Like most people in the video marketing community, we tend to get quite excited by a quality video, because we understand the craft and creativity that go into making one.
Let’s face it though, a video that draws critical acclaim but doesn’t actually move anybody along the marketing funnel cannot be considered a success, or a good investment. One way or another, a good commercial video will necessarily generate sales.
Fortunately, video is an excellent medium for doing just that, with 80% of video marketers saying video has directly increased sales.
For a comprehensive strategy, it is best to think about how video can be used differently at different stages of the customer journey.
Brand awareness – “Never heard of them”
You’re not likely to buy something from a company you didn’t know existed. Even if a product comes to your attention, you’re going to want to know something about the people who made it – and you’re going to want to like what you hear.
Ipsos Mori’s 2018 Global Reputation Monitor found that 87% of global consumers said they would be likely or very likely to factor the reputation of the company behind a brand into their purchase decision.
Brand videos – centred around thought leadership, expert interviews, social impact and company purpose – may not sell much product today, but they help to build the trust and familiarity that will generate the sales of tomorrow. Indeed, 25% of consumers report losing interest in a company if they don’t use videos.
Here’s an example of a video from insurance provider Barney & Barney, that focuses on ideas about life and risk-taking, rather than selling a product:
Product awareness to increase sales – “I’ve got a problem”
Advertising, at its simplest, is about connecting a customer with a problem to a business with a solution. Video adverts are one of the most effective ways of making that connection.
People spend a third of their time online watching videos, and are far more likely both to stop what they’re doing to watch a video and to retain the message it contains if they do. As a result, 72% of people would rather hear about a product or service by video, according to Wyzowl, while 84% say video has convinced them to buy from a brand.
The usual form of video advert is the product explainer, focusing on the problem would-be customers have and then how their relevant product can help solve it. Here’s an animated example from Western Union, focusing on SME payments:
Conversion with video content- “I’ve narrowed it down to two”
Perhaps the most challenging task in sales and marketing is where the two disciplines meet, persuading an interested browser into a paying customer. Sometimes it’s a question of comparison between your product and a competitor’s – while other times it’s a question of deciding whether this is really going to meet your needs.
In both cases, seeing is believing, and video can be a powerful aid to visualisation. Demo videos show people what your product is like to use; unboxing videos capture the magic of receiving it; customer testimonial videos provide social proof that reality meets or exceeds expectations.
This video from Peloton addresses their product’s advantage over some of the alternatives, such as going to a spin class, as well as showing off the bike itself and what it’s like to use it.
Direct sales with video- “I’m going to get one of these”
Shoppable videos are editorially-led but include clickable elements that take people directly to your product page, or better, to a shopping basket on your site. The idea is that you see someone using or wearing a product, decide you’d quite like one, and seamlessly progress to making a purchase.
In this way video can directly generate sales, whether it’s distributed on social media or your own website.
Brand evangelism – “You’ve got to see this video”
Thanks to your impactful videos, you’ve turned leads into customers, but the best marketers don’t stop there. Customers are great, but if you play your cards right you can turn them into repeat customers or, even better, loyal fans who will sing your brand’s praises far and wide.
The strength of video here is that it can create a personal touch, and that it shows a little effort: people are used to brands going out their way to sell them something, but quality after-sales is much rarer.
These can range from thank you videos through to more practical onboarding videos, and are usually distributed via email.
Here’s one from Charity: Water, thanking its donors on its 5th birthday:
Conclusion
Each of these approaches can help build strong relationships with your customers, from your most loyal fans to the ones who haven’t met you yet. And the good news is, they’re not not mutually exclusive!
A comprehensive video marketing strategy can include all these video types, in an effort to boost sales.
Wooshii is an innovative video production company with the capacity to create video anywhere in the world, in any format, using a talent network of over 16,000 plus experts. Wooshii works with world-leading organisations across multiple industry sectors to enable consistent and reliable video production at scale, supporting a wide variety of internal and external marketing and communication functions.
Need help devising your video strategy or perhaps want to discuss your productions needs, give Wooshii a call today.
