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The Anatomy of an Influencer Video

With the holidays just around the corner, we wanted to look back at a recent video from one of our creators that truly speaks to the power of influencer video – timely, engaging, helpful, and optimized for eCommerce, this video crystalizes why influencer video is such a great tool for brands.

There are a variety of types of influencer videos, each has its own benefit to a brand.

Amanda Nicole, an active member of our community of creators, recorded a fantastic video highlighting innovative ways to create a unique gift for Mother’s Day.

By dissecting this video we can truly deconstruct why influencer video is such an effective tool for marketing and retail, and how best to leverage it.

Check out what Amanda has to say!

Click here to watch the video!

So why does Amanda’s video stand out as being an excellent influencer video, one that other’s should strive to emulate?

  1. It provides value to the viewer
  2. Is aspirational
  3. Shows products within the context they would be used
  4. Is high quality video
  5. Instills trust
  6. Influences purchasing decisions
  7. Relates to a timely event
  8. Is optimized for search
  9. Leverages the creator’s social following
  10. Appeals to emotions

Here is a more in-depth look at why we love this video so much:

1. PROVIDES VALUE

Flickr: @sabeth718

Nobody cares about you or your company. It sounds harsh, but it’s true. Millenials want to know what’s in it for them – they want to gain information from the media they consume. What’s so fantastic about this video is that, even though it showcases a variety of products, viewers will walk away after watching it with information that will allow them to create something they could not have done before.

2. ASPIRATIONAL

When we talk about aspirational content, we are referring to a creator that possesses all the qualities their viewers want or identify with. In this video, Amanda does a fantastic job of exemplifying the ideal that viewers of this video would strive for – the good daughter (or son) that is bright eyed and bushy tailed.

3. IN CONTEXT

One of the greatest benefits of influencer video, and video in general, is that it allows the viewer to get a full view of a product (or products) in the context in which they would actually be used. For this video, Amanda’s clever uses of everyday products in order to make a DIY Mother’s Day gift gives the viewer a visual guide for doing it on their own. The video also allows consumers to fully grasp the products featured in the video, helping them along their path to purchase.

4. HIGH QUALITY

Flickr: @tnarik

There’s no doubt about it, visually pleasing content performs better than low-quality. While this might seem self-evident, there are some brands that leverage influencer video just for the sake of it, without putting much thought into quality. Things like lighting, resolution, high definition, angle of camera (horizontal rather than vertical), and appearance of the creator all impact the way viewers perceive a a video. And, in turn, how they view the products that are featured.

5. INSTILLS TRUST

Trust, more than anything else, is what motivates millenials to purchase a product and there is nothing that instills more trust in mellenials than influencer. In fact, recent research has shown that millenials now trust peer created content (influencer video) 50% more than other types of media.

Amanda’s video is a perfect example of how influencer video can convey trust in a way that traditional media can’t. The viewer, particularly given the upcoming holiday, immediately identifies with the creator – especially the emotional connection people have to their Mother’s.

6. INFLUENCES PURCHASE

The reason influencer video is fast becoming the most powerful tool for brands when it comes to eCommerce is that it shows results. Companies are concerned with one thing – the bottom line, and influencer video has a discernible impact on sales. Research shows that placing an influencer video on a product page causes a 30% incremental increase in sales; a staggering statistic.

While this video does not sit on a product page, it has benefits that don’t exist elsewhere. By including relevant products in the “related items” section next to this video, the viewer can easily go to the product page of any of the items showcased in the video. As these types of videos become more popular and widely used, you can assume that the statistics we will start seeing will be equal to, or greater than, what we’ve seen thus far regarding video on product pages.

7. TIMELY

Flickr: @hartsdelights

It’s an age-old tactic used by marketers and advertisers: whenever there is a holiday, large event, or any other big news story, incorporate your own story in to it. Mother’s Day is a widely celebrated, and discussed, holiday. You can be sure that a variety of hashtags will be trending on Twitter relating to it when Sunday comes around. What’s so great about this video is that Amanda is capitalizing on a popular holiday and incorporating it into her activities as a video influencer. And, in turn, it benefits the brands whose products are featured in the video.

One of the key stages of the “5 Steps to the Perfect Product Launch” is optimizing your Amazon presence for search. While a relatively new concept, clever ways of ensuring top placement for powerful keywords have emerged. One such strategy is to do exactly what Amanda has done. Creating How-To videos that include products in the “related items” section. In this case, if someone searches a term like “mother’s day ideas” this video gets top placement. When someone clicks and watches the video, they will easily be able to view and purchase the featured items.

9. LEVERAGES INFLUENCER FOLLOWING

Leveraging influencer video created by social influencers has many benefits, but being able to capitalize on a creator’s social following is one of the most powerful results a brand can receive. Amanda does a great job at branding her content to include references to all her social channels, encouraging viewers to follow her. Her YouTube channel has a strong following up more than 25,000 people, and this video, which is only two weeks old, has already garnered 45,000 hits!

10. APPEALS TO EMOTIONS

Emotions play a huge part in our daily decision making process. Though you might not realize it, most of the choices you make in life, particularly when it comes to the purchases we make and the feelings we have towards brands. In fact, this behavior has been scientifically proven through the use of fMRI Neuro-imagery.

This video appeals to the emotions that most people associate with their mother’s, as well as the idea of creating a unique gift being more thoughtful than just a bouquet of flowers. By touching an emotional chord, this video will resonate more with viewers, increasing their positive sentiment towards the products being used.

CONCLUSION

So what makes a influencer video great? It’s one of those nebulous things; it has to have that certain Je ne sais quoi . However, Amanda’s DIY Mother’s Day Gift video is an awesome example of one.

In summation, a great influencer video like Amanda’s needs to:

  1. Provide value to the viewer
  2. Be aspirational
  3. Show products within the context they would be used
  4. High quality video
  5. Instill trust
  6. Influence purchasing decisions
  7. Relate to a timely event
  8. Be optimized for search
  9. Leverage the creator’s social following
  10. Appeal to emotions