There’s no doubt that in many businesses video is being used to create leads and drive customers to buy products and hire services. The key is what kind of video content you use and how each impacts the lead funnel at different stages.
Understanding the Lead Funnel
The lead funnel typically narrows towards the bottom where you customer should end up as a conversion.
- At the top, where the funnel is wider, you have your customer becoming aware of your product.
- As the funnel narrows, the customer begins to take a closer look and evaluates the benefits of your product and decides whether it’s for them.
- Finally, at the bottom of the funnel lies the buying stage and, hopefully, the chance of repeat business.
You can use video at each stage of the funnel but the type of content you produce needs to be responsive to where the customer is positioned in the sales process. There are more people at the top so you need to appeal to a wider audience. As the number of people reduces, you then have to produce content that is specific to their needs.
Creating Awareness at the Top of the Funnel
This is all about creating brand awareness. You want to spread your net as wide as you can to catch a whole bunch of people who might be interested in what your brand has to offer. Your video output has to appeal to a broad church but it should also have an emotional impact. It can be about educating, entertaining, and informing. What it isn’t about is pushing your product.
The types of video that works here are corporate explainers that show how your company fits into the world. How-to snippets are another option that show how you can solve particular problems and helps set you apart as an expert in a particular area. What you always need to include is a persuasive call to action which encourages people to travel further down the funnel. You want them to find out more.
The Evaluation and Decision-Making Stage
Further down the funnel, you are going to need to be more specific. This is where your potential customer is going to start making up their mind about your service or product. That means giving them the benefits of what you are selling. It’s all about highlight the value and relating this to the customer.
The types of video that work here are things like product demos where the customer see everything working in real time. If you have a product that can be used with something else, videos that reveal their collaborative nature also work. You video content can include testimonials from people who have actually used your product, revealing what it delivered for them. Again, you need to add a strong CTA that should encourage them to head into the final stage of the funnel.
The Buying Stage
The aim here is to push your product and improve sales. It’s more straightforward and less nuanced than the previous funnel stages. You are also looking to use this kind of video to encourage your customer to keep coming back to you on a regular basis.
The kinds of video that work here are straight advertising videos, as well as those answering the most frequently asked questions or instructions on how to get the best out of the product or service.
Each stage of the funnel process should complement the next. While they can be seen as separate entities, they combine to drive your customer towards the buying stage as seamlessly as possible, from the moment they discover your brand to the instant they decide to purchase your product.