Use Video Marketing to Drive Your Sales Pipeline

Digital transformation has been drastically increased by the pandemic.

Even those traditional industries which heavily relied on in-person meetings have had to adjust to this new reality. As a result, the use of video has skyrocketed in both sales and marketing.

Because video is a critical component of your overall business strategy, and the video landscape is changing so drastically, businesses have to constantly come up with new ways to engage with consumers and tailor video content to meet specific company goals.

In this post we’ll go over how video can be used to drive sales, but first, how effective is video marketing, exactly?

 

Does video content impact the sales funnel?

Here are some video marketing stats to consider:

 

• 86% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic to their website.
• 84% of marketers say video has helped them generate leads.
• 78% of marketers say video has directly helped to increase sales.
• 83% of marketers say video has increased dwell time on their website.
• 94% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

Video content can play a major role in a variety of departments within an organisation. Although 94% of marketers who use video plan to continue, they aren’t the only ones using it. In fact, nearly 32% of businesses are also using video as part of the sales process.

 

How to use video to boost sales

 

1. Don’t open with video in the sales funnel

When used for cold outreach, video can have a negative effect on prospects who aren’t familiar enough with your brand or product. Sometimes you can get away with sending out a video too early on in the process, but your emails will often be placed in the spam folder or even blacklisted.

Instead, consider using video further down in the funnel, once you’ve already established a relationship with the consumer. This could fall within the third or fourth step of your sales process; arming them with more visual brand information at the right time of their customer journey.

Understanding when it’s the right time and place for video content pays off, too. Nearly 68% of marketers claim that video has a better return on investment (ROI) than Google Ads.

For instance, consider using videos to:

 

• Answer a question
• Provide context before an introduction/discovery call
• Ask for referrals
• Summarise a discovery call
• Stakeholder outreach
• Deal walkthrough
• Hand-off calls

 

2. Keep your videos short and structured

Oftentimes, people won’t watch a 4-5 minute video coming from a brand or person they don’t know. The goal should be to keep your videos short and impactful, giving people all the information (and intrigue) they need to convert.

Consider breaking up your videos into segments to better understand the reason for the video itself, for instance:

 

• The first 10-15 seconds of your video should cover your why. Why are you creating the video and what do you want viewers to do? If there is no clear reason for making the video in the first place, then don’t. However, if you do have a reason – maybe you’re following up with someone or recently checked out their LinkedIn profile – make sure it’s clear from the start of the video. Making your intentions clear in the beginning will be the hook that keeps them watching.

 

• The next 20-25 seconds of the video should include the value proposition. This is where you make your solution, or the product that you have to offer, known. This gives you an in with someone who has recently fallen out of your pipeline, providing them with a reason to quickly hop on a call.

 

• The last 10 seconds should consist of your call to action. This is where you tell them what you want them to do. Your goal here is to start a conversion, whether it be a meeting to discuss the content further or to learn more about what you have to offer.

This type of framework will enable you to keep your videos within a 45 to 60-second range while creating captivating videos that answer your prospect’s questions and fuel your sales pipeline.

 

3. Make your videos human

Other than raising brand awareness, the most important part of video creation is to create a connection with your audience. This means that you have to establish and maintain a level of humanness to retain any level of credibility going forward.

It’s really obvious when people are trying to sell you something or aren’t trying to create a personal video. It comes off as scripted, fake and unhelpful.

To combat this, make use of natural or white backgrounds that feel neutral, without unnecessarily advertising your brand’s logo. In addition, refrain from using virtual backgrounds that distract viewers and take away from your overall message.

Lastly, if it works for your personality and brand, try to introduce a sense of humour or lightness to your video. When you’re being true to yourself and the tone of your brand, the chances that people will respond how you want them to increase significantly.