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Video is one of the most popular and effective forms of brand communication today. Although video can be a powerful asset in a company’s marketing arsenal, it’s important to understand how to leverage this medium to its fullest potential.
Working with hundreds of clients over the past few years, I’ve seen a common mistake that businesses make when they start a video campaign. Typically, a business invests in an explainer or a brand video and then promotes it across all marketing channels. This method, to an extent, may help with brand awareness; however, in order to convert prospects, a more systematic approach is needed.
A complete video marketing strategy involves targeting your prospects with video across the buyer’s journey. In its basic form, this means connecting with your prospects with different forms of videos that convince them over time to purchase your product or service.
Brand Awareness
In the first stage of your buyer’s journey, you put your brand in front of prospects who have never heard of you before. A complete video marketing strategy will involve a video that’s tailor-made for the brand-awareness stage.
The goal of this video is to educate your customers and outline the reasons they need a product or service in the first place. The intent of this video is not to make a sale; rather, it’s to provide value to your prospects and leave an impression of your brand in their minds.
Consideration
In this stage, we’re retargeting prospects who came across your brand in the previous stage and are now considering different solutions for their problem. A video for this stage of the sales funnel should introduce your brand and explain why it’s the right choice for your prospects.
This style of video is generally called an explainer video. A good explainer should outline the problem your customer may be facing and then present your product or service as the right solution and explain its benefits — ideally in less than two minutes. Decision
This stage includes prospects who are ready to make a buying decision. Most people, when purchasing a product or service, look for vendors that have reliable reputations. A great way to build trust with your potential customers is to share case studies and testimonials from your previous clients. It’s important to note that video testimonials of your actual customers compared to written ones come across as more authentic. This type of content gives people the social proof they need during the decision-making process.
Delight
The buyer’s journey doesn’t end once your prospect has made a purchase. Studies have shown that acquiring a new customer can be five to 25 times more expensive compared to retaining one. Keeping this in mind, it makes sense to expend resources to keep existing customers happy. If you manage to do it right, your customers will turn into brand advocates.
Demo or tutorial videos are perfect for this stage of the buyer’s journey. The aim of these videos is to give customers a demonstration of how your product or service works and how they can get the best use out of their purchase. This helps eliminate the guesswork for your customers and keeps them satisfied after their purchase.
Just as making a marriage proposal to your crush in your first interaction is probably not the best idea, it’s important for your prospects to feel comfortable and trust you before they say yes. A well-thought-out video strategy combined with natural attributes such as patience is the key to capture more customers and make them fall in love with your brand.
