The Marketing Advantages of ‘How To’ videos

With YouTube being one of the most used search engines in the world (sorry Google), it is not surprising that businesses are tapping into this huge viewer market and getting their products showcased through to the masses.

Let’s take the worldwide fidget spinner phenomenon as an example.  There are hundreds, it not, thousands of videos available to watch – for free – online. The popularity of this gadget can be solely attributed to it’s online presence and appeal through ‘How To’ videos. Ranging from six year old kids doing tricks through to parody videos made by adults, this product has captured a universal market with no particular demographic purely by being versatile when it comes to content for the online audience.

Another relevant example of an industry that is riding on the coattails of ‘How To’ videos is the cosmetic industry. Thriving on the double whammy of exposure created by both professional and amateur make-up artists, the basic concept of providing free online tutorials on make-up application whilst throwing in a few handy product tips, has proven to be one of the most successful tools when it comes to customer conversion.

So why are ‘How To’ videos able to deliver such good results when it comes to brand exposure – and ultimately sales?

The answer is simple.

It’s free.

People love free information.

There are a couple of other contributing factors that make How To videos an effective marketing tools:

The videos are real: Well, real in the sense that are usually not filmed in a studio by paid actors.  They are made by ‘real’ consumers, usually in their ‘real’ home or backyard – so to speak.

The videos are relaxed:  Most ‘How To’ videos are made in a way that the host is speaking directly to the camera phone, just like they’re chatting with an old friend.

The videos are informative: Most viewers do not begin watching a YouTube video with a preconceived notion that they are going to buy something. Viewers are watching these instructional videos to learn; gain information and pretty much have someone do all the hard work for them in figuring out how to do something.

The videos are visual: When it comes to grabbing the attention of potential customers, most people would prefer to watch something rather than read about it.  If there’s a video spelling it out, people will generally choose that medium as opposed to mulling over a detailed written description.

The videos aren’t trying to sell you something: You don’t have to be a marketing guru to figure out that most of these videos are actually trying to sell you something (or the host of the video is trying to score an endorsement gig or promote their own business through videos), however, the sell is softer and often inferred through product placement or casual name-dropping rather than being rammed in your face.