The fast growth of consumers watching video content has marketers jumping on board. And it's no surprise.
People want convenience and to do things in the simplest way possible. That also includes processing information. Humans don't want to exert any effort to find out information, especially if it's not relevant to them. For this reason, we want to receive the information we need without filing through the stuff we don't need.
The best medium for this is video, as it doesn't take much effort to absorb.
There is a massive 300% boost in email marketing click-through rates that feature video. On top of that, if you direct consumers to a landing page with video content on it, you'll experience 79% more conversations.
For businesses marketing to other companies, there are some incredible results in utilizing video content. Statistically, 71% will experience a notice able return on investment.
Video content has a proven track record of leaving a lasting impression on the mind of your target. It is due to the combination of both visual and audio cues that allow people to remember 64% of what they've seen three days later. When you compare that to those who've heard information verbally, only 10% remember.
Video marketing, it doesn't just refer to high-budget commercials or YouTube videos. The options are endless in terms of creating engaging and results-driven video content.
Some examples of videos you could use to grow your business are:
- Videos that explain what your company does/about your product and how it can benefit them.
- Sales-driven video content, which can boost potential customers spending potential by 66%
- Testimonials and reviews from customers, showing how your business helps real people.
- Webinars
- Email newsletters with embed videos to engage with your audience
- Sales-driven video content, which can boost potential customers spending potential by 66%
- Testimonials and reviews from customers, showing how your business helps real people.
- Webinars
- Email newsletters with embed videos to engage with your audience
You can use a variety of different types of video content in your marketing strategy to effectively convert customers. Within your sales funnel, you'll want to use the right mix of video content during each step for the most success. We will get into tactics, tools, and case studies shortly. But first, let's break down the best video types for each step of your funnel based on the experiences of established benefits.
Video Marketing During Each Stage of Your Sales Funnel
Top of the Funnel
The top of the funnel is the introduction to your business. Most people won't be aware of why they need you or what your company does. For this reason, you want the subject of your video to be appealing to a wide range of people. You will attract customers by being relatable, genuine, and positively delivering your message.
Some options you could use at the top of your funnel are as follows:
1. Content Libraries
A fantastic way to intro potential customers to your business is through a video content library. It is essentially a hub of videos that address everything a potential customer would want to know about the company. It will show them that you're established and knowledgeable in your niche.
They will also help boost your SEO through the strategy of a hub and spoke. This system will allow you to rank higher in search, thus increasing your credibility. What is the hub and spoke strategy? Well, you create a hub of video content that includes a diverse range of information about the main topic. From there, you have your spokes, which will offer additional insight into different aspects of the item.
An example of this would be a beer company, that has a hub of video content that includes how to pair your beer with food, how you make the beer and different uses for beer, etc.
2. Webinars
Using a webinar at the top of your funnel is another way to quickly gain interest in your business and get people working their way through it. You can create webinars from content you already have, like e-books, online guides, and blog posts.
3. Facebook Video
Facebook video marketing is also extremely effective at the top of your funnel. Facebook offers many options for video, including live streams, where those who follow your business can see what you're up to in real-time. It's a great way to forge relationships with your customers by making them feel part of your journey.
Beyond live streams, you can also post native videos. Native videos are videos that are hosted directly through Facebook and can reach more people than YouTube videos. That is because of the algorithms Facebook uses on its newsfeed. The more people watch and share a video, the higher its priority on a news feed. That means you can engage with current customers but also reach tons of potential customers as well.
4. Explainer Videos
An explainer video is your company's introduction to the world. Use these videos to let people know what your business offers and how you can benefit them. These work great on your landing page as it's the first thing viewers will see.
These videos don't need to go too in-depth about your product/business itself. The focus should be on the benefit you can provide for potential customers. You'll want to identify the core values of your brand and show your product or service in action.
5. YouTube
The goal at the top of your funnel is to connect with potential customers by obtaining their email addresses. It will allow the ability to continue building your relationship with them as you'll have the means to contact them. You'll want to grab their attention by showcasing video content on YouTube that aligns with what your target client is looking for when they search.
Producing YouTube videos will help you show up higher in search results. The video description is a great place to use keywords to increase your SEO.
6. Interviews with Industry Leaders
To establish yourself in your business niche, you'll want to connect with those who've already done so. Including interviews with notable figures within your niche will show that you're a credible and relevant brand. They will likely have a massive audience of their own, and this will give you a way to showcase your business to them. Probably, they will be interested in what you have to offer if they are following the interviewees.
7. Create a Company Culture
When connecting with prospects, especially at the top of your funnel, you want to create person ability and build trust. Often marketing in business can come off as overly serious. While you want to remain professional, you also want to show that you're genuine. Create a sense of culture around your company through video to make your prospects feel like you're on the same level. It will show them that you're human and what the day-in-a-life looks like for you.
Middle of the Funnel
While your first contact is useful for representing your business and what you do. You also use that step to collect their emails to continue building on that relationship. In the middle of the funnel stage, you'll want to show your audience why they will benefit from your product or service. They've already shown an interest, so now you can focus on providing value.
