Video reviews are currently one of the most popular marketing trends due to their high effectiveness, wide customer reach, and breakthrough conversion rates. Many businesses, especially food and clothing manufacturers, are investing heavily in producing review videos or entrusting their products to KOLs/LOCs specializing in reviews, instead of focusing on advertising as they did before.
What is a video review?
A review is an honest and accurate assessment or evaluation of an object, product, or service, made by an individual. People who create review videos are called reviewers, or more simply, KOLs – these are often influential figures on social media or experts in a particular field who are trusted and loved by many.
When KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) post reviews, images, or videos, it can make viewers feel more confident and secure, increasing the likelihood of purchases or simply sparking interest in and research for those brands and products. Statistics also show that over 571 people reported feeling more confident buying a product after watching numerous review videos by celebrities.
The unique aspect of video reviews is their emphasis on authenticity and the experiences of the reviewer. Reviewers' ability to highlight the pros and cons, as well as the price, is what makes viewers and consumers feel satisfied and increases the click-through rate. Furthermore, reviews from celebrities or experts instill confidence in customers that the product is high-quality and worth buying.
One of the most popular topics for video reviews today is restaurant or clothing reviews. Many restaurants have gone from struggling to becoming crowded, with long queues, after just one viral video. Similarly, many clothing shops have experienced "sold out" situations after receiving positive reviews and ratings from major KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) regarding the quality of their clothing.
The benefits of video reviews for businesses.
It's safe to say that in recent years, the number of video reviews has increased significantly. Not only celebrities but also ordinary people are starting to participate in creating and uploading review clips about products, making this "market" extremely vibrant. And of course, one of the beneficiaries of these videos is businesses and sellers.
Previously, video reviews stemmed from an individual's need to share information with others. However, nowadays, brands and businesses proactively seek out KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) for collaboration. The reason is simple: the emergence of video reviews, especially from celebrities, can bring many benefits to businesses.
Increase brand awareness
The advantage of using social media is the ability to reach and impress a wide audience, even the whole world, if an interesting video is created. Therefore, many businesses, when launching new products, always try to find suitable "faces" to send product samples for review in order to reach a larger customer base.
Let's say one person uploading a review video can reach 10 people in their circle of friends. 10 videos would reach 100 people, not to mention that for social media influencers, this number could reach hundreds of thousands, or even millions, in a short period of time. When a viewer finds it interesting, they are willing to share it on their personal page and send it to their friends, indirectly helping the brand reach many more potential customers.
Furthermore, studies have shown that the human brain is better at remembering images than words. Therefore, current marketing campaigns emphasize and focus on visual advertising rather than traditional marketing methods to cater to the growing demand for online shopping.
Conveying the product message
A study conducted by Simply Measured showed that delivering messages through video can be 1,200 times more effective than text-based methods. Other statistics also show that many people are unwilling to spend time reading an entire article but can watch a video lasting several minutes.
This is partly because video reviews often incorporate vivid and clear images and sounds, making it easier to appeal to customers' emotions and psychology. On the other hand, the clever way these messages are integrated through someone's testimonial makes them feel more confident and interested, thereby stimulating their desire to learn more about and become more interested in the brand.
Build customer trust.
For example, imagine you're curious about a skincare product but hesitant to buy it because you're unsure if it suits your skin, how effective it is, or which skin type it's suitable for. However, when a famous actress A reviews and shares her skincare journey with the product, the likelihood of a customer buying it increases significantly because they trust her and see that her skin is truly smooth and radiant.
Indeed, video reviews are very effective at tapping into customer psychology, helping them answer a range of concerns that brands sometimes don't disclose. For example, with clothing, buyers' interests lie in aspects such as material/actual color/fit/finish/packaging, or with food, it's about taste/aroma/safety, etc.
Of course, in reality, brands always fully disclose product information on the packaging and ingredient list; however, the tendency of sellers to over-advertise still makes many people hesitant, especially when buying online. Therefore, through real-life experiences from another person, especially a celebrity, the level of trust will improve in a positive way.
