Creating a dropshipping video ad that converts requires:
- Defining your target audience
- Identifying campaign goals
- Picking the ad style
- Choosing your platform
- Determining the length of your ad
- Using a script
- Setting a budget
Effective video ad creation involves eliciting emotion from your potential customers. You want to highlight your buyer’s pain points and present your products as the best solution. When done right, video ads can help your business gain attention and sales online. As a Wyzowl study tells us, 88% of consumers say they’ve been convinced to purchase a product or service after watching a brand’s video.
Strategic marketing is a must for a dropshipping business to succeed in 2024. In fact, the popularity of TikTok and Instagram reels has changed the game for many. According to HubSpot, 73% of consumers prefer watching short-form videos to learn more about products or services.
In this feature, we’ll discuss how you can create video ads that get people to stop scrolling. Towards the end, we also talk about local lead generation. As a former dropshipper, I say lead generation is way more profitable as a business model.
1. Define Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience allows you to create relevant messaging. You want to know who your customers are and have a clear understanding of their pain points. With this information, you get to make informed decisions as you craft your dropshipping ad videos.
The main details you want to know about your ideal customers include:
Their age and location Interests and challenges Economic demographics & spending power
To learn more, you may conduct market and product research on platforms like:
Facebook: Research Facebook Audience Insights to read reviews and comments.
YouTube: Watch product reviews, read user comments, check out number of views, etc.
Amazon: Read product descriptions, customer feedback, and ratings.
Google Analytics: Find out where your traffic comes from and study visitor behavior analysis.
Additionally, you can perform competitor analysis and research using tools like MyAdFinder or Facebook Ad Library Helper. Plus you may also run customer surveys using Insight-Surveys and other similar software.
2. Identify Campaign Goals
Identifying the campaign goals for your dropshipping video ads can help focus your efforts and measure your progress. Some worthwhile goals you may set can include:
- What are your customers’ inner motivation for purchasing your product?
- Can you identify the biggest problem your product solves?
Next, conduct A/B testing using tools like AdEspresso or Adzooma. Access what’s working and test your creatives to ensure you're investing in the most profitable ads.
3. Pick The Ad Style
Picking the ad style determines the approach, look, and vibe of your video. You want to present your product’s message in a way that resonates with your audience. Plus, you want to stand out from your competitors.
Most Popular Video Ad Styles For Dropshipping
4. Choose Your Platform
Test your dropshipping video ads on a number of social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and LinkedIn. T
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.
Choosing your platform lets you maximize the potential of your dropshipping video ads. You get to target the right audience and achieve the best results. Of course, you want to identify which social media sites are most frequently-used by your customers. That way, you know where to focus your energy and budget. Also, you need to tailor your content based on the platform and its functionalities.
The best platforms for dropshipping video ads are:
Facebook has been the go-to advertising platform for many dropshippers. Facebook ads are known for getting high conversion or high levels of engagement. However, running an ad on the platform has gotten expensive over the years. This is because the Facebook advertising platform is run on a value auction. It means it's less about the strategy and more about higher ROAS (return on ad spend). It's also super competitive. So the better your ad is, the less you will need to pay.
You can set up campaigns through Facebook Ads Manager. This tool allows you to create a custom audience and personalize your marketing campaign.
Pro Tip: To make the most of your Facebook video ads, prepare to spend $5000 (or higher, if you can afford it) for at least 6 months or so.
TikTok
TikTok is the new king in town and is currently a favorite for dropshipping business owners. According to Shopify, TikTok provides “an active sales channel” for dropshipping. Moreover, dropshipping store owners can promote their products by creating paid ads via TikTok Ads Manager. The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt also leads you to trending video ads you can check out for inspiration.
TikTok is also less saturated than Facebook and has a higher barrier to entry. For example, you need to have a registered business (LTD or LLC) and might be asked for your VAT/EIN/GST number.
That said, TikTok is highly 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 $1,000 to $2,000.
YouTube
YouTube is the ideal choice for higher average order value dropshipping products. Compared with Facebook, YouTube advertising is more expensive. However, you don’t need a YouTube channel to advertise on their platform.
YouTube also has a longer testing process than Facebook. But it has fewer compliance issues. YouTube is best for dropshipping products that:
- Solve specific pain points.
- Have demonstrable features that can be shown visually.
Pro Tip: Plan on a minimum daily spend of at least $10 to $50 to succeed with YouTube ads. On average, it will cost you $2,000 to reach 100,000 views.
5. Determine The Length Of Your Ad
Determining the length of your ad allows you to tell your story and connect your audience. Ideally, video ads should be between 30 to 60 seconds. “The length of your video should never go longer than your consumers are willing to watch,” a blog by Early Light Media tells us. “If you can get all the relevant information into a shorter time frame, do that instead of dragging it out.”
In 2024, social media users have a short attention span. So you have to grab their attention by making a quick impression. According to Facebook, “65% of people who watch the first 3 seconds of a video will watch for at least 10 seconds.”
Pay close attention to your hook. This is where you need to tap into customer psychology. Your goal is to break their unconscious habit of mindless scrolling. Having a catchy and effective ad can make that possible.
