Video the Great Problem Solver
Insert opening statement about how video has become the "go to" medium for marketing strategy for business *here*
Whilst all of what you have already heard may be true, lets not waste time covering old ground. With that ham-fisted opening out of the way, lets get into the fun part. What kind of video content do you need to produce to send your overall sales into the stratosphere?
Every company and their office dog are keen to produce video content now, having heard all the positive effects it has had on other companies sales figures. At this stage it is important to apply the handbrake. Yes, video will help you increase sales, but what kind of video content do you need to really harness it's much noted potential. In fact the question shouldn't be "What kind of video do I need?" but instead...
"What's my problem?"
That sounded a little aggressive. Let me rephrase...
"Specifically, what is my company's current problem in relation to our sales funnel?"
The above image should be familiar. The classic sales funnel. Here at Shade-Luma we break it down into 3 simple categories: Lead Generation, conversion and customer.
Keeping this in mind, too many companies now are firing out so called "promotional films" without even considering what problem they are trying to address in the first place. Not all video content is created equal!
Let's take an example. If your company has an exceptional conversion rate, you should not be wasting time making video content that is renowned for aiding in the conversion stage. This would be where your classic promotional film excels. Statistics show that by simply having a promotional video on your websites landing page you can increase conversion by 80%.
Instead find area(s) of the funnel you need to address.
For this example lets say you're only generating a humble amount of leads. This is where you need to target your video marketing plan. Videos such as customer testimonials, explainer videos and vlogs are great for this. Let people know en mass that you can solve their problem.
For the next stage, the sales funnel can then be broken down further. As above. We use a simple numbering system, to gauge all of our prospects and customers.
Each stage of the funnel requires a different type of communication and content. For example at stage 0 there is no point targeting a potential customer with content about your solution until they are fully aware that they have a problem. Likewise it is a waste of time and money to target a prospect at "stage 3" with content about your solution when they are already aware of it.
It is imperative to consider this carefully when planning and even scripting the type of vlog, customer testimonial or promotional video you want to produce.
A true, fully formed marketing strategy should cover all stages 0-6, taking suspects, prospects and customers through the entire sales funnel. However the first step is always to work out where video content can be most effective.
This is why at the earliest stage when clients come to us with
"We need a promotional video for our website"
our reply is always the same...
"Why?"
Gone are the days where it simply used to be "put a video on your website because the google robots like it."
Thank the heavens.