The Complete Guide for Sellers Using Video to Sell More Product on Amazon

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. This is according to a published study by Forrester Research.

With advances in technology and increased internet speeds, using videos for marketing purposes is not only a good option, but rapidly becoming a necessity.

You can use videos to showcase your products on Amazon in order to engage your target buyers. It also helps attract more clicks, provides unlimited exposure to new clients, and helps build brand identity. Through videos, you can make a personal connection to your customers. As they get to know your company’s culture, sales techniques, mission and values, they are more likely to trust your brand and want to do business with you.

Why You Need to Use Videos in Your Amazon Marketing Strategy

There’s a staggering amount of data available showing how product videos affect online shoppers. More than 96% of consumer reports reveal that product videos help consumers in making the final decision when buying products. In fact, 4 out of 5 shoppers buy a product instantly after checking its Amazon video, and 1 of 4 customers will search the same product on YouTube and Google for additional information. Moreover, 79% of online shoppers prefer watching a video about a product rather than reading a chunk of text on a page.

Video can also help reduce negative reviews. When buyers have a full understanding of what the product does or doesn’t offer, they are less likely to purchase something that doesn’t meet their needs. This means that the people buying your product are better educated about it and therefore making an informed purchase.

Video viewership continues to increase exponentially every year, so it’s high time you incorporate videos to your marketing strategy.

Who Can Use Video in Their Amazon Listings

Product videos are not available to all Amazon sellers. The video feature is available to two primary groups: sellers who are brand-registered (available through A+ content within Seller Central), and vendors who are brand-owning manufacturers that sell wholesale to Amazon (available through A+ content within Vendor Central).

Registered brands can also use videos in Amazon Storefronts. If you are a seller with an unregistered brand (or no brand at all), you’re limited only to the videos posted by customers in reviews.

Technical Guidelines for Amazon Product Listing Videos

Like Amazon product copy and images, product video guidelines are quite strict and must be fully adhered to. Any violation will result in video removal, suspended access to video uploads/content tools, or termination of your entire account.

Some of the most important considerations include:

Any claims must be supported by evidence. You may provide your personal opinion, provided it is clearly noted as such.
You must be the brand owner of the featured product.
Do not use defamatory or derogatory statements about competitor products or brands. Statements about competing products must be factual.
Videos must not contain prices, promotion information, or discount claims. Don’t use words like “cheap,” “affordable,” “on sale,” etc.
No health claims, medical claims, or medical advice.
No controversial, political, sensitive, or sexually suggestive content.
You must not direct viewers away from Amazon.
If you mention customer reviews, you must include accurate product information that can be substantiated.

Best Practices for Product Videos

For consistent results on your video product listings, consider the following best practices:

Keep it brief and focused When it comes to video ads, shorter is usually better. You only have about five seconds to capture your audience’s attention, so make the fleeting time count. Feature your product in the initial second of the listing video and showcase the main benefit within the first few seconds.
Use consistent branding Using consistent branding will help buyers easily recognize and remember your products. Use similar fonts and color schemes. When choosing background music, stick to a general theme. You may also add your brand logo at the end of each video.
Consider using captions Many buyers watch videos with sound off. Use captions or on-screen text and graphics to make sure you convey product information even without any sound on.
Use high-quality imagery High-quality images in your video will make it look polished and professional. The ideal pixel resolution is 1920×1080, so always choose high-resolution photos and video clips.
Focus on benefits and features To convince shoppers that you’re the best seller to buy from, you must highlight the key benefits and unique features of your product. Showcase what makes your product different from similar offerings in the market.

Amazon Product Video Types

Here are some ideas for your next Amazon product video.

Explainer video: Showcase how your product works. This is ideal for products that are complex or innovative.

Product showcase video: Showcase your product from different angles along with text that highlights key features.

Brand story video: If your product has almost the same features as your competitors, a unique brand story video can make all the difference.

Customer testimonials: A glowing video testimonial will easily refute negative written reviews. Such a video will boost potential buyers’ confidence and help them understand what the product is truly capable of.

Comparison video: This can work well when there are many similar products being sold, and how your product solves key problems that others can’t.

Things You Need to Successfully Upload a Video

Before uploading the Amazon product video request, make sure you have the following:

High-quality video – If you submit a poor-quality video, it will get rejected, so make sure to follow the video quality and format guidelines. The accepted video formats are 3GP, AAC, AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, and MPEG-2.

Thumbnail image – The thumbnail image must have a 16:9 aspect ratio and a pixel dimension of 1920×1080. PNG and JPEG formats are accepted.

Video title – Title must be within 100 characters. Make it short yet easily identifiable.

Summary – A summary within 400 characters must be given to help the customers learn what they will be watching or what the video is about.

Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads

A Sponsored Brands video ad is a type of Sponsored Brands advertisement that is only available to sellers enrolled in the Brand Registry program. It usually appears halfway down the first page of Amazon search results. Unlike typical Sponsored Product ads, which look like organic search results, video ads take up a large portion of the page and are hard to miss.