Characteristics Of A Good Hook
Intellectually interesting
Emotionally stimulating
Offers an opportunity
Audience relevant
Highlights your product & brand
Vidyard Research reports that 68% of people will watch a business video “all the way through” if it’s under a minute. So when creating your ads, remember that you want to:
6. Use A Script
Using a script allows you to convey a message effectively in your dropshipping video ads. People purchase products based on emotion. So you want to assure buyers that your products can genuinely improve their life.
Joe Kellog of Marketing 360 says scripts should be short and sweet. Typically, a script should only be around 400 to 500 characters for a 30-second ad. “Trim out all of the fat,” he says in a YouTube video. “Make sure it's super meaty and punchy so that you can get your message across without any fluff.”
Your video script should have the following elements:
- Hook: Attention-grabbing, non-generic opener.
- Persuasive body: Highlight the product's benefits and agitations for your customer. What will the product do for the buyers?
- CTA (call to action): Provide verbal cues that encourage people to buy your product or visit your online dropshipping shop.
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
To write effective scripts, read reviews to see what people are specifically saying about your products.
7. Set A Budget
Setting a budget lets you control how much you’re willing to spend on paid promotion over a specific time period. You want to avoid overspending as you run your advertising campaigns.
In any case, spending on advertising helps you build trust among your target buyers. You want to establish brand awareness so you may initially have to invest more to reach more people online. Doing so ultimately improves your chances of increasing both traffic and conversion.
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
Of course, you'll need to spend more if you're selling high-ticket dropshipping products. But you should also consider the possibilities that your ads might not work. You want to make sure your business remains profitable in case your ads aren’t successful as expected. In short, you don’t want to put your last dollar into your dropshipping video ad expenses.
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?
Making your own dropshipping videos is the best way to succeed online. People love organic content. You can go as simple as shooting a short video of your product and doing the narration. Using free video editors like CapCut or Animoto also allows you to minimize expenses.
Furthermore, you don't need to spend a lot of money on professional gear. You can use your phone and a simple tripod to start creating video ads.
If you don’t have the time to create and edit videos, hiring a professional can be a good alternative. You can outsource the task to freelancers over at:
- Fiverr
- Freelancer.com
- Guru
- PeoplePerHour
- Upwork
Example of Dropshipping Ad
This ad elicits an emotional response from pet lovers who don't want their small dogs to get hurt jumping off couches.
Bonus: Insider Secrets To Creating Dropshipping Video Ads
The average CTR (clickthrough rate) with Facebook video ads is between 1% to 3%. But by using a few strategies, your video ad can generate CTR rates as high as 5% to 8%. The key is how you structure them.
The Winning Framework For Dropshipping Video Ads:
Popular Types Of Video Ads For Dropshippers
Why Use Video Ads To Promote Your Dropshipping Store?
Using video ads to promote your dropshipping store can lead to higher conversion rates, more sales, and higher success rate. 76% of online businesses say video helped them increase sales. 80% also saw 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. But there are other reasons why you need to be using video ads, including:
Video ads with original content are the cheapest way to market your online store. Check out what your competitors are doing and what types of videos are trending online. Use free tools such as BigSpy and Dropispy to research your competition. Alternatively, you can go for paid options like Adbeat and Spyfu.
Can Dropshipping Make You Rich?
Dropshipping can make you rich if you can:
- excel in marketing
- build scalable systems
- continually improve your product offerings
Effective internet marketing - especially through paid advertising on platforms like Google Ads and TikTok - is crucial. It sets successful dropshippers apart from those merely selling widely accessible products. Additionally, implementing efficient systems by outsourcing tasks to capable freelancers allows you to focus on revenue-increasing activities.
Moreover, continuously testing new product ideas is vital for long-term dropshipping success. You will constantly deal with changing consumer trends and market saturation risks. Successful dropshippers diversify their product offerings and stay adaptable to market demands.
What Are The Disadvantages and Risks of Dropshipping?
Some of the disadvantages and risks of dropshipping are:
Why Local Lead Generation Is More Profitable Than Dropshipping?
While dropshipping can be potentially profitable, constant advertising expenses can cut into your earnings. Not all of your paid video ads will generate revenue, so you have to monitor your campaigns well and make necessary adjustments.
With local lead generation, you don’t have to spend on paid ads at all. By building your own websites and achieving top Google rankings, you can attract organic traffic and leads. You can then rent out your sites and sell your leads to small business owners in specific areas.
Competition is also not as hard. Since you’re targeting a niche keyword in a geographic location (such as “towing san francisco”), you don’t have to compete for customers in a global marketplace.
Most importantly, local lead gen can potentially yield high profit margins. It only costs about $500 to build a lead gen site. After ranking your site online, you can charge clients for $500 to $3,000 per month. You can even multiply your earnings by building and ranking more lead gen sites.
As a former dropshipper myself, I say local lead generation is a far more profitable and scalable. Which is why I’ve decided to pursue it aft6er trying out different business models online. Today, I make a monthly earning of $52,000 providing lead gen services. I also teach a lead gen program with my partner Dan Klein where we have over 7,000 students and counting.
