Everybody wants videos these days. We’re not complaining – in fact, we’ve just hired a new staff member to our design team to meet our clients’ demand (welcome, Joel). However, we’ve noticed a little commonality amongst these requests. Everybody seems to be asking for middle-of-the-funnel content, but they don’t seem to be too fussed about creating videos for the other stages of the customer journey.
Maybe the thinking is that written content can be created for the top and bottom of the funnel – which, indeed it can – but wouldn’t it be great to have some video content in there, too?
After all, videos can increase purchase intent by 97%, according to a ‘Social Ad Effectiveness’ study by Unruly. To use them at just one stage in the buyer’s journey would be to do your brand an injustice.
You’ll also be denying your audience the content they crave. According to research from Animoto, four times as many consumers would prefer to watch a video about a product than read about it.
It’s time, then, to start deploying videos not only during the consideration stage, but at the awareness and decision stages, too.
The Content Marketing Institute guides on what types of video you should be sending out at each stage:
Top of the funnel (awareness): Educational videos
During the awareness stage, people are on the lookout for a solution to their problem, but they often don’t know exactly what it is the solution looks like.
Educational videos are your opportunity to present a solution to the problem that ties in with what it is your business offers. You shouldn’t make the link between the solution and your product/service too deliberate, though – the primary aim here is to show your business to be well-meaning and helpful. Opportunities to push your product/service will come later.
Middle of the funnel (consideration): Explainer videos
Once people feel they’ve got a handle on how to solve their problem, they’ll go in search for solutions. Explainer videos are your chance to show off your product or service in all its glory, explaining how exactly it can solve the problems your customers have come to solve. Funnily enough, brands usually have no problems with creating these…
For an explainer video to be most effective, it needs to showcase your brand in an engaging way, as well as explain the benefits of your specific solution. You need to get your audience to buy into your brand as much as they do your product or service.
Bottom of the funnel (decision): Demonstrational videos
Once potential customers get to the decision stage, they begin to weigh up which of the solutions they have seen will best solve their problem. The good news is your product or service is in the mix, but now you’ve got to go the extra mile to convince people that what you can offer is better than the rest.
Demonstrational videos allow you to showcase exactly how your product or service is superior. You don’t have to scrimp on time so much either – a demo video can be ten times as long as an explainer video, with the viewer setting aside more time to get to grips with the individual solutions. However, efforts need to be made to ensure the demo video is not a snorefest.
In fact, that’s something that applies to every video that you make. While video is now very much the preferred format of content, that won’t count for much if your videos don’t engage the viewer. Each one must have a killer script, eye-grabbing visuals and a helpful message. If it falls short, all those impressive-sounding video marketing stats will prove a complete mystery.