How do Sponsored Brands Video Ads Work?

Video ads are a form of PPC advertising on Amazon. It involves bidding on specific keywords in order for your product to show up in the search results. As with any other ad campaign, you will compete against other sellers in your niche. Before creating and submitting your video ad, make sure to review Amazon’s guidelines on Sponsored Brand videos. If you’re not skilled with video ads, you should hire a professional who is familiar with Amazon to create your product videos.

Who Can Use Sponsored Brands Video Ads?

You need to be a part of the Amazon Brand Registry in order to create video ads. Amazon vendors also have access to the same level of support. However, Amazon does not allow adult products, used products, refurbished products, or products in gated categories to advertise with Sponsored Brand ads.

Guidelines for Creating an Amazon Video Campaign

Amazon has specific guidelines for video ads. Here are some of the commonly missed requirements:

No excessive animation
Brand logo should be visible
You cannot include price savings claims
Referencing generic terms like “leading brand” is not allowed
You cannot use customer reviews from third-party sources
Do not use slang in your campaigns
No language to create a sense of urgency

Best Practices for Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Campaigns

Here are some of the best practices in order to get the best out of every ad format:

Good product ratings: Start with products that have ratings of 3.5 stars or higher.

Highlight key features: Demonstrate specific uses, styles, or specifications of your product.

Drive awareness: Target broad keywords and categories to help introduce new products to relevant audiences.

Drive sales velocity: Target branded keywords to help with early conversions.

Keep it short: Limit your video content to key selling points to ensure your message is received.

Optimize for the format: Your videos should work with or without sound. Also ensure that on-screen text can be easily read on a mobile device.

LiveStreaming via Amazon Live

Amazon Live is a streaming feature for Amazon sellers and influencers to promote products through live video. The broadcast usually stays on the brand or an influencer’s profile. There’s a dedicated landing page where shoppers can discover and watch streams that are “live now” or have previously streamed. When watching live, buyers can ask questions and chat with the hosts.

Shoppers can also choose to “follow” sellers to stay up-to-date with the influencers and brands they like on Amazon. Shoppers who follow you will receive notifications about your brand’s channel, and will be notified when you livestream using the Amazon Live Creator app.

Amazon Live is only available for brand-registered sellers and vendors in the US marketplace.

How It Works

In order to livestream your videos on Amazon, you’ll need to download the Amazon Live Creator app, which is currently only available for iOS. You’ll then have to create your Live account by signing into your seller, vendor, or influencer account. After that, choose your brand and enter your profile name, then choose the product you want to add to your stream. Lastly, enter your stream title, start time, etc., and voila! You’re all set to share your product to the world.

Before streaming, you should spend some time preparing and practicing your talking points. While Amazon Live itself is free, you can boost your stream’s viewership through Amazon advertising.

What Are the Benefits of Amazon Live?

Livestreaming is growing fast. With Amazon pushing its influencer program, it’s a great opportunity for brands to work with influencers to help increase brand awareness and boost sales.

Sense of urgency During your livestream, you can promote a special live-only deal. This enables you to drive urgency. You can award discounts and provide value to customers who joined you live. This can also encourage repeat viewership.
Customer interaction Another benefit of streaming live on Amazon is that you can chat with your viewers in real time. You can answer questions about your brand and product, and really sell the key features and benefits of customers choosing what you offer.
Convenience You can go live on Amazon when it’s convenient for you. There’s no need to schedule a time with Amazon.

Best Practices for Your Amazon Livestream

Here are some useful tips for your next Amazon livestream:

Go live during a time of the day when you tend to see the most sales. This can hopefully drive more conversions.
Livestream for at least 30 minutes at a time. The longer you stream, the more likely shoppers are to discover it.
Encourage your audience to ask questions, hit reaction buttons, and follow your brand.
Use calls to action. Restate key messages as new shoppers will be coming and going throughout your stream.
Demo your product as imaginitively as possible.
Increase your stream’s reach by sharing it across marketing channels. Use the link to share your stream with audiences outside of Amazon.
Practice before you go live. This will help you get more comfortable being in front of the camera.
Take advantage of streams during large events such as Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, etc.

Checking Video Metrics on Amazon

Amazon allows sellers to see viewership metrics for uploaded videos via “Inventory” > “Upload & Manage Videos.” Track your views and engagement data to help you create video content that can influence your customers’ next purchase. Analyze the data and look for things like sales trends. You can tweak your strategies based on the presented data.

Takeaway

Amazon Product Videos are a great way to boost customer engagement and improve sales. Start promoting your product on Amazon using videos and explore the possibilities.

If you need help with Amazon advertising, Rank N Bank is here for you.

Our experienced team is ready to help you grow and improve your business. We offer full management of Sponsored Products ads, Sponsored Brands, and product display advertising campaigns across your entire catalog.

Want to learn more? Get in touch with us today!

The Complete Guide for Sellers Using Video to Sell More Product on Amazon

Why You Need to Use Videos in Your Amazon Marketing Strategy

Who Can Use Video in Their Amazon Listings