Pet-care products cataloger Doctors Foster and Smith is getting ready for its close up. The company has built a new studio in its Rheinlander, WI, headquarters, and invested in state-of-the art video and lighting equipment.
The reason? Doctors Foster and Smith wants to beef up its online video presence by the end of the second quarter, says Internet marketing and analytics manager Gordon Magee.
In addition to promoting products, the merchant plans to use video to educate pet owners on PetEducation.com–Doctors Foster and Smith ‘s non-commerical Website, Magee says. The site now features some older instructional footage on how to clean your dog’s teeth and ears, but that will be replaced once new segments are taped.
“The videos will not all be designed to sell product, but they will provide an avenue to demonstrate how our products can be used,” Magee says. For example, a dog ear-cleaning video may use a generic product to demonstrate the process, but include recommended products for the process along the bottom of the screen.
Video clips do help sell products, especially hard-to-describe items. Take the Wiggly Giggly ball—a dog toy that the Website says makes “indescribable noises and unpredictable movements.” Showing the product in use can provide more benefits that a written recommendation of an item, Magee says.
“With the video, you can show the dog playing with it, how it reacts to it, and what it sounds like,” he notes, which will help the pet owner decide if his or her pet would like it.