Video is an ideal medium for communicating — you know that if you read this blog often!
However, choosing the right videos also helps guide a prospect through each stage of the buying process and build loyalty. Over time, they will better understand the scope of your services and know which offering to choose.
But what kind of video should you create? Which types of videos are best suited to each phase of your prospect's buying cycle? To answer that, you need to know your prospects' and buyers' journeys thoroughly and identify the content they seek at each stage.
Here are 8 types of formats to consider for getting views and converting viewers into customers.
Understanding the journey of your prospects and customers
Before knowing which video to place at which stages of your prospects' buying cycle, it's obviously essential to understand that buying cycle well. It's the process your customers go through, from becoming aware of a problem, searching for products or services to solve it, to the final purchase of the chosen product.
Using video in your marketing strategy will help you convert prospects and increase engagement with your brand. Used correctly, video will attract visitors and buyers organically.
If we take a conversion funnel classic example, we find the following three main stages.
1. Top of the funnel: Educate
Educational video
The educational video is the first video internet users should watch. Why? Because this type of content raises their awareness of a problem while giving them the basics about the products or services to use.
Promotion is not the purpose of this video. Its role is to indirectly explain to an audience what they can do to solve an everyday problem or reach a goal.
Generally, this video offers a few tips presented as animation, scenes, or scrolling written advice.
Very short, this video — often under 2 minutes — will encourage the viewer to follow you on social media or sign up for your newsletter to benefit from your useful tips.
Introductory video
You can also have introductory videos that present your brand's values and spirit to prospects. These aren't ads urging the purchase of specific products or services. They are primarily informative as well.
You can have one on your homepage or on the homepage of your YouTube channel. They will quickly explain what your brand is about. It's an opportunity to make a great first impression!
2. Middle of the funnel: Explain
Explainer video
Now aware of their needs, your prospect is ready for an explainer video.
Concretely, you should explain how your solutions will help them solve their problems.
This isn't about direct promotion or boasting about the strengths of your products and services. The goal here is to present a situation a potential customer might face and show the solutions you can offer. Be factual, for example with client case studies.
You can also start from a problem or an objective to lay out the steps for implementing your solution. Prospects will better understand the process required to resolve their pain points.
This type of video will humanize your company, while revealing its values. It's therefore the time to hook the prospect, not only through the performance of your services, but also through your company culture. If you share values similar to theirs, you'll nudge them toward conversion.
Unlike the introductory video, which briefly presents your company, the explainer video goes deeper and explains to people what you do and why they should do business with you.
The explainer video should be both playful and reassuring, providing concrete information while highlighting the quality of the company's service.
Insurer Allianz understood this well:
Product video
It's also the time to showcase your products, thanks to product videos.
This type of video gets straight to the point: it's about convincingly presenting a product or service.
Describe the product's main features and its benefits for the customer (all with polished aesthetics) to earn your prospects' trust and encourage them to buy.
Samsung, for example, is well known for its very polished product videos:
You can have a video showing the use of your product or service or simply a video of the product's or service's features. It's an ideal way to encourage prospects to choose your brand over a competitor's.
The format is freer here, though you must stay dynamic and engaging. Avoid videos longer than 3–4 minutes.
3. End of the funnel: Demonstrate and reassure
Tutorial video
Having reached the end of the funnel, the prospect is aware of the solutions they need to implement. This is the moment when you must persuade them that YOU are the best company to help.
Your customers like learning how to do all kinds of things — DIY is trendy. So it's no surprise that tutorials are very popular content on YouTube and social networks.
If possible, your tutorials should be directly related to the use of your products: for example, it's relevant for a tool manufacturer to make woodworking or construction tutorials.
But nothing prevents you from being more original, like Innocent showing us how to make a watering can from a smoothie bottle:
With the tutorial, you can explain how your products work, different ways to use them, and the goals they can achieve.
The tutorial video should showcase your strengths but also your added value compared to competitors (without naming or disparaging them, of course).
Testimonial videos
At the same time, interviews with your customers and your experts will reassure prospects. The goal is to convince through a powerful message: a customer testimonial allows them to identify and visualize how you can help; an interview with an employee reassures them about your company's level of expertise.
The speaker may answer questions or speak for several minutes about the product or service in question. However, the interview must be free of dead air and energetic to captivate the audience.
Corporate videos
This is also the time to go into even more detail about presenting your company. Corporate videos can let you present your brand by showing a bit more than what you usually show.
A corporate video is a kind of animated equivalent of your site's "About" page.
The goal is to show who is behind your brand, reveal your company culture, the mindset of your employees… Show the behind-the-scenes of your company, interview the CEO, showcase your team… In short, be human and take the opportunity to adopt a more playful tone.
This video format can use live video on social media. These videos help your prospects feel even closer to you.
Social video
A simple post on social media can give you massive visibility and engagement.
But a video specifically designed to be distributed on these platforms can achieve even more impressive results.
Easyvoyage has perfected the art of creating buzz with video:
Don't forget the essentials
Final tip: every video should include a call to action ! At the top of the funnel, encourage users to stay in your orbit (promote your newsletter or your social channels).
In the middle, encourage them to download additional content (white paper, webinar, guide, etc.) to collect their contact details and bring them into your lead nurturing strategy.
Finally, at the last stage, you should prompt them to contact you directly, by booking an appointment or signing up for a free trial.
You now have a clearer idea of the videos to present at each stage of your customer journey. If you are looking for a freelancer to produce them, describe your need on Codeur.com.
