User generated video content is massively powerful in eCommerce, so a system for generating it is essential. This could be seen as the reserve of the “influencer” but in reality, well placed video content that can be served again and again as part of the marketing funnel is likely to be more powerful than a few “flash-in-the-pan” video posts from some micro-influencers.
So I’ve put together a list of platforms, websites and methods we can use to systematically get video content flowing.
I’ll also touch on using that video content. It’s not just Social Ads, Social Posts and product pages on your website that can benefit. With Amazon increasingly moving towards allowing the use of video in listings, this will soon be a competitive differentiator. So the ability to syndicate video to Amazon will be a key selling point for the platforms, websites and methods listed with that capability.
Starting with the video platforms
Gen.video
What you get
- Content Creation
- Content syndication to Amazon
Pro’s and Con’s
- Pro’s – not a bad interface
- Con’s – seriously expensive on a per video basis (Subscription fee is pretty reasonable)
Our Thoughts
It is possible with the entry level paid plan to submit up to 10 videos to Gen.video which will get syndicated to Amazon, and these videos don’t have to be created through Gen.video.
So at $25 per month, it could simply be used as a relatively cheap method of syndicating the videos to Amazon.
Influencer (and User Generated Content) Platforms
Influencer.com
https://influencer.com/
Tribe
https://www.tribegroup.co
Influence4Brands.com
https://www.influence4brands.com/
Social Bakers
https://www.socialbakers.com/
Influenster
https://corp.influenster.com/home
https://influencermarketinghub.com/top-influencer-marketing-platforms/
Cameo.com
https://cameo.com
Using the video content to boost conversions
There are tonnes of places that product videos could be used. Here’s a list of some potential uses:
- Facebook Ads
- Landing page testimonials
- Website Product Page Testimonials
- Follow up emails (obviously not Amazon follow up emails)
- Amazon Listings (Input by you)
- Amazon Listings (Input by customers into the “Video Shorts” section)
Amazon Video Shorts are likely to be an increasingly differentiating aspect of listings. When buyers grow to expect there to be video testimonials (and that will happen), if you haven’t got a decent tranche of them to peruse, you’ll be at a disadvantage in terms of sales conversion.
User Generated Content (UGC) Vs Influencer Generated Content (IGC)
So far in this post I’ve just bundled Influencers in with Users as far as the generation of video content is concerned.
The truth is, you are more likely to get better quality content out of influencers. At the end of the day, they’re reputation depends on it, and their reputation is what makes them an Influencer, not just a User or customer. So quality is a massive plus.
Over at Revfluence.com they contrast the pro’s and con’s of UGC vs IGC in this article.
However, the reason I hadn’t differentiated between influencers and users was because the objectives can get blurred when we start with the word “influencer”.
What do I mean? Well ask yourself the question; why do you want to generate video content?
Ok, that question is likely to have a tonne of answers.
Better still; is the purpose of your video content to generate value from the influence of the Influencer posting the content, or is it more about being able to utilise the video content on an ongoing basis as part of a sales funnel?
Value of Influencer Influence Vs The Video Content Itself
This is the key differentiation. Are you seeing more value from;
- The short term influence of the Influencer
- The influence of video content as part of an ongoing sales funnel
If you’re dealing with;
- Products that aren’t necessarily consumable products (delivering lower Life-Time-Value customers / lack of repeat purchases)
- Z-list or “micro-influencers”
It’s highly likely that the value of the “influence of the Influencer” is low.
Using influencers for consumable products vs one-off purchases
If you can use an influencer to convert an audience to buying your consumable (repeat purchase necessary) product on an ongoing basis, you can then derive ongoing value from a “one-off” influencer campaign.
In this case, the “influence of the Influencer” for a one-off post is therefore of ongoing value even if the Influencer doesn’t post video for you on an ongoing basis.
If however, your product is more of a 1 or 2 off purchase, you have short term influence, with short term reward. You’re then forced down a path of a continuous need to fuel the fire of influence. There is no long term value derived from the “influence of the Influencer”. Instead, the value you’re left with is in the video itself as part of a sales funnel (where potential customers may not even know the Influencer in the video).
Using Z-List or Micro-Influencers
This is basically a way of saying “entry level” or “low cost”.
It’s not necessarily about the size of the audience. As a small but highly engaged audience that is open to suggestion is likely to yield higher returns.
But essentially, the quantified impact of these types of influencers is likely to be quite small. In which case, the value of the video content they create for use later in sales material is likely of far more value.
Conclusion
So here are a few of the key points from the article;
- Video is going to be an essential part of selling on Amazon and is likely to further increase cost of entry
- Getting a system together to harvest high quality video content is therefore going to offer a competitive advantage
- There are plenty of platforms out there for you to find influencers who will create videos
- Influencer content is likely to be higher quality than just “users” but don’t lose sight of why you’re targeting influencers
- Be clear whether you’re valuing the influence of the Influencer, or the intrinsic value of the video content itself