Many potential customers prefer to watch videos about products and services rather than read about them. They retain more of the information when they watch videos. This makes them a great lead generation tool.
Videos draw attention and help you to gather contact information from viewers. To collect information, you can use various on-video features such as embedding a call-to-action or a contact form in a video. You can offer an e-book or other information in exchange for an email address.
More than 80% of video marketers say video helps with lead generation. If customers are willing to share their contact information with you, they are open to receiving information from you and you can grow your conversions.
Choose the right videos for lead generation
Know your audience: If you want to choose the right videos for lead generation you need to know your audience. Knowing your audience allows you to tailor videos that appeal to them based on their needs and preferences. Personalized video provides one of the best ways to reach them. It also gives you more of a grasp on the types of videos that will work best at each stage of the customer journey.
You can get to know your audience by accessing demographics such as age, gender, marital status, and education. Conduct surveys and polls and chat with your audience to find out what motivates them and what concerns they have. Any feedback you get from them can help you to create videos they will want to watch.
Understand the sales funnel: A typical sales funnel has a top, middle, and bottom. You need to use different videos to address each stage in the funnel. A video for sales can drive viewers away if you try to get them to buy before you build trust. You shouldn’t try to sell to people the minute they become aware of your brand. The idea is to drive as many leads as you can to the top of your funnel because only a small percentage may end up buying from you.
1. Explainer videos
One of the best ways to draw attention to your brand is to provide helpful content. Creating explainer videos is a great way to do this. Explainer videos are short videos that show how your products or services meet a specific need or solve a problem. In creating an explainer video you need to focus on benefits rather than features. There are various Video production agencies offering professional video editing services and help you create excellent explainer video at less time and cost.
Explainer videos are useful in the awareness stage of the sales funnel. They should offer just enough information to show your knowledge without giving specific product information. Inspirational or amusing videos will help viewers to remember your brand. Ikea is a brand that’s well-known for its short, entertaining explainer videos that focus on its brand personality and the benefits for viewers.
2. Brand videos
Brand videos get people to engage with your brand. They make them aware of who you are and what you do. Telling a story is one of the best ways to create a brand video an audience will want to engage with. You may tell a story about what motivated you to start your business and what led you to create products or services. Brand videos can help to build trust which will eventually lead to more sales.
3. Product demo videos
Most people want to see a product demo video before they make a purchase. This is why this type of video can be a powerful lead generation tool for those in the consideration phase of the sales funnel.
You can create demo videos with information about your products or services and why your brand is the best choice for them. You want to offer them practical content that helps them to make more informed decisions. They should be able to consume product demo videos at their own pace and in their own time so it helps to offer them on demand.
4. Customer testimonials
Customers trust the opinions of others who buy and use your products more than they trust your own marketing efforts. Most of them will read online testimonials and reviews before they buy. Offering this kind of social proof allows you to win over more prospects. Video testimonials offer more authenticity than text reviews. They can help you to consolidate your brand image and raise brand awareness.
Powerful video testimonials from customers who represent your ideal buyer persona are most effective. These customers can talk about how your products or services helped them. Talking about specific outcomes they experienced or goals they met when using your products or services can help convince prospects of their value.
5. Recorded or live webinars
Recorded or live webinars can offer information to your audience about a specific topic. They appeal to prospects in the evaluation stage of the buyer’s journey who want more in-depth guidance. Successful webinars will showcase your expertise and align with your audience’s needs and goals. Webinars should offer actionable insights and encourage interaction with viewers.
Webinar recordings are often gated which means that someone who wants to view them has to offer contact information in order to access them. They may see an introduction and are only able to continue watching when they fill in the contact form. Gating is not something you should use on too many videos and it will only work at a certain point in the marketing funnel. You should only gate videos when viewers are already aware of the value your brand has to offer.
6. FAQ videos
Customers will always have questions about your products or services. An FAQ video can give them the answers they need. Find out what common questions they ask and create an FAQ video. When you address any of their remaining doubts, they will feel more confident about choosing what you have to offer.
Best ways to use video for lead generation
You may have created some great videos but your audience won’t automatically find them. You have to find ways to get your videos in front of them. Which platforms do your prospects use to find information? Is there a specific video platform they favor?
Is there a B2B video platform where you can host B2B videos? It can take some effort to figure out where to use your videos most effectively for lead generation.
