Tips for using video at each stage of the funnel

Using video as part of a marketing campaign is a fun and innovative way of extending marketing and create social assets.

Correctly used, video can improve reach and content efficiency for businesses. Many successful businesses spend time building their comprehensive marketing funnels– with the goal of attracting prospective customers and keeping them moving down the funnel at each stage, using different types of content at each stage. These start at creating initial awareness of the brand and follow on until a purchase is made. Thinking about video production costs should be in an initial business plan as a video is an incredible marketing tool to reach a large number of consumers- using social media and advertising. 

Putting the right video in front of the right prospectives at the right time requires good understanding of the potential customers and the types of video that work best at each stage of the funnel. 

What is a marketing funnel?

When you think of a funnel, you think of an object that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding fluids into a small opening. A marketing funnel’s role is to comprehensively guide a customer all the way through the buyer journey– from inquiry to purchase. 

Potential clients, or leads, pour into the funnel, with a smaller number coming out of the end, having made their purchase. This could start with over 1000 at the top of the funnel, with decreasing numbers coming out of the bottom, with maybe 10 customers eventually buying into the product or service. 

Why use a funnel?

Being able to clearly understand what you want your prospects to do next is the main purpose of setting up a funnel. By understanding the next stages, it’s much easier to support leads into the next stages. It’s important to keep the end goal in mind, as a funnel can be a long and complex thing. 

From the very top of the sales funnel, to right near the end of it many marketers say that this method has helped to increase traffic. 

In order to develop video marketing strategies, you have to gain information about buyer decision making, buyer behaviour, and other customers–all while prospects get to know your company, building trust and potential exclusivity for your business’ provisions.

The funnel creates stages that are logical behind the buying process. It is important to get to know how to engage people at all of these stages, which can be done through the use of analytics. This, in turn, will enhance marketing activities at each stage. 

The intentional, deliberate process behind achieving a defined goal will cut out the guesswork behind any marketing campaign.

Any successful business knows that success is based on customer loyalty which is based on trust. Once a customer has bought a product once, it is likely that they will return. 

Stages of the marketing funnel and use of video at each stage

When the understanding of why a funnel should be used has been established, it’s important to fully invest in understanding what each stage is–and to establish the type of video marketing tools that can be used at each stage. 

Awareness

With the goal of showing a prospective customer the value of the product or service they are being offered in order to address a need. You need to offer a solution to a problem that is being researched.

A video should be educational and informative, as well as professional. 

Create and protect your brand- make it clear to prospects who you are, what you do and the values of the organisation. For example, your product is olive oil and a potential consumer is looking for a new brand of oil that uses reasonably sourced olives.

Brand value videos

Create fun content which showcases company culture, highlighting what they really care about, and why they do what they do-make it relatable to prospects by giving a sense that their values are shared. The idea here is not to go for the hard- sell approach.

This is the stage where you will need to create the largest amount of viewer traffic. Using view counts will help to establish how many people it has reached. 

Consideration

By now, prospective customers have a clear idea of the problem, and will want to analyse all of the alternative options available to address the issue. This is where the brand is being introduced. This is targeted content. You still don’t want to push sales at this point, but to aim for a combination of practical solutions and proof.

Prospects will know of the organisation, but will want to know more. Video is a perfect way to empower people to make decisions. 

For example, using a ‘How-To’ video will softly sell a product or service, if using your product as a solution to a consumer issue. 

For example, a particular brand of food being used within a cooking demonstration video, with subtle phrasing such as ‘this olive oil infused with garlic is an easy way to add depth to this dish, it’s so delicious, even as a simple dip for bread’. 

Conversion

When their mind has been made up that your product is the solution to the problem.

Here is where you use video to talk about the benefits of the product in hand. Here, videos should answer the questions prospective customers have about the product or service, making them feel comfortable about the ability to meet their needs.

FAQ videos should answer any of the remaining questions that prospective customer may have, but also allow space for them to contact a company directly. 

Loyalty and advocacy

Where you continue to build trust with clients, and where they reach the stage of telling others about your brand. This is where you continue to offer exceptional customer service.

Life hacks videos

Share tips and tricks for customers making them feel as though they have exclusive knowledge, this could also include introducing new products on offer too, increasing brand loyalty.