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Secrets To Creating A Dropshipping Video Ad that Convert

October 9, 2023

To create dropshipping ads that convert, use videos that elicit emotion by highlighting the pain points of your ideal customer. The key is to show your target audience why your product provides the best solution. In 2024, it takes strategic marketing to get your ads in front of a ton of eyeballs. The goal is to drive traffic to your store, and video ads are the best way to broaden your reach. And get your product in front of the right people. 

Dropshipping is all about interruption marketing. Your ad needs to get people to stop their mindless scrolling and take action. Unlike the local lead generation business model that gets organic traffic, dropshipping is about having the best ad and a product people want. So focus on the product's benefits, not the features. Then tap into consumer psychology and highlight how your product can make their lives better. 

Why Use Video Ads To Promote Your Dropshipping Store?

Dropshippers looking to dominate their niche need to use video ads. They're the best way to achieve more sales, higher conversion rates and a better dropshipping success rate. 76% of online businesses say video helped increase sales. With 80% seeing an increase in conversions just by adding a product video to their landing page.

Video ads are essential if you want to be successful long-term. They help build trust and credibility with your consumer base. (73% of consumers say they were influenced by a brand's social media presence when making a purchasing decision). But there are other reasons why you need to be using video ads, including:

Why You Need Dropshipping Video Ads:

  • Engaging and effective videos can combat the rising cost of running ads. (Especially on social media platforms like Facebook).

  • Rank higher on Google and increase organic rankings.

    (You're 53Xs more likely to show up first on Google after the google 

    ads if you have a video embedded on your website). 

Social media video ad spend is expected to grow 20.1% in 2022. So you need to publish content that will drive conversions. Invoke emotion and trigger impulse buys to generate a steady flow of sales with video ads that include:

Dropshipping Video Ad Must Have's:

  • A compelling hook in the first 3-5 seconds. (You need to create a sense of urgency with a scroll stopper hook).

  • Show your product in action.

  • List 3 benefits of your dropshipping product and how it directly solves a life problem.

  • Add a tip or a piece of advice for your ideal customer. (Present yourself as an expert).

  • A CTA that clearly states the offer and benefits of your product.

dropshipping video ad statistics

Video ads with original content are the cheapest way to market and advertise your online store. Check out what your competitors are doing.

  • What's working for them? 
  • What ad campaign-style are they using?
  • Take advantage of free tools like Ecom Swipes, BigSpy (5 search queries/day), or Dropispy.
  • Or paid options like Adbeat and SpyFu

No one cares about your product. They care about their problems and how you as a dropshipper can solve them. So your video ad needs to provide them with a solution. 

1. Define Your Target Audience

Learn as much as you can about your customer avatar. Conduct market and product research on platforms like:

Facebook: Research Facebook Audience Insights to read reviews, and look at comments.
YouTube: Read comments, number of views, etc.
Amazon: Read product descriptions and customer reactions. 
Google: Use Google Analytics to find out where your traffic is coming from. Or Google searches to assess demand and geographical locations.

Check out forums like Reddit and Quora. Conduct competitor analysis and research with tools like MyAdFinder or Facebook Ad Library Helper. These tools allow you to find top performing dropshipping ads. Or run customer surveys with software like Insight-Surveys.

Know who your customer is and what they want. List their pain points (these are your marketing angles). 

2. Choose Your Platform

To pick the right social media platforms to target you need to know everything you can about your customers' persona, including:

  • Age & Location
  • Interests & Challenges
  • Economic Demographics & Spending Power
  • Where are they hanging out? 
  • What social medial platforms do they spend time on?

Know where you need to focus your energy and your budget using research tools like:

Secure The Best ROAS With Tools Like:

Google Analytics

Facebook Audience Insights

Social Media Analytic Tools like Brandwatch or Talkwalker.

Social Listening Tracking Tools like Adview or Mentionlytics.

Competitor Research with tools like Buzzsumo or ContentStudio.

Think like your customer. 

  • How does your product impact their life?
  • Does it make it better? Less painful? More adventuresome?

Your goal is to create value with your video ads. Create videos that encourage social shares and reasons why people need to watch and purchase your winning product.

3. Identify Campaign Goals

What's the goal of your video? Ads amplify what's working in your dropshipping business. It's never just about the product. And it's not just about getting more sales. Instead, you want to build engagement and increase brand awareness.

Create a video that goes viral. Establish your dropshipping business as an authority in your niche. Build a strategy of smart sequences. So your customers not only find you. But get to know and trust your business and your brand. Determine your product's value proposition, and increase customer benefits by considering things like:

  • What's the inner motivation for them purchasing your product?

  • What are the reasons why customers would want to buy this product?

  • Can you identify the biggest problem the product solves?

  • What problems are solved by solving their problem?

When you can answer these questions, you can conduct A/B testing efficiently using tools like AdEspresso or Adzooma. Access what’s working to ensure you're publishing profitable ads. Test your creatives. Test different leading scroll stoppers (the first 3-5 seconds of your video). 

Pro Tip: Don't put text in this section to have multiple creatives and videos. So you can test various options with the same video.