The main types of video content that works best in the middle of the funnel are as follows.
1. Tutorials and Demos
The middle stage is the best time to offer product demos or tutorials. You can schedule these demos at specific times so prospects can jump in to watch as you show how your product works.
2. Testimonials
It's all well and good for you to tell your audience how fantastic your business is. But it's another for them to hear it from previous or current clients. Consumers trust other consumers. 84% of people will trust testimonials over different types of marketing. Since a written review can often contain forgeries, the best route to go is video.
One of the best ways to shoot a testimonial is to include a before and after structure. You want to show the difference between the client before using your product and how it's helped them. Focus on the benefits. The videos need to be genuine and unscripted so that they feel natural. The feel of the video so is like a friend recommending a product to another friend.
3. Case Studies
Case studies are the combination of the first two types we list above. They will study the effects of your product with an actual client. You'll start by showing their life before the product and then after they purchased it. It differs from testimonials as you'll focus more on actual stats and figures, including how they achieved their results.
End of the Funnel
The end of the funnel is where you will close the sale with your customer. Some of the video content types used in the middle of the funnel can also be beneficial at the end. Case studies and testimonials could be all a potential customer needs to turn them into an actual customer. On top of the previously listed types, there are a few other useful video types to close a sale.
1. Q&A Videos
These videos will answer all your potential clients' questions that may be keeping them from making the purchase. A few of the reasons that people are hesitant to buy are that they think they don't need it at that moment, or they don't trust the product.
To address this, use your videos to put their minds at ease. Answer questions that people may have about your product and deliver it in a way that is genuine and creates trust.
One example of this would be a restaurant breaking down ingredients in some of their dishes and showing how they make their foods. Many potential clients will be thinking about these kinds of things, but there may not be are source for them to obtain this information.
2. Instructional Videos
Many potential customers worry that once they've paid their money, the company will no longer offer support. If they have questions, concerns, or are unsure about usage, they may be reluctant to purchase. You'll see this in B2Bmarketing and especially when it comes to expensive products or services. Instructional videos will show your clients that you're serious about delivering a quality product and want them to succeed.
If they've already seen full instructional videos, they will know what to expect when they purchase. They will also know they have access to these videos for reference if they have any issues with the product.
You've now got relevant video content types for each stage of your sales funnel. Next, it's time to discuss the marketing tactics you can use on leading platforms, including examples of each one. The platforms we are going to focus on are Facebook and YouTube.
Tactics for Video Marketing on Facebook
In the grand spectrum of media types, video content has hands down the highest engagement. Using your video content with Facebook's vast reach and targeting can help you organically grow your business. It's not far off from YouTubes' monthly shared content numbers.
Facebook has over 1 billion active users each day, and within that number, 76%watch videos. That's a lot of potential customers.
When you're making videos for Facebook, there are a few things to consider that will ensure you get the most engagement.
1. Make Your Video Short and Sweet
Statistically, the best performing video content on Facebook is under 21seconds in length. It is measured by how many videos viewers watch from start to finish.
You want to ensure that your videos reach and get seen by your target audience. These will be your top of the funnel videos, so it's your first opportunity to connect with potential clients. The videos that work best will focus on visual aspects.
Since videos that appear of news feeds will not play audio straight away, you'll want to grab the attention of your audience through engaging visuals. As people scroll through their feed, you only have a couple of seconds initially to get them hooked. Keep the narration to a minimum as listening to specific informative audio takes more effort than just viewing the video.
2. Provide Information and Value
Another way you can grab the attention and interest of your audience is through education. Consumers want solutions and results. And they want them with little to no effort. Use video content as a way to offer up some tips and hacks that will help them, specifically related to your brand.
An example would be to post a weekly video providing tips for your audience consistently. Not only are these types of videos engaging but also, they are super shareable. Ideally, you want to provide value through these videos and include things that will benefit viewers. That will be the best way to ensure your videos get watched and shared.
Make your content relevant to trends so that it will get increased engagement during specific periods. For example, near Christmas time, you could do a video on tips to survive the holidays with your product. Other trends that will give you a boost are things like current viral memes and songs. Including these in your video theme will provide them with mass appeal and will allow you to reach more people than just those in your target audience. The goal, of course, would be to go viral yourself.
3. Watch Your Metrics and Statistics
The best way to monitor the success of your videos is through your metrics. These will let you know how effective your video has been and how many potential customers it has reached.
Facebook has a feature called Facebook Insights. This feature will give you all the information you will need to know about your videos to assess their success. Monitoring your metrics will help you identify which videos are resonating with people and which aren't. Then, you can make informed decisions going forward in how to create the best video content for your audience.
There will also be a dedicated Videos tab on your Facebook page where it will go more into detail with each video. Alternatively, you can find comprehensive insights on the main page of your Facebook page for a well-rounded view of your progress.
4. Call to Action
The goal of all video marketing is to convert clients and get them to stage two of your sales funnel. You can show them a great video, but with no call to action, their journey ends there. You need to tell them what to do next.
