If you think that video content should be placed only at the top-of-the-funnel stage you are missing out on a great opportunity.
Nowadays, 82% of customers conduct research online prior to making a purchase. It is very important to build a thriving brand presence from the beginning to the end of that process and that’s where video content could help boost your sales. In fact, 4 in 5 millennials consider video content when researching a purchase decision.
In this article we will help you to plan your video marketing strategy by breaking down the most effective types of videos for each stage of the buyer’s journey.
Let’s start with a quick review of that.
The buyer’s journey
The process that begins with becoming aware of a need and ends in the effective purchase of a product or service that fulfills that need is called the buyer’s journey.
It is a three-step process:
1) Awareness: your prospective clients are aware they have a problem but they don’t thoroughly understand it or know how to fix it.
2) Consideration: the prospect fully understands the problem and is thinking of all the options available in order to solve it.
3) Decision stage: the buyer choses a product/service among many others.
As every stage demands a different kind of information, you should ask yourself what stage your prospective client is in.
What is Inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing focuses on creating high-quality content that your client is looking for in each sales stage. According to Hubspot: “Unlike outbound marketing, inbound marketing does not need to fight for potential customers attention. By creating content designed to address the problems and needs of your ideal customers, you attract qualified prospects and build trust and credibility for your business.”
Check out this video that sums up this process from Yum Yum explainer videos – What is Inbound Marketing?
Each stage of the sales funnel has its own specific set of content type that works the best. That being said, nowadays video is one of the most engaging digital tools. According to Hubspot research, 54% of consumers want to see videos from brands they support in comparison to email newsletters (46%) or social image (41%) based content.
In a nutshell, people crave videos. However, what is the best type of video content for each stage of the sales funnel?
First stage: Awareness
In this stage your prospective client will be looking for information about his/her problem so you want to create a video that fits that search query. For example:
Educational Videos
With this type of video, you provide relevant information that your client is looking for. Try to avoid being too salesy. Check out this video created by a vitamin seller about what exactly a vitamin is. They are giving useful information and, at the same time, talking about their product.
Here’s a video showing an example of this from the Vitamin Shoppe – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Y9tbs-eKY&t=0s&index=10&list=PLhat-b0QvZABD5JMLSNuWLJhXiLxR1CLs
How-to videos
These kinds of videos are extremely popular. As a business owner, you sure have some hands-on experience that you can share with the viewer. Try to think about your client’s pain point and create a straight-to-the point video explaining the process to solve that problem.
An example of that is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFyOznL9UvA
Social Media Videos
Social media gives you the opportunity to interact with your audience. There are tons of types of videos that you can create but you need to keep in mind the user’s experience. Your video should be able to stand on their own without sound and you also need to adapt it to the different specs of each platform.
An example of that is here – https://www.facebook.com/Starbucks/videos/413099965814/
Second stage: Consideration
During this stage, buyers have a clear idea about their issue and are determined to solve it. They are evaluating the different solutions available to pursue the goal or solve their challenge. Keep in mind that these types of videos are suitable for this stage:
Explainer videos
Being that Explainer videos are a very popular content nowadays, there is a lot to learn from the experts. There are many types of explainer videos but all are especially recommended to fully explain complex processes in just a few minutes. This video, for example, shows how pharmacy software works, https://www.cdhfinechemical.com/cdh_data/antibiotics-online/ and how it optimizes business’ management.
Product videos
Show how awesome your product is in just a few minutes. Product videos usually feature a well-known character that the audience can relate to. Check out this product video that has gone viral.
Jean Claude van Dam Split with Volvo Trucks – https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=M7FIvfx5J10
If your budget’s limits can’t afford Jean Claude Van Damme, an animated video may be the best option.
Decision stage: from lead to client
In this third stage, you want to push your potential buyer towards a purchase. To accelerate the journey of leads in your funnel, you need to create a strong brand image so that they chose you among other similar companies.
Company culture videos
Build up a close relationship with you prospective client by sharing with him or her what is behind your brand. Try to answer these questions: What’s the story behind your company? Who are the creators that bring life to your brand? What are the values of your company?
FAQ Videos
Maybe your prospective client still has some doubts about your product. Be prepared to answer them with a quick FAQ video. By clearing up all their questions you will build trust and calm any quibbles before the actual purchase – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiXdxzWbxgw
Customer Testimonial Videos
Is there something more effective than hearing about other client’s happy experiences? This kind of video is a very powerful tool to boost brand trust. Check out this video that features customers with relatable stories. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm1Ez5_AnCQ&t=9s
Author
Víctor Blasco is the founder and CEO of the explainer video company Yum Yum Videos.
He is also an audiovisual designer and video marketing expert. Aside from running the
business, he loves studying Chinese philosophy and is a real geek for science fiction
films and comics.
