Professional-looking product videos are rarely made because businesses tend to overthink every step. They get caught up in the small details like looking for the perfect camera angle, the right camera gear and the software they will use.
This article will teach you how to make your product videos look professional by focusing on the important aspects. This will be of great help if you’re planning to produce more video content for your business.
So if you’re ready, let’s jump right to it.
1. Set goals for your product video
One common mistake you can make in this endeavor is to jump into video production without setting any goals with your team. Doing this doesn’t allow you to see if your product video is doing great objectively.
By setting goals beforehand, you and your team can determine what makes the video product a success. Additionally, it also helps in the concept of your product video. This will ultimately help in creating a compelling video that your market can relate to.
Common goals for product videos are:
- Generating lead and sales – These are videos that highlight the benefits and features of your product(s). You are trying to convince that your product is the better choice compared to your competitors. Creating product videos for sales and lead generation can address lost leads, high cart abandonment email rates and low conversion numbers.
- Building brand awareness – Sometimes, product videos don’t need to be aggressive in making a sale. Some videos are created to increase awareness of the brand.
An important aspect in this section is communication. You and your team need to communicate ideas and suggestions to each other. This will help make a great product video; what CRM solution will you use to manage it like Hubspot CRM, SalesForce, etc., and seeing blind spots that were missed.
If the staff is working remotely, you could practice asynchronous communication to continue the idea generation and not disrupt the flow.
Once you’ve set your goals for your product video, all the succeeding steps will be easier. All your processes will now be directed to your goals.
2. Create a storyboard
When creating professional product videos, you just can’t win them on production day. Successful product videos aren’t created by luck. If you see a viral product video that’s loved by many, chances are it has undergone rigorous planning and preparation.
Any business that has gained traction over the years and has been part of any growth hacking examples list has a well-planned storyboard for their product videos and other marketing materials.
If you want to accelerate your growth through your content, creating a storyboard beforehand can greatly help. Creating a storyboard helps you and your team visualize the scenes needed to be shot.
It makes you see how the story will flow. You and your team can also decide whether the flow is correct or can it convey the message you’re trying to achieve.
The purpose of making a storyboard is to notice any flaws or mistakes in the storyline that can be corrected as early as now. If you spot this before the post-production stage, this will save you a lot of time and money.
3. Tell a story
Any great marketer and brand designer know how powerful a story can be. Consumers love stories. They’ve been told stories since they were kids. That’s why the most compelling product videos out there tell a story. You’ve seen this done by Coca-Cola, Airbnb, Apple, Nike and others.
When you tell a story, make sure to include the pain points of your market. Let your customers know that you understand their frustrations and problems. Pointing these pain points out creates a perception that you know what they’re going through.
Some businesses create quizzes, forms and surveys to really know exactly what the pain points of their market are. They do these extra activities to address these things in their marketing initiatives like video, blog and email campaigns.
When you address pain points through storytelling, you will get your customers’ attention from the start. They’ll be intrigued by how your product can help them with their problems.
An example of this is how Close advertised its predictive dialer by narrating the problems it solves for sales teams.
4. Showcase how your product can help your consumers
When creating product videos, it’s important not to only focus on the features of your product. We get it; your product is good and has fantastic features. But if you only showcase those things, your market will never relate to your video.
If you’re the one who created the product, there’s a possibility that you will only advertise the product features and will not explain how it can benefit your market. Therefore, it is important to involve your team in this process. Set up personal and online meetings with them to discuss how you can properly showcase your product.
Discuss how you can connect those product features to help improve your customers’ lives or solve their problems. This approach to product videos is what separates professionals from amateurs.
Professionally made product videos are the ones that people relate to. The content and idea of the video are strategically made so consumers can relate to the product video.
In the case of this business, its product video showcased their facilities that their clients can use since they are a service-based business.
5. Mind your lighting
We won’t be suggesting what type of light you should go for since this is a technical aspect and will totally depend on the concept of your video. But what we can do is to remind you to be mindful of your lighting.
Some businesses would go for hard light, while others choose to use soft light. Others would even use dim light to create a dramatic effect. There are even those who shoot in broad daylight to capture the natural light that the sun provides.
Sometimes you can use various lightings for different images to convey different moods for your product pictures or videos.
Look at how this website used different lightings for its images to be seen by its clients.
Remember, your lighting should go with the concept of your product video. Light plays an important role in product videos.
The way a scene is lit would determine the mood and the atmosphere in telling a story. Learning more about lighting techniques can help enhance your product videos and make them more visually appealing.
6. Smartphones can be your camera gear
If you want to create professional-looking product videos, your camera should be able to shoot and produce quality videos.
I understand that some camera gear can be expensive, especially the new ones. So if you’re on a budget, most smartphones out in the market today can create high-quality videos.
There are a lot of videographers on various platforms that guide their viewers on how to create professional videos using a mobile phone. This is ideal for businesses that don’t need a big production to shoot a video.
It works best for people who want to finish a quick product video like shooting their Halloween costume or spooky accessories for the Halloween season.
Look at how this brand produces many videos on all things real estate by just recording herself on a phone. It doesn’t require a big budget and yet she is giving out quality content and the video feels more genuine.
