Explainer Video for Every Stage of Your Marketing Funnel
We all know explainer videos work in many different ways. They can help your brand be more recognizable, increase the traffic to your website, and boost your sales. But although an explainer video might have a lot of uses, it is most effective when it is created for a specific stage of your marketing funnel. This makes the video more targeted, which increases the chances of impacting the perfect audience at the right time and turn them into buyers.
What is a marketing funnel?
A marketing funnel is the steps people need to go through to become clients of a business. It can also be called a sales or a buyer funnel because it is related to the path a company leads you on to turn you into a paying customer. However, when it comes to explainer videos, the term marketing funnel seems more appropriate. It is called a funnel because the further you go, the more targeted and narrow your audience gets.
Stages of the marketing funnel
The stages of the marketing funnel differ slightly, depending on the type of business, the marketing strategy, and the expert you ask, but the main ones are:
Top of the funnel: discovery and awareness.
This is where the general public learns about what you do and becomes aware of your brand
Middle of the funnel: interest and consideration.
This is where you educate the public on your solution and spark their interest in the product or service you offer.
Bottom of the funnel: decision and conversion
At this stage, your audience makes the purchasing decision and becomes a paying customer.
Some versions of the funnel also include the step of retaining customers in an effort to convert them into brand advocates. This stage is often neglected by companies, but the effect of catering to your loyal clients can sometimes be even bigger than the one of going after new ones.
The role of video in a marketing funnel
If you’re serious about building a successful marketing strategy and wish to see your investments go into the advertising tools with the highest ROI, you should consider tailoring a video for each stage of your funnel. In other words, you need to design a funnel for your video marketing. Most companies make the mistake of creating one video in the hope that it will serve their entire marketing funnel – from the awareness to the conversion stage. But instead of hitting many birds with one stone, the practice usually results in poor video performance and low ROI. So to increase your chances of engaging the right audience at the right time, you need to create a video for just one of the three funnel stages.
Explainers for the top of the video marketing funnel
At this stage, your video needs to increase the awareness of your business and make sure people know your brand and what you’re selling. Remember that you only have one chance to make a good first impression, so make sure you know exactly what will make your company and product stand out. Write down the initial questions your target audience might have and craft your video around providing straightforward answers. Types of videos you might want to create are:
Quintessential explainers explain a complex idea, which is related to your business or industry. Don’t force your brand, just hint at it naturally at the end of the video. Remember that the main purpose here is to explain something to your viewers, not to advertise your business directly.
Educational videos help your audience learn something new about your industry or market, while briefly hinting at your company. Focus on delivering knowledge to your audience in an engaging and entertaining way, rather than bombarding them with sales pitches.
Business/company videos briefly introduce your company, your core values, and your mission. Present a high-level overview of what you’re selling and give just enough information to move the viewer down to the next stage of the funnel.
Videos for the middle of the marketing funnel
At this stage, your potential clients consider whether or not to buy your service or product. It’s the video’s job to present more information that will help the buyer’s decision and will lead them towards the direction you want.
Product/service videos – as the name suggests, his types of videos describe what you’re selling. But instead of going into details as to why your product or service is awesome, make sure you let the viewers know how specifically it can help THEM solve THEIR problems. In a nutshell – speak about the user benefits.
Tutorials and guides focus on the user experience and what you do to make buyers feel like they’ve made the right choice. Show how exactly the product or service that you offer can serve the client and be of use to them. Be specific – this will prove you know exactly what is bothering your target audience.
Videos for the bottom of the marketing funnel
This is where the audience makes their decision. Through the power of video, you have to convince them that your company is a perfect choice, that you are reliable, trustworthy and most importantly – you will solve their pain points.
Testimonials – users trust other users the most. So what better way to convince someone to buy something than showing how that something has made the lives of others better? Today, the average viewer is extremely sensitive to fake reviews. That is why you have to gather real testimonials and make them sound authentic.
Case studies – these types of videos showcase the results that you have achieved for another customer. They present statistics and other tangible data that you can use as proof that your product or service works.
Demos – if you’re selling a piece of software, there is no better way to convince people to buy it than to showcase how it works. People feel more familiar with digital products that they’ve seen in the past and are more likely to buy them if they know what they look like. So, for the final stage of your marketing funnel, why not simply show a demo.
Bonus Stage: Brand Advocates
This stage is not often included in the video marketing funnel, but I believe it is extremely important. Great sellers know that the sale doesn’t end once you get the money. On the contrary, your biggest allies in the quest for increasing conversions are your existing clients. A video showing new features of your product, or asking for their feedback can make your existing customers feel valued. This will transform them into returning clients, inspire them to recommend your company and advocate for your brand.
Knowing your audience and its segments is essential for every stage of your video marketing funnel. You need to know what interests your viewers, what are their pain points, what language speaks to them the most. In fact, making a detailed profile of your buying persona will help with all your video and overall marketing efforts. Most importantly, it will get you quality leads with high buying potential. We have written an eBook to help you get to know your audience and separate it into highly targeted segments to improve your marketing results. You can download it absolutely free of charge and we’ll be happy to get your feedback.
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