4. Pick The Ad Style

You have some options around the style of your video. But the four most common types of dropshipping video ads include:

Most Popular Video Ad Styles For Dropshipping:

  • Promo Ads-Used to showcase a new product. Create a buzz and drive traffic in 15-30 seconds.

  • Explainer Ads-The what-why-where of your dropshipping business. The goal is to educate, inform and go viral.

  • How-To Ads-Demonstrates how a product works and why it solves a problem.

  • Educational Ads-Like a brief but entertaining history lesson. Best for products that might be a bit obscure (like a chork-half spoon/half chopstick).

5. Choose Your Platform

Who is your target market? What social media platforms do they frequent? Take the time to research. Test your dropshipping video ads on a number of social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The best platforms for dropshipping video ads include:

Facebook:

Facebook has been the go-to advertising platform for dropshippers. But many wonder: Why has the cost of running an fb ad gotten so expensive?

The Facebook advertising platform is run on a value auction. Which means it's less about the strategy and more about higher ROAS. It's also super competitive. So the better your ad, the less you pay. (Facebook ads are awarded for getting high conversion or high levels of engagement).

Set up campaigns through Facebook Ads Manager which allows you to create your custom audience and connect with your ideal potential customer. 

Pro Tip: For an effective marketing campaign on Facebook, you should plan on a budget of $5000 (or more if you can afford to spend) over six months.

TikTok:

TikTok is the new king in town and is currently the number one platform for dropshipping videos. Less saturated than Facebook, TikTok has a higher barrier to entry. You need to be a registered business (LTD or LLC) and might be asked for your VAT/EIN/GST number. But TikTok is ideal for dropshippers selling:

  • Viral Products 
  • Hacking Products 
  • Problem Solving Products 
  • Wow Factor Products

Pro Tip: For an effective marketing campaign on TikTok, you should plan on a budget of $1000-$2000.

YouTube:

YouTube is the ideal choice for higher average order value dropshipping products. (More expensive advertising costs than a Facebook video ad). But you don’t need a YouTube channel to advertise on their platform.

YouTube also has more upfront production costs than Facebook ads and a longer testing process. (Creating a higher barrier to entry). But it has fewer compliance issues than Facebook.

YouTube is best for dropshipping products that: 

  • Solve specific pain points. 
  • Have a demonstrable feature that can be shown visually.

Pro Tip: Plan on a minimum daily spend of $10-$50 to be a success story with YouTube ads. (It costs $2000 on average to reach 100,000 views). But if you can afford to spend, YouTube ads are the fastest way to scale your dropshipping business.

6. Determine The Length Of Your Ad

Keep it short and sweet. The goal is 15-30 seconds (max 55 seconds). You only have 3-5 seconds to grab a viewer's attention and invoke curiosity to get your audience engaged and stop scrolling. You want them to watch the entire video. 

So pay close attention to your hook. This is where you need to tap into customer psychology (break their unconscious habit of mindless scrolling with your ad). You need something that dives deep into the heart of their pain point to create an effective ad. 

Characteristics Of A Good Hook:

Intellectually Curious

Emotionally Stimulating

Offers An Opportunity

Audience Relevant

Highlights Your Product & Brand

“68% of people will watch a business video all the way through if it’s under 1 minute”. Vidyard Research

Accomplish this with video ad techniques like:

  • Provide instant value. (An immediate payoff for the viewer).

  • Capture your product in motion. (To differentiate your business and trigger an emotional response in your audience).

  • Start with a question, a joke, or a fact.

  • Show emotion. (Appeal to their spontaneity with words like imagine, dream, etc.).

Leverage your product. Show how it solves a problem. How can it benefit a person's life? What are the reasons why they need to buy it now? 

7. Use A Script

Use branded cinematic content. Copy that invokes logic and emotion. You want your video to be structured like this:

  1. Hook: Claims and contrasting statements.
  2. Persuasive Body: Highlight the product's benefits and agitations for your customer. What will it do for them? (results).
  3. CTA (call to action): Provide an easy solution with urgency (they need to buy now).

People purchase products based on emotion. So sell quality dropshipping products. Items that can genuinely improve someone's life and trigger a response. What's the motivation behind the reason why?

The opener of the Alpha Paw ad above is an example of a great hook, one that elicits emotions.

“Videos which elicit strong emotions from viewers — whether positive or negative — are twice as likely to be shared as those that provide a weak emotional response.” Wistia

Your script needs to grab your audience's attention. Include branding elements to create awareness and build trust with your customers. You want a clear call to action (give several verbal cues in the video to get people to buy).

Get your intel using tools like Amazon or Facebook. Find your product and read reviews and comments. When you know what people are saying about the product. You have invaluable information on the reasons why people buy that you can use in your video.

8. Set A Budget

Do your customers know your business? If they don't, you'll need to spend more to establish trust. You need to build brand awareness and engage with your target audience. So the more you spend, the more people you'll reach. Which will ultimately improve your chances of increasing your business leads or revenue. 