7. Use a great video editing software
In some product videos, you won’t need a camera. All you need is software that can create graphics, words and animation, which is why your editing software is also a key component in creating a video product.
When choosing a software to go with, make sure it has all the features needed for you to finish your video. Check its website to see a complete list of features that it presents. Look at videos of previous users and hear out what they have to say. Read reviews and compare them to your other software of choice.
Using the correct video editing software will determine whether you will have an excellent product video or not. Take your time in choosing your software; watch every review about it. This will save you time and money if you choose the right software from the start.
8. Aim for great audio quality
Your audio quality is as important as your video. No one wants to finish a video if the audio hurts their ears.
Most people are willing to watch a low-quality video as long as everything is good. If they hear static or fuzzy indistinct audio, that’s sometimes enough for them to close the video.
That’s why most businesses invest in a good microphone, just like how they invest in good cameras. They know that audio quality is vital to making a product video a hit.
9. Avoid using the camera’s microphone
Another tip on making product videos look professional would be avoiding the use of the camera’s microphone. Those built-in microphones are only good if the one you’re shooting is close to the gear. But if you’re creating a product video wherein the people are far from the camera, it’s better to use an external microphone.
When going for a dedicated audio recorder, make sure to test things out first. Say a few lines, record for a few seconds and then check the audio quality.
Listen if the words are clear and the microphone doesn’t pick up external noises like the sounds of birds, cars passing through or murmurs in the background. Testing your microphone before the actual shoot can save you time and effort.
To make this process way easier, check out this comprehensive guide on microphone selection.
10. Choose the right background
This part of your video should have been answered when you were brainstorming with your team. The background for your product videos will also play an important role in setting the mood.
A good background can make the product video achieve its aesthetic goal. A dark background with bright lighting could be excellent for classy products that highlight elegance. A bright background could convey a happy mood to your customers.
For example, if you’re selling products or items to be used in the kitchen, a good background could be a kitchen table. A product to be used on the beach could have a sand background to make it feel like the video was shot near the ocean waves.
The list of choices for a background is a long one. An important reminder for it to look professional is to choose a background that’s in context. An out-of-place background can throw off some customers and wonder if that product video is legitimate.
11. Film in small segments
If you’ve watched how professional films are made, almost all of them are filmed per scene. No single movie was shot straight. Even experienced marketers apply the same principle to their product videos.
The reason for filming in small segments is because it would take less effort and time to retake the shot if something was not right. It’s hard to have a continuous shot and you only notice the mistake in post-production.
Also, if you have an actor with lines that need to be said for your product video, he or she will have fewer things to remember if you’re filming in small segments. Fewer things to remember equates to fewer mistakes and less time filming.
Additionally, you can create scripts that make the overall message more concise if you film in segments. Getting a clear message across can make product videos make the whole content impactful and meaningful.
12. Don’t overdo the effects
When it comes to editing the raw video, it’s easy to be lost in the effects and transitions of the chosen software. Sometimes when you overdo these features, it will become a nuisance in the video.
So when you’re in post-production, make sure to be aware of not overdoing effects. If it’s not necessary, don’t use them at all. The overuse of transition and effects might shift your customers’ attention elsewhere.
Sometimes, simplicity is better. By making sure you get your message across and produce the highest quality of video and audio that you can, it will be enough to impact your market.
Why aim for great product videos
Publishing excellent product videos can bring a ton of benefits to your business. It shows how great the product is, but it also convinces your viewers that it’s a product they need.
Additional benefits include:
I. Improve conversion
Creating great product videos can help in increasing conversion. Once you’ve delivered your message clearly and showed how your product could help and improve your customers’ lives, your conversion rate will increase.
II. Increased customer engagement
When your market relates to your product videos or they think that it can be of great help to others, they won’t hesitate to share and tag their friends. This increases the engagement of your content. You’ll have more comments, retweets, likes and shares.
III. It builds trust
When your product delivers the promises mentioned in the video, you will gain your customers’ trust. They will realize that you’re not just dishing out flowery words to get more sales. They will see that you are genuine in serving them and answering their needs.
Once you’ve obtained their trust, it will be easier to sell them on other products and services. They will be more confident in your business that it can deliver on its promises.
IV. Increased sales and customer loyalty
Gaining the trust of your market equates to increased confidence. And confident consumers tend to spend more in businesses they trust. If you gain their trust, your customers are convinced that your products answer their needs and work specifically well for them.
Ultimately, a great product video can lead to higher sales and customer loyalty.
V. It’s a better medium
Product marketing campaigns are always better in video format. Businesses can show more of their creativity and explain better through videos.
Plus, there’s a good chance that people are more hooked on video campaigns. Getting to see the product in action and actually being tested is much more entertaining than reading about it on a blog.
Businesses can also explain in a much more detailed and entertaining manner through videos.
Make an impact on your audience
Making product videos are important to any business. It allows them to showcase their products in a way that’s compelling and engaging to its market.
But these businesses must not publish just any video. The video should be of quality and well thought out for it to be received well by customers.
The people behind the production should know how to structure the video to make it engaging and professional in the eyes of its market. By implementing the tips above, you’re a few steps closer to creating a high-quality video that can make an impact on your audience.