, you can guess why eCommerce video ads perform better (or at least, they have a better chance): videos deliver more information per ad, capture attention better, and are more engaging and persuasive.
As such, video ads have a better click-through rate, conversion rate, and engagement than traditional ads, but creating a successful video ad is not easy.
To help you create a better eCommerce video ad scripting process, we have compiled some best practices that you should keep in mind when creating your next video ad.
Why you should invest in video as an ecommerce brand
Video boosts brand awareness
Video is a huge traffic booster so you shouldn’t neglect it if you want to increase brand awareness. Coupled with a solid SEO strategy and engaging social media content, video will give you more exposure and build trust with your target audience.
**to do this, make sure you’re creating videos leveraging the keywords you want to rank for
Video increases conversions and works very well with cold audiences
Video is a powerful educational tool that will convey more information about your products in less time and in a more interesting way.
This is great for the average consumer who has a short attention span and wants to absorb the benefits of your product quickly so they can decide if they want to buy. Making your prospect understand the value of your offerings leads to higher conversions.
This is especially true for cold audiences, the ones at the top of the funnel, who need more in-depth explanations to understand your product or the value they can get out of it, etc.
It’s sometimes hard to do this through a static image: videos are perfect to catch your audience’s attention, and explain why your products are important.
Video builds confidence and trust
Like social proof, video is great for building trust in your ecommerce brand. How does it do this?
Customers are expecting videos when they encounter a brand or product. Video shows hard proof that a product works as it says it does.
Videos that incorporate storytelling is a major plus because it helps your audience connect with you emotionally. It’s also easy to share with friends and family, adding a word-of-mouth factor.
11 Tips to Elevate Your eCommerce Video Ads
Know your target audience
There’s no point creating ads if you don’t know who your target audience is.
Where are they from? Who are they? Where do they hang out? What keeps them up at night?
These are some of the questions you need to ask.
Note down their interests, product affinity, purchasing habits, and other factors help you narrow down on who you are trying to communicate with.
Following this task, you can craft your ecommerce video ads and scripts a lot easier with more conviction.
Keep it short and simple
People's attention spans are short, and getting shorter by the day. The ideal length for an eCommerce video ad is between 15 to 30 seconds.
Capture your audience's attention, convey your message, and make the ad deliver what it’s meant to deliver.
Your video should also be simple and easy to understand. Avoid using complex language, industry-specific jargon, or use fancy words, complicated images, etc.
Focus on benefits, not features
As businesses and marketers, we’d like to believe that everyone understands what we are trying to say. It's easy to get carried away with the features of your product or service.
However, most customers don’t care about features. Customers are more interested in the benefits they will receive from your product.
Instead of listing the features, focus on how your product can solve their problems, make their life easier, or provide them with a unique experience.
Be a scroll-stopper
Use great copy and high quality visuals.
Remember short attention spans and how they are getting shorter? On Google, Bing, and social networks, you’ll need to make people stop scrolling and pay attention to your ads.
In fact, “attention” is the first objective with advertising.
A video ad is a visual medium, so use high-quality visuals in a way that grabs users’ attention. Use clear and crisp images or videos that showcase your product or service in the best possible way.
Of course, visuals should also be consistent with your brand identity, ad objectives and messaging.
Highlight solutions
Let’s say a person who belongs to your target audience of “regular International travelers focused on optimizing travel experiences and avoiding airport hassles” is looking for a smarter way to travel.
You sell smart cabin baggage.
Which of these two ads sounds better?
"Made of polycarbonate and magnesium adhesives, lined with specially designed grooves (top and bottom) of the case, and with miniature alloy wheels….."
Or
"Pack into your cabin baggage as much as you carry in your check-in baggage and still keep it under TSA and airline weight limits.
No need to check-in. One bag, multiple destinations."
The answer is obvious.
Include a strong call-to-action
Your eCommerce video ad script should have a clear and compelling call-to-action.
This call-to-action should lead to a landing page or your eCommerce store (landing pages are preferred).This could be a link to your website, a discount code, or a sign-up form.
Customers are more interested in the benefits they will receive from your product. Instead of listing the features, focus on how your product can solve their problems, make their life easier, or provide them with a unique experience.
Display the call-to-action at the end of the video and make it impossible to miss.
Show social proof
Nothing works better than social proof. People line up to buy when there’s enough proof that the world loves what you have to offer.
This is also the reason why you invariably check Amazon, Yelp, and Google reviews before buying a product.
Be sure to gather social proof and make it a continuous endeavor. Then, showcase these reviews in your regular eCommerce video ads.
While writing eCommerce video ad scripts, “review-based video ads” can be an entirely separate category of ad types you can create.
Use scarcity or urgency
Along with social proof, find ways to include some sort of time limit, scarcity, or induce a sense of urgency within your eCommerce video ad scripts.
It’s a classic. It always works. It plays on the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
You might think that this is overdone but it’s overdone because it works.
If you get a chance to use a time limit for ads, use it.
Set a clear goal
Every marketing campaign should have a goal. For video, your goals can be:
- Views
- Conversions
- Performance
- Reach & Awareness
Identify your goal for the video and have that as your guide when creating the video.
Start with a hook
Just as an email subject line is as important as an email when creating email marketing campaigns, so is a hook when creating videos.
A hook is a scroll-stopping introduction designed to hook your viewers and keep them reading or watching.
To create a powerful hook, you can stir curiosity with a controversial line or hop on a social media trend. However, a hook will be more powerful if you apply the next step…
Identify and understand the audience you’re talking to (BOFU, MOFU, TOFU)
Audience research should be at the top of your list when producing video ads. It clarifies for whom you’re making the video for and therefore, what the video ad should contain.
You can use these three types of audiences to categorize your target audience.
- Top Of The Funnel (TOFU)
These are people who are struggling with a problem that you can solve but are unaware of the solution. You then have to let them know that a solution exists.
For example, if you are a beauty tech brand that sells LED face masks, a TOFU audience can be those who don’t know LED face masks exist and don’t know how to fix a dull complexion or reduce wrinkles. They are the coldest audience.
- Middle Of The Funnel (MOFU)
These are people have the problem you solve and are aware of the solution but they might not be motivated enough to try it or are unsure of the solution.
For example, MOFU audiences know there are ways to fix signs of skin aging and a ruddy complexion but have never tried or don’t believe LED face masks work.
- Bottom Of The Funnel (BOFU)
These are the people who are interested in and are convinced by the solution you offer. You just need to help them take the next step.
For example, a BOFU consumer can be repeat customers or customers using another brand that sells LED face masks. They are the warmest audience.
Boost conversions with better ecommerce video ads
Creating a successful video ad takes time and effort. After creating your video ad, you should test it with your target audience to see how they respond.
Use metrics such as click-through rate, engagement rate, and conversion rate to evaluate the effectiveness of your video ad.
If you’d like to see various ads by several different brands (across industries), see what Panoramata helps you find.
