We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: creating video content is no longer an option — it’s a necessity. Consumers are demanding high quality video at an ever-increasing rate. If you haven’t started producing video yet, it's time to start. Yes, making video takes time and money, but the returns far outweigh the costs. Though creating video is in by no means an easy feat, this an exciting opportunity for inbound marketers because video content can be effectively leveraged at every stage of the marketing and sales funnel.
What sets video apart from text-based pieces of content is its unmatched ability to produce valuable insights. Because video is streamed media, you can harness comprehensive data about your users' behavior that you can’t get with only images and text. No longer are you limited to interpreting just page views and click-throughs. With video, you can see if a user clicked play, how long they watched, if they skipped around, if there were parts they replayed, or if they watched it multiple times. Having access to this kind of data will help you better optimize and interpret the behaviors of those viewing your video content. Video insights offer an in-depth measure of user intent that blog posts, e-books and whitepapers just can’t provide.
Video for Sales
Traditionally, we see video content being used exclusively for lead generation, but it shouldn’t stop there. Video is a great way to nurture leads through the marketing and sales funnel and convert them into customers. Sales professionals can use video to enrich their sales conversations and establish meaningful personal connections. Instead of reaching out to a lead with a boring email template or leaving a scripted voicemail, sales professionals can easily use their webcam to a record a personalized video message.
Providing leads with the ability to actually see the person who is trying to sell to them establishes a valuable personal connection that a phone call just can’t compete with. We all know that personalized content resonates with consumers, so imagine their reaction when they receive a custom video message directly from their point of contact at your company, specifically addressing their goals or pain points. That level of personalization can’t be ignored. Even better, it’ll take your sales team practically no time to create. A quick, five-minute webcam video is all it takes to establish that personal connection and show a lead that you are eager to help.
Once that personal connection has been successfully established, sales professionals can continue to use video content to effectively supplement their sales conversations. Rather than sending your lead a dull data sheet or lengthy case study that they’ll likely only skim over, show them why your brand is the best choice. Provide them with compelling video content to illustrate how your product can be an effective solution to their problem. Arm your sales team with high quality, educational video content to enhance the way they engage with leads and drive conversion.
Aligning Video Content with Your Marketing and Sales Funnel
Top-of-funnel video content is going to be the quickest and easiest to create because it complements the very first stage of the buyer's journey, the awareness stage. Create educational video content that can help the buyer in their research process. “Explainers” and “how-to” videos are excellent examples of great top-of-funnel video content.
Case studies, testimonial videos and product webinars are perfect for your middle-of-funnel efforts. At this stage of the buyer’s journey, the buyer is evaluating all of the potential solutions to their problem. Make sure your video content clearly conveys the value of your product and how it can be used as an effective solution to your buyer’s problem.
Bottom-of-funnel video content is going to be the most time consuming to create, but it will boast the highest returns. Product demos and interactive live streams are perfect for urging the buyer through the final stage of the buyer’s journey and closing them as a customer. Being that this is the most crucial part of the sales process, it is essential to make sure your video content mirrors the significance of this stage. Provide the buyer with the essential information they need to make that final purchasing decision.
Video is highly effective for boosting engagement in today’s attention-poor economy. It’s becoming harder and harder to get people to take notice. With the enormous surplus of information constantly being presented to them, it’s hard for consumers to delegate their time and attention. Overcome this barrier by creating compelling video content. It can help you stand out among competitors, establish a personal connection with viewers and convey your message clearly and effectively.
If you don’t have much experience creating video, it can be tough to know where to start, let alone how to integrate it into your content strategy. But creating excellent video content doesn’t have to be hard. Start small and work your way toward more complex pieces of content. Video can be seamlessly folded into your existing inbound marketing and sales strategy, as long as you follow video production best practices.
