Your product videos can do more than just show your product.  They can show people enjoying the benefits your product provides.

You know the ShamWow.  And Oxyclean.  Phil Swift sitting in a boat with holes, sealed by a can of Flexseal.

Products sold through infomercials.  They all use a common, effective technique known as context of use.

Context of use means that the product image or video shows the product being used for it’s designed purpose by real people.

It doesn’t take a masters in marketing to understand why this is effective.  Context of use means that the crux of the sales message – the benefit the product provides – is visually demonstrated.

You may know the old sales adage that people don’t buy drills, they buy being able to make holes.

If you look at the typical ecommerce product page, you’ll only see a picture of the drill on a white background.  There might even be pictures of the drill from multiple angles.

With context of use, the video would show a carpenter using the drill creating a hole.  Better yet, it would show a specific benefit like being able to drill through hard surfaces or remove embedded screws.

Say your drill is lightweight and popular with women for household use.  Then the person in the video matches the target audience – a woman easily drilling a hole in a awkward, high spot.

Something more important than just a demonstration takes place here.  When people see a product in context of use, they visualize themselves using the product.  When that product fills an active need, there is no more persuasive selling moment:  you show both need and solution simultaneously.

Product videos in context of use are the essence of persuasion.  Put them to work on your website and watch your sales climb.