How to Use Videos to Get More Sales and Leads

Video has steadily grown in popularity with both marketers and consumers. The pandemic boosted video watching even more. Videos are used in multiple ways—all of which lead to growing your bottom line.

Wyzowl Reported

Wyzowl recently released the results of their annual State of Video Marketing survey. They’ve been putting these out every year since 2015. They interview both marketers and consumers to get the full picture.

Here are their top findings this year: 

• Video is a top priority for marketers, and they plan on spending more money and using more video this year.
• Marketers and consumers agreed on the value of videos. But the budget wasn’t always there in 2020. Projects were delayed or canceled.
• In large part, due to the pandemic, people are watching even more videos.
• 86% of businesses now use some form of video.
• 87% of video marketers feel that it gave them a positive ROI. This is more than double the number that felt that way back in 2015.
• More than 80% of the marketers who responded felt video has a direct positive impact on sales.
• 84% reported videos were an effective tool for lead generation.
• A striking 94% found videos helped consumers better understand their product.

The pandemic isolation heavily impacted consumers and they turned to online channels for information, and video was their top choice to learn about products or services.

Marketers found It helped their businesses gain brand awareness, educate consumers and increase sales. 

The trend to market with more videos is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future.  

The trend to video is important for every brand.

I’ve watched and sometimes resisted the video trend as it wasn’t my personal favorite way to gain information. However, I have seen its power and effectiveness. It’s something I definitely bring up in client discussions.  

What I’ve observed is that videos don’t need to be even 30 thirty minutes long. People like to learn in short quick to digest snippets. Length needs to be long enough to achieve the goal—but short enough to maintain interest. Inspirations are less than a minute. Showing how to do something may take several minutes. It depends on what you need the individual video to do.

One thing all videos need is the right person sharing the right message to the right audience.  

Here’s a key tip

Your website might be where you think you want to showcase your videos, but it’s important to post them where your prospect spends their time. The two most popular social channels are Facebook and YouTube. The key difference is the search capability of YouTube. 

And like all other social marketing, keep them fresh and relevant. Something four years old as the most recent video may still be relevant, but it certainly isn’t fresh.

Three types of effective videos

There are multiple ways to put the power of videos to work for your brand. Each type has its own specific goals, and all are effective.

Explainer videos

This type of video helps the prospect understand how a product works, how to use it, or make a complex topic easier to understand. They are information-focused—content versus sales copy. 

Need to know the best way to build, repair or use something? There are videos for that. Just like everything else, some do a better job than others.  

Because of the visual component, videos are easier to learn from than a set of instructions…especially if the instructions are not well written.

Check out Martha Stewart’s video on how to fold a fitted sheet. Real people showing how to do something that frustrates many. Cooking videos abound. Whether the topic is fashion, beauty, home tasks, or marketing, the value is the same.

Explainer people that feature people should come across as live and natural, not tightly scripted or stilted. 

Sales videos

These videos tend to run longer to achieve their goal. Keep in mind that the longer it runs, the higher the drop-off can be. 

It is a challenge to keep them watching for 20, 30 minutes, or longer. 

While there are some highly successful longer videos, they require a level of commitment by the viewer. They also are enhanced with a well-trained copywriter.

Sales videos, like their predecessor long-form sales copy, help the viewer along the buyer’s journey. They explain a problem and show how to solve it. 

We enjoy the act of buying. We hate to be sold to. That makes the selling process longer and be somewhat complex. 

Want to sell something in a video? I recommend you work with a professional persuasion-trained copywriter to get the maximum results.

Webinars

The popularity of webinars as a form of video marketing emerged during the pandemic. We couldn’t get together, so we went online. Marketers reported them a huge success. At the same time, 46% of marketers used them in 2020; now, 62% plan on incorporating them.   

Live they engage well with the audience. Recorded, they allow people to watch again or at a more convenient time.  

Webinars are useful for online training, individually or as a course. Often there are multiple parts to the course. They can teach something new or act as support training, answering questions, and interaction with students. 

A research content webinar offers the viewers value while they interact with the presenter. Make use of the webinar platform tools, and you can gather data on new trends or insights. Be interactive and ask questions. What you learn from the audience you can use to create new content or products. The things they want or need.

Most webinars aren’t difficult to create. Follow best practices in topic selection. Then determine your format and prepare your content. Then you’re ready to practice, schedule, and promote the webinar. Afterward, evaluate your data and follow up with your audience.

Full report available here: https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/

Looking to increase lifetime buyer value, build sales, and more engagement? Let’s have a quick chat. You can message me: Judith@jcpwellnesscopy.com.