Reaching organic customer base
A single high-quality video review can lead to many impressive breakthroughs. Instead of hiring a team to do seeding or making individual phone calls to invite customers to learn about the product as in the traditional method, now everything will focus on proactively nurturing customers who seek you out. The organic customer base generated from these videos... viral video This is a huge benefit, delivering both brand recognition and revenue.
The demand for online shopping and social media is constantly increasing, so businesses and sellers in general are taking full advantage of this. Video reviews not only help customers understand products better but also generate a huge amount of interaction and sharing with friends. With the increasing number of comments, likes, and shares, platforms are further enhancing their reach and attracting more customers who proactively seek them out organically.
Some shortcomings of video reviews.
Every issue has two sides. While video reviews can offer many benefits to businesses and sellers, they also come with numerous drawbacks. Therefore, if these issues are not addressed and the focus is solely on producing as many review clips as possible, the business will be the one that suffers the greatest losses.
It's important to understand that a "review" here needs to be honest and genuine, but it should also include the personal feelings and perspectives of the person making the review. Furthermore, a high-quality video review should highlight the pros and cons of each product to provide viewers with additional information. Therefore, if the product isn't good enough, it will certainly affect the effectiveness of marketing when presented in actual review videos.
For example, if a KOL reviews clothing and finds that the garment has many loose threads, the fabric wrinkles easily, and it's not absorbent, then the product's sales will certainly be very low. Conversely, if reviewers praise a dish as delicious, whether it's a street food stall or a 5-star hotel, customers will flock there in huge numbers.
The emotional biases of reviewers indirectly influence viewers' psychology, leading them to form biased opinions even without actual experience. For example, someone accustomed to the sweet flavors of Southern cuisine might find Central Vietnamese dishes too spicy and react negatively. Viewers who see negative reviews from reviewers will certainly lose interest in trying the food.
On the other hand, businesses and brands nowadays often proactively seek out KOLs to book product advertisements. If product quality is exaggerated or untruthful in review videos, leading to disappointing experiences for buyers, it's easy to receive 1-star ratings and negative reactions, damaging the company's image.
How can video reviews be effective for businesses?
It's clear that video reviews are appearing frequently on social media these days. Many people have become successful and influential on social media thanks to creating these review clips. Businesses are therefore focusing on finding suitable personalities or creating their own video reviews to increase conversion rates for their products.
So how can video reviews become engaging and effective for businesses?
- AuthenticityVideo reviews should provide complete and accurate information about each product or service, the more detailed the better, in order to build trust and reassurance about its quality.
- Creative element: Today's reviewers don't just sit in front of the camera and analyze products; they also need to incorporate stories, situations, or simply use engaging language, content, and expressions to make viewers want to watch the entire video.
- The differentiating factor: Put yourself in the buyer's shoes and always compare products, such as price and advantages, before deciding to buy anything. Therefore, video reviews need to highlight the differences and key factors that make you want to try that product.
- Objective and emotional factors: Nothing is absolutely perfect, so if review videos only focus on praising the product, they'll be nothing more than advertisements. Videos can objectively point out product limitations, which will more easily win over customers and avoid negative reviews if they have unsatisfactory experiences.
- Visual and audio elementsNo one wants to watch a video review that's blurry, noisy, and poorly lit. Therefore, video reviews always need investment in terms of visuals, sound, lighting, and even camera angles and settings to create an impressive effect. That's why reviewers today are heavily investing in filming equipment, and some even hire professional filming and editing teams to ensure the highest quality videos and images are delivered to viewers.
In general, the effectiveness of video reviews for businesses is undeniable. However, businesses should avoid exaggerating the quality, information, or images of their products in these videos to prevent consumer disappointment. A high-quality, safe, and reasonably priced product will attract customers who will proactively seek it out and remain loyal to it long-term, rather than simply trying it once out of curiosity based on reviews.
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