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Manufacturer Product Marketing Videos & Increased Sales

image of manufacturing (milling cutters)

At Plum, we’ve shot and edited several manufacturers product videos to help them market their products to retailers and end users. While most manufacturers use a wide range of techniques to market and sell their products, only a few use video as a driver for business. We believe in creating high quality video that tells a story about the manufacturing process and the benefits of the finished product. For the purpose of this blog, we’re sharing a few ways a manufacturer should be using video to show what their product is, how it’s produced, and how it’s used.

Process Video. This type of video is created to illustrate the full production and manufacturing process is completed. Usually this means showing manufacturing from start to finish and how the product is put together. This is also where you’d highlight that your products are made in the USA or illustrate how the production line works together to create a high quality product. We recommend this video be approximately 90-seconds in length to ensure you show all the important qualities of your process and product. Keep in mind, the best marketing campaign videos tend to be shorter in nature, yet adequately inform the viewer.

Social Media. Manufacturing companies also need to feed their social media funnel. Plum will work with the marketing team, sales team, and management to ensure the messaging matches the appropriate branding components for consistency. Most manufacturers don’t think of social media as a way to sell, but by selling to the end user about their unique selling proposition and the benefits of their product, manufacturers can pull sales through the distribution channel without relying on retailers or distributors. By using social media, manufacturers can create a strong first impression and increase engagement.

Hiring? Whether the company is just starting out or has been around for awhile, capturing and retaining the best employees is critical to its success. Whether the company finds new employees through email marketing or various hiring websites, it’s critical to craft the perfect message to the target audience. We recommend featuring a career video on the company’s career page that can differentiate you from other manufacturers.

Demos. If you’ve already shown the production process, the next step is to show how the product works. That’s where manufacturing marketing works best. We recommend creating a video marketing campaign that illustrates how the product works and the benefits it solves. We also recommend that it highlights the pain points that relate to the end user, even at a high level. By digging into the pain and costs of not purchasing the product, a video can help the buyer know whether the product is right for them. If possible, when seeking any type of video production services, we recommend you ask to see how they’ve helped other manufacturers describe the most important pain points the buyer might face and show how each one is solved after purchase. This can be shown on a website, direct marketing, emailing, or trade shows. Here’s an interesting example of a demo video.

Video Reviews. Our clients have shared with us that there seems to be a point of differentiation when someone buys. When a product has a supporting video, they tell us that sales are greater than those products without video. On the other hand, when a product has a testimonial video, sales increase even more. What they tell us is that video helps a buyer understand what a product is and how it works, but a testimonial will help a buyer know that someone was happy after their purchase and was comfortable sharing their experience with others via video. While we’d love to shoot that testimonial professionally, it can be just as powerful when shot by the customer him- or her-self on their phone or webcam. The results are positive either way… it’s just a matter of how professional the manufacturer wishes to appear. Below is a nice video review for a legal office…but same rules apply for any manufacturer.

Referral Requests. Many times it’s helpful to ask an existing client for a referral. Why not ask via video? As a manufacturer, you could shoot a short video asking an existing client for a referral. It might sound something like, “Hi there! You recently shared with us that you felt your purchase was a positive experience. Why not share that experience with others? We love referrals! In fact, great referrals are someone like…(describe who). If you can think of anyone who fits this description, would you mind emailing me their contact information? I can mention your name, or go without mentioning it, just let me know.” This is a simple, consistent message that can be sent out after every positive customer experience.

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Our Secret Weapon To a Successful Trade Show Exhibit

image of trade show

So you have a trade show coming up and want to know some tips to getting the most of the show? There are several things you need to do to be prepared…but one that is often overlooked (and best kept secret) is the pre trade show video. What is this you ask? Clients have told us that they usually know who will be showing up or what type of people/companies will be showing up at the trade show. Knowing this is great. Having their emails is even better. If you are lucky enough to receive their emails prior to the show (and many shows offer this), what would happen if you emailed them an invitation to come to your booth? Would they come to see you? Do you have an inbound marketing strategy for the trade show that you’ll be exhibiting?

That’s exactly what one client did. They created an introduction video that said something like,

“Hi, I’m (insert name) from (insert company). You’ve registered for the upcoming trade show and you’re probably starting to identify which booths to visit to make the most of your time at the expo. We’d like to invite you to stop by and enter …  ”

You get the picture. They invited potential clients or buyers to see them and provided an incentive to do so.

So why do this? We think it’s the same reason many companies are creating video:

  • Relationship building. We’re pretty confident that you know business is done with people they know, like, and trust. Knowing this, wouldn’t it be nice to receive an introduction that’s warm and inviting? Wouldn’t you at least stop by to see who they are? Most likely because of the next point…
  • Humanizing. Depending on your industry, you might find it useful to show the human side of the business. Wouldn’t you know, humans like doing business with humans, despite what Amazon would want you to believe. Here’s why: When there’s a problem, another human is who we want to deal with, not a phone tree, not a web form, not an automated system. We want a person. Having this invitation video provides a personal touch to a potential interaction.
  • Doing what most won’t do. Some will reach out via email to invite potential visitors to their booth. Most will not. Even less will invite via video. If you’re being different, you’ll get noticed. Here’s a way to differentiate yourself. Even if more people eventually start inviting via a video invitation, being creative in your messaging can help you stand out even more.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are several more things you can do with video before, during and after the trade show that will help you stand out, such as, producing a video to play at the expo/event, creating a specialized video to say thank you for stopping by (using the cards you collected), or creating a contest at the show and announcing the winner via video (showing the drawing).

If you need help creating ideas, creating concepts, or just want to get started creating a video for your trade show event, give us a call. We’re happy to help.

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Why Your Trade Show Booth Needs a Video

trade show booth

Trade shows are tough, arenÔÇÖt they?┬á So many vendors, so much noise; it can be hard to make your booth stand out.┬á In fact, we at Plum Productions just exhibited at our first trade show, and we learned a big lesson weÔÇÖd like to share: video draws visitors to your trade show booth.┬á ItÔÇÖs true!┬á An eye-catching video makes it near impossible for someone to walk by without noticing you.┬á For the best impact, set up a flat screen TV, hook it into your laptop and place it on the table in front of your boothÔÇönot behind you.┬á In a pinch, you can play your video right off your laptop if you donÔÇÖt have an extra TV handy.┬á Ours was so effective that we gained several new clients, one of them being a custom video forÔÇöyou guessed itÔÇöan upcoming trade show! As great as trade shows are, you might approach a video for your booth differently than a video on your website.

  • First, chances are the room youÔÇÖre in will be loud.  Narration on your video might get lost.  YouÔÇÖll want to make sure your video includes ÔÇ£punch wordsÔÇØ or short phrases about your business.  Remember, a trade show video isnÔÇÖt going to get into the nitty gritty about your services. It just needs to get people to stop and talk to you.
  • Second, go for flash.  Bright colors and quick edits grab attention.
  • Lastly, keep it short.  Remember, it only takes a few seconds for someone to pass your booth.  Keep your video concentrated to the exact information you want a passerby to see.

You can check out the video we created for our new client and see a real life example of an effective trade show video.

Good Luck! If you need any help, let us know!