Video has gone from a nice-to-have to the dominant content format in marketing. Today around 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and the vast majority of marketers report a positive return on it. Simply put, your audience is more likely to engage with your message through video than almost any other medium.
Psychologist Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., identified four reasons people respond so strongly to video:
- Our brains pay attention to faces to gather information and judge believability.
- Movement grabs attention.
- The sound of a human voice turns information into meaningful content.
- Video is an emotional medium, and emotions are contagious.
Two of the most effective ways to use video to sell are commercials and sales letters, and the strongest strategy uses both. But first, a shift that shapes how all of it should be made today.
Today's Video Is Short and Vertical
More than 75% of video views now happen on mobile devices, and that's changed what effective video looks like. Short-form video, the kind you see on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok, is now ranked the single best content format for ROI by marketers, and the overwhelming majority of it is shot vertically (9:16) to fill a phone screen. Vertical video also earns notably higher completion rates than horizontal.
The takeaway: whatever you produce, design it mobile-first. Lead with a strong hook in the first second or two, keep it tight, add captions (many people watch with the sound off), and shoot vertical for social feeds. (For more, see our guide to a Reels-first Instagram strategy.)
Video Commercials
Video commercials are advertisements, the same kind you see on TV, that you run online. Their job is to create and sustain awareness of your products and services and to build your brand image.
The classic commercial runs 30 or 60 seconds, just enough to land a benefit and a call to action. Today, though, the most effective "commercials" are often even shorter, 15 to 30 seconds, and shot vertically for social feeds where people are scrolling on their phones. Distribute them where your target audience already is: your website, YouTube, and the social platforms they use. It may take several impressions before a viewer acts, which is exactly why short, repeatable video works so well.
Video commercials support both inbound and outbound marketing. On your own site and channels, they pull people in; as paid social or video ads, they push your message out to new audiences who fit your target market. With ad spending continuing to shift from television toward online and short-form video, this is where a lot of the opportunity is.
Video Sales Letters
A video sales letter (VSL) is the video version of a long-form sales letter: a narrator tells the story, often with the key words or supporting images on screen. Unlike a short commercial, a VSL can run much longer because its job is different: it's there to fully make the case and close the sale.
One caveat that's changed since VSLs first caught on: don't assume longer is better. In today's short-attention, short-form world, a VSL should be exactly as long as the message genuinely needs and no longer. They work best with a warm, high-intent audience, people who've already shown interest and clicked through to a landing page, rather than as a first impression. Open with a strong lead, build value throughout, and end with a powerful, specific call to action so viewers can act right then. And like everything else, make sure it plays well on a phone.
VSLs are ideal for online direct marketing. You might link to one from an email, host it on a dedicated landing page, and place a clear button right below it so viewers can go straight to your cart or signup once they're convinced.
Use Both: Awareness and Conversion
An effective campaign starts with awareness and ends with a strong close, and the two video types map neatly onto that. Use short-form, vertical video commercials at the top of the funnel to get discovered and build awareness with new audiences. Then use longer-form video, including video sales letters, further down the funnel to convert the people who've shown interest.
Together, this approach lets you attract new customers and deepen penetration in your target market at the same time, all in the format your audience most wants to watch.
Want help building a video strategy that gets you discovered and drives sales? Get in touch with our team.
Video is just one piece of the puzzle. See our full guide to marketing your small business online.
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