We’ve all seen stale sales videos. What’s rare are creative and compelling ones. But how do you make that happen while relaying important information? To find out, we asked 10 members from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
“What is one way to make a sales video stand out?”
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. Stop Selling
“Teach the customer everything you know. Give away the farm. Honestly, they will be too lazy to do the work. They are coming to you for a reason and if you teach them everything, they will recognize you as the ultimate source of information.” ~ John Rampton, Adogy
2. Be Playful
“Dollar Shave Club has made millions with two outrageously fun and offbeat videos. As much as the videos were promotional, they also made viewers laugh, giggle and share. If you can do the same without compromising your brand image, then go ahead and make a video that the whole world will talk about — literally.” ~ Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep
3. Be Trustworthy and Speak With Your Brand’s Voice
“Authenticity is the key to getting people involved and engaging an audience. This is only possible once you’ve established a clear and relatable brand voice — one that trickles down into every aspect of your company.” ~ John Tabis, The Bouqs Company
4. Start by Asking a Question
“If the opening statement is a question, the viewer will become engaged right away. You’ve just made the video all about them. Instead of just spouting off all of the things your company can do, take the time to let the viewer know that you have their best interests in mind. Additionally, at the close of our videos we present a clear link or call to action.” ~ Michael Quinn, Yellow Bridge Interactive
5. Get Real (Time) and Get Personal
“Real time personalization. We use a company called Switch Merge to apply personalization with full integration into Marketo. It’s slick and people really respond to it. In fact, they guarantee a 60 percent conversion rate.” ~ Justin Gray, LeadMD
6. Make Sure it Plays With AND Without Audio
“We used the video at a booth without audio and online with a voice over…and that meant we were communicating messages to our audience even when they couldn’t hear what we were saying.” ~ Mike Seiman, CPXi
7. Try Teaching Instead of Selling
“Customers have a knee-jerk response to sales videos that are trying to push them products they don’t need. Instead of producing yet another product video, try teaching instead: create the need, and show how to solve it by purchasing yourproduct. For instance, instead of selling a resistance band for exercise, produce a video with 10 great workouts using resistance bands and then use that to sell them.” ~ Pablo Villalba, 8fit
8. Include Your Customers
“Nothing you can say speaks more clearly than your past customers discussing the value you bring. Find 2-3 past customers and shoot quick testimonial videos that you can cut into your larger marketing video.” ~ John Rood, Next Step Test Preparation
9. Be Brief
“Your video should focus on one product or service at a time, and should concisely explain how it solves a customer’s needs. Shoot additional videos if your business sells multiples products or services.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
10. Be Authentically Helpful, Even to Non-Buyers
“Share with them information they’ll find valuable and can use whether they buy or not. Be authentic in your delivery and “ooze care.” Know enough about your customers to know what specific symptoms are causing their big problems. Then address the fix to one problem per sales video.” ~ Joshua Lee, StandOut Authority
Video Photo via Shutterstock
Aira Bongco
You’re absolutely right on the selling part. You should start with a good concept or at least impart some knowledge before you sell anything. There are too many videos with a hidden agenda that it is tiring already.
Kip Marlow
Excellent and timely. Thanks so much.
Stevenson Brown
You are right when you say “be playful”. You must attract your customers attention and explain them in your video that the product you are selling is useful for them. The speech must be clear and you must speak without hesitation. Personnally, I use a teleprompter sot that I have no stress in front of the camera.. 🙂