The pet industry has never been more competitive. Here’s what you need to know about making pet product videos that engage audiences.

It’s hard to understate the affection people have for their pets. According to the American Pet Products Association, the pet industry now averages more than $99 billion annually in sales, and is one of the fastest-growing retail segments. The rate of pet ownership (or “pet parentage”) in the US also continues to climb, as millennials and members of Gen Z adopt or buy pets with greater frequency than older generations.

Given these developments, it’s obvious that the pet industry is a massive and lucrative market. Yet it’s also extremely competitive. So how do pet product companies move to the front of the pack and establish a dominant competitive position? Clever use of video — and the help of a skilled third party video production company — can make all the difference.

The trick to shooting great pet videos

How important is video to a digital marketing strategy these days? Consider this: Mobile video consumption doubles every year, six in ten people prefer online videos to television and online videos will comprise 82% of all Internet traffic by 2022 — an increase of 1,500% since 2017. With numbers like these, you don’t have to be a marketing genius to understand how important video is, both now and in the future.

You can’t just slap together any video and watch the conversions roll in, however. The brands that get the most bang for their marketing budgets are those who create the kind of video content that aligns with viewer desires and preferences. Sometimes that can be done internally, but other times it may require help from an agency specializing in pet video marketing services.

With that in mind, let’s dive into some tips for making pet product videos that dazzle pet owners.

10 tips for better pet product videos

1. When making a video, don’t forget to create an eye-catching thumbnail. Many readers will click away from an article if the first sentence doesn’t interest them. The thumbnail plays the same role here; if it doesn’t spark interest, the video may get ignored. The same principle applies to the first five seconds of your video, as many people simply lack the patience for a slow build.
   
2. Many app users have their default setting for videos set to mute. Because of this, it’s essential to anticipate this by incorporating subtitles and visually engaging graphics.
   
3. Tell a story, but take a fresh angle. Pet parents have in inexhaustible appetite for pet content, yet many of the topics have been well mined at this point. By approaching a familiar narrative at an off-kilter angle, you can spark greater interest.
   
4. Make sure you create a steady, regular flow of video content. If you want to build an audience, you can’t publish pet videos in fits and starts. You need to be consistent in terms of your schedule.
   
5. Tailor your videos to the channel or the platform. Instagram, for example, is extremely visual, so there’s less of a need to devote time to copy, and more of a need to consider visual elements. Snapchat, on the other hand, is a great place to release more irreverent or playful videos. On Twitter, it makes sense to integrate more videos into regular tweets. Tweets featuring video are 600% more likely to be re-tweeted than photo tweets.
   
6. Create dedicated video playlists that group content together. This feature works best on Facebook and YouTube, and helps organize your content for easy accessibility.
   
7. Tap into the enormous pool of pet bloggers and pet account operators. If you’ve spent any time on major social media platforms, you realize that pet content is everywhere. The pool of potential creators is limitless. By identifying some of the best amateur talent online, you can generate ideas and partner to create promotional content.
   
8. Make a significant investment in TikTok promotion. This short-form video app continues to take over social media. One of its secret weapons? Funny pet videos. Ignore this platform at your own risk, because it has enormous cachet with younger pet parents and soon-to-be pet parents.
   
9. Create videos that have an emotional appeal. This applies to almost every product category, but it is especially relevant for pet brands. Pet parents love their animals, while consumers merely like the products they own and (possibly) identify with the brand. Given this emotional investment, the right video can resonate deeply — this famous tear-jerking video is still a topic of cultural conversation 13 years after it was shot. 
   
10. Finally, come up with a great idea and keep it short and simple. That’s a prescription for a video that strikes a chord and is widely shared.

Finding the right video marketing agency

If you need help with pet marketing services, we encourage you to contact Bigeye. Our team of skilled creatives has the pet industry expertise and the technical skills to do what other video advertising companies can’t.

Reach out today and let us help put together your next great pet products campaign.