Focus on building your retargeting market with software like Adroll or Criteo. Be prepared to spend what costs to get a list of a minimum of 10,000 for optimal results. This is how most people are winning with video advertising. (The more popular and authoritative your dropshipping store. The less you'll need to spend on video ads). 

 A few secrets for calculating your dropshipping video budget include:

  • Ad spend should correlate to the price of your solutions.
  • Average sale price X's the number of sales you want.

You'll need to spend more if you're selling high-ticket dropshipping products. But you should also consider things like:

Additional Video Ad Budget Considerations:

  • How much do you have to spend on ads?

  • Your campaign might not work. (So don't put your last dollar into video ads). 
  • Will your business remain profitable if your ads aren't successful?

  • Are you prepared to lose your ad spend dollars?

SUMMARY

Research your market and test your creatives. You need to be prepared to pivot quickly if your ads aren't performing well. Monitor your campaign with software like AdRoll or Adstream.

Should I Make My Own Dropshipping Videos Or Hire A Pro?

The best way to record footage is to shoot and do the video editing yourself. People love organic content that highlights things like:

Organic Ad Content Secrets:

  • Record your product super simply.

  • Get an effective feed roll for your dropshipping video ads.

    (Use a video editor like InVideo for people on a low budget at $10/month).

  • Shoot your product from a couple of different angles and test what works.

  • Take a feature of the product and turn it into a benefit.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on professional gear. Just use your phone. But you need good lighting. No shaking or blurry frames, and no long pauses. (Your video needs to flow naturally).

If you do want to hire a professional, you can outsource your video ad creation to platforms like EComm Vids or DropShipMedia.

Pro Tips: Once your template is perfected, you can use it for other products by changing out the clips for different products. (Super repeatable). 

To create your own video, use a platform like Animato. They offer a beginner-friendly structure with a fantastic customer support team. They also support aspect ratios for multiple platforms. And have dozens of templates to use or view for inspiration.

Example of Dropshipping Ad

The ad elicits an emotional response from pet lovers that don't want their small dogs to get hurt jumping off couches.

Bonus: Insider Secrets To Creating Dropshipping Video Ads:

The average CTR with Facebook video ads is between 1-3%. But by using a few secrets to create a dropshipping video ad, you can generate CTR rates as high as 5%-8%. The key is how you structure them.

The Winning Framework For Dropshipping Video Ads:

  • Hook: Make the first few seconds count. Add a custom thumbnail. This is what people see first. So it needs to grab their attention. 

  • Solution/Problem: Show your product in action or its problem-solving benefits. List 3 benefits and how each one solves a problem. Add short captions that are easy to read every 4 seconds. (But make sure they match the clips in the video).

  • Trendy Music: Use tunes that makes sense.
  • Product Highlights: Tell your viewers what makes your product so great. Answer their questions and focus on their why.

  • Social Proof: Include testimonial carousel ads using video or a super short text with a photo. Include five-star emojis if there's room.

    (Pro Tip: Start by showing ads to your recurring audience. Get social proof and then target a broader market).

  • Call To Action: Add a few verbal calls to action. Not just a click to buy button.

image of the squatty potty video ad

Do the opposite of what people are talking about. An excellent example of this technique is the Squatty Potty video. They're talking about using the bathroom with a unicorn and ice cream. People don't expect this (surprise). So they watch the video. 

“87% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website”. Optin Monster

What are the top three reasons your customers aren't taking action from your ads? Address objections with techniques like:

  • Retarget anyone who watched your video for more than 3 seconds. 
  • Share a limited offer or discount for your product with email marketing. (Use software like ActiveCampaign).
  • Focus on creating a lead magnet to get an email address. Retarget your email list with a series of objection-busting ads to overcome questions. 
  • Hit objections head-on. 
  • Showcase how your product solves a problem and how it can make their lives easier.

Pro Tip: Use as many ad types as possible in your ad campaigns. 

Popular Types Of Video Ads For Dropshippers:

  • Live-Action Videos: Best for tutorials on how to use your product

  • Animation: Great for promotions and explainer-style ads. (Use tools like Biteable).

  • Motion Graphics Videos: Share digestible content to describe a product. (Use tools like Powtoon).

  • Typography Videos: Invoke emotion and are best suited to simple concepts. (Use tools like Animaker).

  • Photo Montage: Conjure deep emotion and share your brands' values and core beliefs with your target audience. (Use tools like Animoto).

You look like an expert by providing value and knowing what the customer wants. Get their attention and double your results by focusing on their pain points. Target specific audiences based on the type of video ads that get the best response. So you not only get more people to pay attention to your dropshipping ads. But can scale your ads out to a broader range of people still within your consumer audience.

Conclusion

In 2024, relying on product photo advertising or image carousels won't cut it. To succeed with drop shipping, you need videos with virality potential. Creatives that are designed to expand your reach and brand awareness. But people have short attention spans. 

So dropshippers need to consistently post the best ads and videos to make money. And even with the best videos, you might not see high-profit margins. This is because dropshipping relies on paid ads. Unlike lead gen, which gets organic traffic for free, paid ads can get crazy expensive. So you might actually end up losing money. 

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$52K per month providing lead generation services to small businesses

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