1. Optimize landing pages with video
Landing pages on your website are often your primary contact point and help drive your prospects closer to making a purchase. A video on your landing page can boost your conversion rates by up to 80%. Landing pages are already designed to convert with fewer distractions than your home page. Adding videos can make them even more compelling.
You can build a whole landing page around a video or use it to complement other copy. A product demo video on a landing page can attract attention and keep viewers on the page for longer. Combine it with a contact form so viewers can leave their contact details.
- On your landing page you should only use high-quality, short videos. They must be easy to find and watch.
- It’s important to use SEO on these videos. Using keywords, titles, tags, descriptions, and captions that match search intent will help them to rank higher in Google search results. People will be able to find them through organic search and go straight to your landing page.
- Make sure you include a call-to-action so that viewers can take another step after watching a video on your landing page. You may invite them to download an ebook or watch another video.
2. Add video to email marketing
Email marketing is still very effective and adding videos to your emails can increase click rates by 96%. Personalized video adds a very engaging element to emails.
- If you segment your email list based on factors like prospect behavior and previous interactions with your brand, you can add personalized messages relevant to each segment. Personalized messages create a more engaging experience for viewers.
- Using the word ‘video’ in the subject line can boost email open rates. Using videos in emails will also increase your conversion rates.
- Your email contacts need to be able to easily find and play a video in an email. If you create a large thumbnail with a play button it can encourage click through rates.
- Using a video hosting platform offers integration with your email marketing platform. All you may need to do is to paste an automatically generated code into an email to embed a video. Viewers will click on the thumbnail to view the video in their browser.
- You can use your email list to promote the replay of a webinar or introduce email contacts to an online video course. They are likely to respond if they find the topics interesting.
3. Share video on social media
Social media platforms have incredible reach and using video on social media will boost any video marketing strategy. Different types and lengths of videos suit different social media platforms.
- Short, creative videos work well on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. They must be succinct and eye-catching to be engaging.
- Short videos of about a minute or so on Facebook with a clickable call-to-action can direct viewers to your website. You can also target groups on Facebook that will find your videos relevant.
- On X (Twitter) videos are more likely to be shared than Tweets. Videos of 60 to 90 seconds are most suitable.
- On most social media platforms, compelling bite-sized video content works best.
For internal communication with your marketing team, a video portal provides a secure way to share internal videos. An employee video portal containing employee video content can help to keep them up-to-date and informed about the latest marketing strategies.
Measure and analyze video performance
When you host videos on YouTube, you can reach a wide audience and your view count is often high. However, there are various limitations to hosting on YouTube. Viewers are distracted by adverts and suggestions for other videos. You do not have full control over your video content and viewers aren’t driven to your website. Customizing your video content and video player is limited. YouTube also doesn’t offer the type of in-depth analytics you need to measure and analyze video performance. You may see metrics like numbers of views, comments, clicks, and shares but this isn’t enough.
This is where using a paid video hosting platform can be of great benefit. You have access to in-depth analytics that track far more than view count or shares. You can use the information to assess the quality of your leads and improve video performance. You will also be able to use your video marketing budget more effectively.
Viewer demographics: They can help you to understand if you are targeting the right audience. If you are trying to target a specific demographic like females over 40 and they are not watching your videos, you must try to find out why.
Video Heat Maps: You can visualize viewer behavior on video heat maps. See what parts of videos viewers watch, skip, or rewatch. Engagement graphs show you play rate, total plays, average engagement, and actions viewers take.
You can use actionable insights from in-depth analytics to improve video performance.
- If you see that users are dropping off at a certain part, or before the end, try to make a shorter video or a shorter version of the video.
- If many people are seeing your video but only a few are playing it, you may need to rethink it altogether.
- If a video isn’t getting any clicks, working on making your thumbnail more engaging may help. It should be relevant and eye-catching enough to make viewers want to click.
- If people are watching your videos but not clicking your CTAs, you need to ensure they are working properly. If they are, you may need to work on them to make sure they clearly tell people what you want them to do next.
- If viewers only watch one video and don’t come back, you need to try and find ways to re-engage them.
Conclusion
Using video for marketing helps to build trust in your brand because these videos show the value you offer to your audience. Prospects needing help in an area where your expertise shines through will trust you with their personal information. You can then nurture them with the right videos to bring them to the point where they are ready to buy from you. Cincopa is the perfect video hosting platform for marketers who want to use video to boost lead generation and conversions.
