People who watch videos are more likely to convert than non-viewers.
In fact, some retailers claim to have seen a 40% increase in purchases as a result of video.
I know we have. I am all about video. It works.
Today, I teach you how to use video in your sales funnel.
52% of marketers have cited video as the type of content with the best return on investment (ROI).
Overall, video grows revenue 49% faster than non-video content.
Those stats give you plenty of good reasons to add videos to your online marketing campaigns. Here’s how you can use them in your sales funnel.
The Sales Funnel
If you’re not familiar with the concept of a sales funnel, you can think of it as a buyer’s journey. It takes the customer from awareness about the product all the way to the point of purchase.
If you Google “sales funnel,” you’ll find that there are competing ideas about the various stages that make up a funnel. We’ll keep it simple here with 5 stages:
- Awareness – the customer is aware of your brand and/or your product
- Interest – the customer has expressed an interest in what it is you’re offering
- Evaluation – the customer wants to make a purchase and is looking at different alternatives
- Decision – the customer is leaning towards purchasing your product and just needs a little nudge in the right direction
- Purchase.- the customer makes the purchase
At every one of those stages, you can use video to help move the customer further along in the funnel. It’s important, however, that you use the right kind of video for each stage.
Videos Can Be For All Stages of Your Sales Funnel
Before we get into what works for specific stages, it’s a good idea to go over guiding principles that apply to all stages.
For starters, consider keeping your videos short.
Think about it: how much free time do you have on your hands right now? Probably not a whole lot.
Your customers likely don’t have a whole lot of free time either. That’s why you should get your marketing message across in brief videos.
Also, remember that unlike text content, videos aren’t really scannable. While articles can be skimmed easily by looking at the headers, it’s much more difficult to do that with video.
People generally have to watch an entire video to get the point that it’s trying to make. That’s another reason to keep your marketing videos short.
Keep in mind, there could be exceptions to this rule depending on your brand. If you’re running a B2B company and you need to provide a thorough overview of your service, a long video might be in order.
Bottom line: use your judgment.
Another thing you should do in video marketing is pay attention to your analytics.
If you find that people are bailing on your video after just 15 seconds, then there’s clearly something wrong with it. Time to go back to the drawing board and come up with a video that keeps people interested.
It’s also a great idea to do split-testing with your videos. If you have a couple of different videos that you think would work great at a particular point in the sales funnel, run both of them in an A/B test. Then, check your analytics to see which one performs best.
Finally, consider having some of your videos professionally made. Although the state of modern technology makes it easy for you to shoot and cut your own videos, they’ll likely look amateurish if you produce them on your own.
That won’t do a whole lot of good for your brand.
Top of the Funnel
At the very top of the sales funnel, people aren’t even yet aware of your brand. It’s your job to make them aware.
How can you do that? With explainer videos.
A great explainer video highlights the benefits of your product or service. It also builds brand-name awareness so people know where to look when they decide to make a purchase.
You want to use video to orient people to where they are. Here you see me doing this on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wj5C9w2bs8
Let’s look at an example at how to use an explainer video.
John is a small business owner who does his own accounting. The software he’s using is out of date, buggy, and doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles he’d like.
Let’s say you run a business that offers accounting software-as-a-service (SaaS). Further, you’ve created an audience that includes John in your Facebook advertising campaign.
You’ve produced a video that highlights all the benefits of your accounting service. In the video, you demonstrate its ease of use, show how it works on different platforms, and highlight the fact that you offer free technical support.
One day, John is browsing through his Facebook feed and sees your video. He’s reminded of the problems with his existing accounting software, so he watches it.
John’s impressed with what he sees. Now, he’s both aware of your service and interested in it.
Congratulations! You’ve moved John further along the sales funnel with an explainer video.
You certainly wouldn’t be alone if you opt to use explainer videos in your marketing efforts. Many other companies do so as well.
For example, take a look at this video by Dropbox. It’s a great example of how to reach people at the top of the sales funnel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QADSH8XYx_A
Oh, yeah: that video has more than 10 million views. You think Dropbox might have gained a few customers because of it?
Get Emotional With Your Sales Videos
Another way you can create engagement with people at the top of the sales funnel is with a video that puts a human face on your brand. The idea here is to generate an emotional connection between your company and potential customers.
Why is that important? Because brands that inspire a higher emotional intensity receive 3 times more word-of-mouth buzz than brands that create no emotional connection.
So here’s your action item: produce a video that gets people to fall in love with your company.
Easier said than done, right? Of course, you’ll have to do some brainstorming to make it happen.
Fortunately, there are plenty of examples online that can give you inspiration.
For example, take a look at this video by Apple. It highlights the corporate culture at the company and is sure to be a big hit with tech geeks.
