If you were to ask me for a foolproof way to increase your traffic and engage your audience, I’d definitely advise you to double down on video marketing. We’re living in the year that Cisco predicted online video would take up to 80% of all Internet traffic.
And those numbers just keep going up!
Everyone is trying to get a piece of the video cake, from new streaming services to big tech companies reconverting themselves. Sure, I couldn’t fault you for thinking I’m biased, but all I want is to share the way we’ve used our video assets, and the effect we’ve seen them have.
Professionally-made marketing videos can produce impressive results for any company, big or small. But for them to work, you should know how to use them! And that’s what this piece is about.
Showcasing Brand Values and Building Confidence In the Awareness Stage
As you probably know, the awareness stage is all about bringing attention to your brand.
Your target audience has recently identified a need and wants to satisfy it, but they aren’t familiar with your solution yet. You can do a lot here to introduce your services to them, but you’ll do best with the proper videos.
This isn’t the time to be getting all salesy – so don’t preach about your product! The awareness stage is all about helping the audience understand the need that brought them to your content in the first place.
You have multiple ways to do this with videos, but I’ve found that the most successful types for this stage are how-to videos, company story videos, and educational videos. Let me break down why each of them works here.
How-to videos
This is one of the most watched types of videos out there – and for good reasons. People that have a problem are seeking straightforward solutions, and how-tos are all about that.
Identifying some of your audience’s main concerns and addressing them in a step-by-step video can get you some nice traffic while also driving awareness to your brand.
Company story videos
Who you are and what you stand for might feel inconsequential in this stage, but it’s not. Trust me! The idea of showing your company’s values and mission is essential for your audience to start identifying the solution to their problem with you and your services. Additionally, a well-developed company story video will make you feel relatable to your audience and might nudge them towards your brand to learn more.
Educational videos
The obvious choice for this stage. Tackling your audience’s primary pain points will make your brand seem trustworthy and showcase your expertise. Also, contents like whiteboard animation videos can include some passing mentions about your service or product while explaining a major problem in more detail. Check out this example we worked on for Spigit to see how we introduced their management software from a specific (and relatable) problem.
Some tips for using videos in the awareness stage
- All of these videos can be great for lead generation. Placing a good call-to-action during or at the end of all those videos can direct more qualified leads into more detailed content on your site.
- If you are to garner that traffic, then you shouldn’t gate this content. It might seem counterintuitive, but you’re not quite there yet. Gate the next steps instead. In other words, lure your audience into wanting to know more about your solution and then gate the more in-depth content with forms to get your prospects’ info.
Effectively Communicating Your Product’s Features In the Consideration Stage
Now that you’ve helped your audience identify their issue, it’s time to take their hand and lead them to a more detailed account of the solution. In the consideration stage, they’ll be searching for alternatives to address that issue; a fertile ground for your brand.
Though you might be one of the options your audience is considering; you’ll be pitted against your competitors to see who presents the best alternative. That’s why you should rely on effective video types, namely product and explainer videos.
Explainer videos
Explainer videos and whiteboard animations present entertaining ways to tell the whats and the hows of your product.
In less than 2 minutes, you can show your audience that you know all about their journey. The problem that brought them to you, the solution you’re offering them, and the delicious results you can deliver.
There are all sorts of explainer videos to fit your company’s tone and values but, in my opinion, there isn’t a better one than the animated explainer video: colorful, eye-catching and fun all around.
Product videos
These videos are the real stars here. Why? Because they let your product or service do all the talking.
Showing how your product works, its main features and its strengths is what your audience wants to know right now. Of course, a product video can do a little more than that – it can let your prospects see how much of an expert you are by presenting how you came with the solution they are longing for.
Some tips for using videos in the consideration stage:
- Use the videos in the consideration stage on your own turf. In other words, put them on your website, on a landing page or in any environment you control. You definitely don’t want to use these videos in places where your prospects may stumble upon your competitors. If you did things right in the awareness stage, getting traffic to your website or social networks (where you can show people these videos) it shouldn’t be hard.
- This is the time to gate content. I mean, you won’t gate your explainer video, but you can keep a more detailed product video behind a form or a CTA to arrange a call or an in-person demonstration.
Dealing with Consumers Resistances In the Decision Stage
You’re finally arriving at the end of the rainbow, and the pot of gold is within sight. The people that got this far down your marketing funnel already know a lot about you and are ready to make a decision. How can you convince them to commit to your brand?
First, you have to show them that you’re real; that you’ve worked for real people before and they came out of it happy. You have to illustrate how your product will change their lives through practical examples. Secondly, you have to address the more specific concerns they might have about you, be them about the implementation of your solution, its pricing or what your product’s future might hold for them.
That sounds like a tall order, but you can do both of those things with these videos.
Testimonials
You might think that people don’t believe in testimonials as much as they used to (you know, because of those late-night infomercials that made it hard to take testimonials seriously).
However, testimonials remain a powerful marketing tool when executed properly. People love to put themselves in the shoes of the happy customers in front of the camera. They want to be those customers, so it’s easier for them to understand that your product can do that for them, too.
FAQs Videos
Before finally committing to your brand, some prospects want to know specific details about your product, its challenges and how it overcomes them. That’s why FAQ videos are perfect for this stage.
With them, you can supplement whatever information your leads already have (be it because they’ve thoroughly researched you or because you’ve already met with them to discuss the product in detail).
Given how engaged the leads are at this point, you can afford to shoot longer videos with more specific information. Address all the ‘frequent’ things your clients struggle with, and you’ll be all set.
Some tips for using them in the decision stage:
- Mind the videos’ duration. I know, I know. I’ve already said that you can shoot longer videos. That doesn’t mean you should go all Peter Jackson on your product and shoot a trilogy. Be concise whenever you can and keep your videos under the 15-minute mark (and even shorter if possible!).
- Entice your leads with something that seals the deal. Many brands offer more advanced call-to-actions here. Be it through progressive profiling or with demos, free trials or other materials, use your video to provide your audience something that makes the decision something of a no brainer.
Final Thoughts
Something I always say to my customers is that video marketing is more than just creating and publishing videos. You have to use the right videos to engage with your target audience at the right time. Having a deep understanding of their buyer’s journey is the first step toward an outstanding video marketing strategy.
Of course, you’ll have to combine that with a high-quality video production company, data gathering and analysis, and adjust to the overall approach according to your specific goals. If you’ve read this article carefully, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that I’ve never said this would be easy. But I’ve promised you that all of this will give you results, and I stand by it.
Videos are a great vehicle to generate engagement, and if you haven’t incorporated them into your marketing strategy already, you are missing out!
Featured photo credit: Depositphotos