Depending on your target audience, your call to action may be different. If your video aims at those who are brand new to your brand, you'll want them to get on your email list. It is the most critical first step to collect their details so you can keep building a relationship with them. For these types of videos, your call to action will be to ask them to sign up to your list.
If you're targeting those who are already following your brand but haven't purchased anything, then you might want to get them straight onto a content hub or your website. If that's the case, your call to action will be asking them to check out your page or to follow the link for more information.
If you follow the above tactics, you'll be on your way to creating a video that will resonate on Facebook. With so many potential customers out there, this will allow you to optimize your content for ultimate success.
Tactics for Video Marketing on YouTube
If you plan to focus your video marketing efforts on YouTube, there are some definite differences in the content tactics then those for Facebook. While similar videos may get views on both platforms, the most prevalent contrast is how consumers experience the video.
Let me explain. The majority of videos on Facebook receive views while people are scrolling through their feed. Videos will start playing automatically on Facebook, and they will play without sound initially. Many will continue to watch the videos with no sound. It is due to viewing on a mobile in a public place or without headphones. That's because people use Facebook while they are out and about a lot more than YouTube. For this reason, a good video on Facebook needs to be engaging even without sound.
With YouTube, almost all videos will play with sound. Since consumers head to YouTube specifically to watch videos, they are usually in a location where they can have audio turned up or are using headphones. For this reason, the quality of the video and audio experience needs to be better. If you're shooting on a mobile, it will look terrible on YouTube, whereas you may be able to get away with it on Facebook.
It's not necessarily a bad thing. YouTube allows you to create a more impactful all-around experience with the use of both visuals and sounds. The incorporation of multiple senses will allow the videos to be more memorable than just visuals alone. You can also get away with making longer videos as people that go to YouTube are there specifically to watch videos.
There are five primary skills you'll need to use to create the best videos for marketing on YouTube. Use these to your advantage through all stages of your video development and publishing to achieve the most impactful results.
1. Writing and Storytelling
The first skill you'll want to call upon is your ability to tell a good story. When you're brainstorming ideas, make sure your video follows some storyline. Lots of videos lack this aspect, and it impacts the video. It confuses your audience and has them wondering what the point of the video was.
A lot of businesses don't think their product or service is worthy of being represented in video content. There is a misconception that industries that seem normal will not make for engaging content. All it requires is a little creativity, and any business can represent themselves uniquely and impressively through video. It's all about your storytelling skills.
2. Editing
The second skill you'll need to create YouTube content that converts is editing skills. Editing takes a long time, especially if you're not super familiar with this step. While it can become frustrating, it's essential to stick to it. Good editing can be the difference between a dull and un-engaging video and one that makes a strong impression. The quality of your video will come from the editing style.
3. Social Media Networking
Growing your network through video content is something you will learn more about as you go. Having experience with engaging on social media will be an asset when you start creating videos. You might make a fantastic video, but it won't convert sales if no one sees it.
4. Search Engine Optimization
Carrying on from the above, a solid knowledge of SEO will help you get your video out to your target audience. What good is a video if no one can find it? SEO has a few different spokes. These include Title Tag Optimization, Description Optimization, Keyword Research, and Video Transcript.
Tactics for Video Marketing Using Explainer Videos
Explainer videos as a genre are some of the most compelling videos you can use to convert people that are unfamiliar with your product into keen buyers.
There are multiple parts of a well-rounded explainer video, and you will need to implement them all to see the highest conversion rates.
Firstly, you will need a good script. You will want to ensure that you communicate all the necessary information to your audience. Therefore, creating a well thought out script is the key to the success of your video. The best scenarios for explainer videos will need to include the following components.
- Address questions that your audience may have about your product or service
- Explain who you are and what type of people your product or service is helpful to
- Define the advantages of using your product or service.
- Explain who you are and what type of people your product or service is helpful to
- Define the advantages of using your product or service.
Explainer videos focus more on the practical side of showing what you do as a company, and answering frequently asked questions from your audience. It may tempt you to include some fun or entertaining elements, but where explainer videos are concerned, people are just looking for information.
Before writing your explainer script, you'll want to be fully aware of what your audience wants to know from you. That way, you can adequately answer those concerns. One of the best ways to find that out is through a survey. Surveys will allow you to ask questions to your audience and use their feedback to create a relevant script.
Some of the queries you could pose in a survey would be:
What extra information do you want to see on our page?
What is stopping you from making a purchase?
What issues do you have that we can help you with?
What is stopping you from making a purchase?
What issues do you have that we can help you with?
These questions will allow you to understand your audience better and allow you to address their concerns, thus moving them along your sales funnel quicker.
Conclusion
Video marketing is the number one way to connect with your audience on a deeper and more effective level than all other platforms.
By utilizing video content across all your social platforms, you will see a massive boost in your reach which will lead to:
- People subscribing to your channels/newsletters.
- Helping those who've already subscribed to understand the value in your product and service.
- Moving those subscribers through your funnel into purchasing your product or service.
- Helping those who've already subscribed to understand the value in your product and service.
- Moving those subscribers through your funnel into purchasing your product or service.
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