Here’s another great one: “A Day in the Life of Rackspace.” As the title implies, it’s all about life at one of the most popular hosting companies. It’s designed to give potential customers the warm and fuzzies about the business.
Follow those examples. Gather your team together and come up with a great idea for a video that highlights the people and culture behind your business.
Middle of the Funnel
Once you’ve warmed up your prospects sufficiently enough that they’ve reached the middle of the sales funnel, it’s time to introduce them to some new kinds of videos.
Here, potential customers are in the Evaluation phase. That means they’ve taken a keen interest in your brand and are looking at what you’re offering in addition what other businesses in your niche are selling.
In a nutshell: you need to outshine the competition at this phase.
Testimonial videos work very well here. In fact, they can work all the way down to the point of sale.
Let’s continue with the example of John, the small business owner who does his own accounting.
John has already seen your video highlighting the advantages of your accounting service. He was impressed and is now thinking about becoming a customer. However, he’s looking at other options as well.
Since you don’t want to lose John to Quickbooks, you need to move him further down the sales funnel. You decide to do that with a testimonial video.
In that video you share how a few of your satisfied customers were able to overcome their challenges with your accounting service.
John watches your video and notices that one of the customers was experiencing some of the exact same problems that he’s currently experiencing with his software. Immediately, he relates to the customer.
That gives John a good feeling about your brand. He moves your service to the top of his list.
Congratulations! You’ve once again moved John further along in the funnel.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for a testimonial video, check out this production by Slack. It’s received almost a million views.
Interviews
Another way to appeal to people in the middle of the sales funnel is with video interviews. They tend to work best if you’re in the B2B space, though.
Find some key influencers who have a lot of positive things to say about your brand. Interview them for a little while and trim the video down to highlight only the best parts.
Then, share the video online. You’ll find that your brand gains a certain amount of prestige when you’re pictured with other business leaders.
That’s especially true if they’re bragging on your company’s products or services.
Case Studies
Case study videos also work well in the middle of the sales funnel. They’re similar to testimonials, but they’re told from a “third person” perspective.
That’s why they’re not quite as effective as testimonials, but they do have their place in the funnel.
To produce a case study video, you’ll definitely need some professional assistance. That’s because the video should clearly communicate the problem and identify how you solved it.
That’s not easy to do on your own.
Of course, you can also couple a testimonial with a case study video for a one-two punch. That could be very effective.
Bottom of the Funnel and Ready to Convert Videos
Once your prospect gets to the bottom of the funnel, you might think that you’ve sealed the deal.
Spoilers: you haven’t.
You’ve just set the hook at this point. Now you have to reel in the fish.
If your prospect is thinking about making a purchase but hasn’t done so yet, that’s probably because he or she has some objections. Your videos at the bottom of the funnel should answer those objections.
Let’s go back to the example of John. He’s really interested in signing on with your accounting service, but he has years of data that he doesn’t want to lose. He isn’t sure if your service can import his old data.
Because you’re a great marketer, you’ve anticipated that objection. To answer it, you created a “how-to” video that explains how to import data into your online software.
Even better: the how-to video highlights all of the accounting applications that are supported for import. John’s application is on the list.
John sees your how-to video and is immediately relieved that he can quickly and easily import his old data. The video offers clear, step-by-step instructions about how to handle the import process.
John is sold. The next day, he signs on with your accounting service and you’ve gained a new customer.
Depending on the nature of your business, you could create several how-to videos or you could create one longer video that’s basically a video FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).
As an example, here’s a great video FAQ on leasing a vehicle from Proctor Dealerships. It offers valuable info to people in that target market.
A Sales Pitch
Another bottom-of-the-funnel option that might work well for your brand is a video sales pitch. Simply put: you ask your prospect to make the purchase.
There are different ways you could go about that. You might just appear yourself as a “talking head” in the video and ask the prospect for the sale.
Alternatively, you could produce something resembling the kind of commercials you see when you watch television.
Remember: when you’ve gotten this far, your prospect is already aware of your brand, interested in what you’re selling, has evaluated alternatives and is likely leaning in your direction. It shouldn’t be that difficult to seal the deal at this point.
If you’re looking for inspiration along these lines, you can’t do any better than the DollarShaveClub.com pitch video.
Wrapping It Up Videos In Sales Funnels
If you want to bring videos into your sales funnel, start at the top of the funnel with explainer videos and/or videos that highlight your company culture. Then, promote testimonial videos to people who are in the middle of the funnel. Finally, offer how-to videos or straight sales pitch videos to people who are on the verge of making a purchase.
One more example, check out this quick unscripted video I shot for my about page on Ignite Visibility.
Since doing this, we have seen an increase in conversions for people who hit that page.
Have you thought about doing this for your own site?
