The Internet is on the verge of being dominated by video media – it leads off online news and sports articles, it’s shared on everyone’s Facebook feeds, and it’s searched by the millions daily on YouTube. Video content is everywhere.
Which means it should be a significant part of your business’s website and online outreach.
“It’s really an exciting era,” says Shane Kinney, who owns the Drum Center of Portsmouth, one of the best examples of a retailer going all-out with promotional videos. “We are witnessing the most potent advance in retailing since the launch of the Web, and it’s clear that the leaders of this movement are watching and learning from each other."
The Drum Center’s YouTube page has well over six million views and over 6,000 subscribers thanks to hundreds of smartly produced promotional and demonstration videos. “It exposes the personality and culture of the staff which helps create brand identity,” says Kinney. “It allows us to connect with the customer. The customer is able to see that we are actual drummers with a passion for the instruments as opposed to a ‘store that sells items.’” By MI retail standards, online video is a superpower _ something anyone with a cash register and an inventory of instruments should aspire to. But where to begin?
The first part is easy _ a few basic pieces of equipment are essential. Any beginner or “pro-sumer” DSLR camera _ a Cannon T5i or Nikon d5200 – would cover your bases, but you can also create video on equipment like a GoPro, a Zoom Q4, or simply your laptop or smartphone camera. Video software can be simple like iMovie or Movie Maker (or scores of other free software), or it can be more in-depth like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut. The key is to find something that works for you and your available time and budget, and start creating.
The aspiring retail filmmaker needs to keep a few things in mind. What are your goals? Larry DeMarco is the director of marketing at Electro-Harmonix, which has one of the most robust video programs in the business (a big help for a product lineup with as diverse features as their effects pedals). He says a good video can establish your store as a center of expertise. “If you have a website _ and why wouldn’t you? – it provides that most precious of currencies: good content. Include some ‘B roll’ of your store, perhaps an exterior shot, as well as some gear lust-inducing displays.”
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DeMarco says that a little preparation goes a long way. The EHX team always creates a tight script for its product demos, ensuring that every scene’s benefit is weighed and outlined before anything is recorded and that any voiceover material is polished ahead of time. Staying on message is always important. “Attention spans seem to be getting shorter all the time,” says DeMarco. “Distilling your presentation to its essential ingredients may make the difference between your video getting watched in its entirety or zapped somewhere along the way.”
Another heavy hitter in MI video creation is Vic Firth, which was pioneering in its efforts to create comprehensive videos for its drum products. Marketing manager Andy Tamulynas recommends that retailers even bring in outside testimonials when possible. “The customer already knows you think the product is great,” he says. “What do other drummers think?”
Kinney says that it’s important to demonstrate products in ways that make sense. “Do it in a manner that is congruent with the instrument,” he says. “In other words, don’t do blast beats when demonstrating a jazz drum set.”
The Drum Center Portsmouth uses other subtle tricks to make their mark _ they fly the store logo at the beginning and end of the video and maintain a similar backdrop and the same camera angles on all videos to create a consistent experience. “Another thing we like to do is bring in all of the drums in one particular line. The Mapex Black Panther line is an example. We brought in all of the drums, allowing the viewer to compare our videos against the Mapex ones, which gave the viewer more options to form an opinion.”
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In fact, an in-depth product and brand review can change your business’s entire perception. Tamulynas points to MyCymbal.com, the cymbal specialty site created by the Memphis Drum Shop. “Today, people flock to Mycymbal.com to do product research,” he says. “Not all of them purchase a cymbal from Memphis Drum Shop, but they’ve created a resource that the consumer seeks out, spends time with, and returns to!”
In any case, whether you’re trying to establish yourself as a go-to industry authority on a product segment or simply trying to assert your identity and create some personable, sharable content, it’s never been easier.
