If you’re looking to optimize your conversion rates, you probably already know video marketing is your best bet - both in terms of ROI and speeding up the sales cycle for businesses.
But using videos to increase conversions is not as simple as just uploading any piece to YouTube and waiting for customers to start buying!
In fact, most video marketing professionals agree that an effective strategy hinges on several crucial factors.
In this piece, we’re going to break down some of these elements and explain how you can incorporate them into your strategy to start boosting those conversion rates and getting the most out of your video content!
Optimize Video Placement
Most people would probably assume that social media is the best place to post your videos, but that’s not always the case.
For instance, subscription-based companies can increase their conversion rates by inserting videos on their landing page, while eCommerce businesses can get better results by including them on their product and landing pages.
Video + Landing Page
A landing page is designed to convert visitors into customers, and for it to be effective, you have to deliver your message in a concise way and hook people quickly to keep your bounce rates low.
A video is certainly a great tool for this, making it far more likely for visitors to become customers.
That said, there are still some viewers who prefer a written component to the video, so it would be a good idea to offer a short summary of the video’s key points.
Alternatively, the text can provide further details of the main points presented by the video.
The goal is to visually engage the audience while reducing reading time to keep their attention.
Video + Product Page
A product page, on the other hand, helps customers decide what to buy.
It’s designed to facilitate the buying process by including different features, reviews, product comparisons, and more.
One of the biggest obstacles prospects face when shopping online is that they can’t touch the product or see exactly what it looks like.
Including a video on the product page can help you show them that, as well as how it can be used, what it’s designed to do, and so on.
You can convey complex and valuable information to your visitors in those crucial few minutes when they’re deciding whether to go ahead and make the purchase.
All things considered, your marketing strategy shouldn’t rely solely on social media platforms to increase conversions.
Landing pages and product pages have a great potential to convert visitors into customers, and they always perform better when boosted by video content.
Match the Video Style to Your Goals
There are many types of videos out there, each of them being more or less efficient at accomplishing different marketing objectives.
When it comes to boosting conversion rates, there are three video styles that excel at it:
- Whiteboard animations
- Company culture
- Customer testimonials
Whiteboard Animations
Whiteboard animation videos are an optimal means of breaking down complex information and making it more attractive and easy to digest.
They're useful when you want to describe the features of your product or service on your website or teach potential customers how to use it to solve their particular problems.
You can use whiteboard animations to consistently show your prospects that you can offer a solution for their pain points and convince them that you're the right choice.
Company Culture Videos
Company culture videos can help you showcase the human side of your company; so that prospects won’t think of you as just a faceless corporation.
Doing so can develop strong connections and further their trust in you, encouraging converting behaviors at the same time.
Try to include a couple of videos on your website that describes your company’s values, culture, and background, featuring short spotlights for key members of your team.
Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials provide the social proof that some people require before deciding to make a purchase, as it's the closest thing to a personal recommendation you can find online.
Seeing satisfied clients describing their positive experiences with your business gives your brand credibility and nudges your viewers closer to a shopping decision.
Not every type of video will work to increase conversion rates, and not all of them will follow the same path to accomplish that objective. Make sure that your goals are clear before choosing a style so that you can pick the best suited to achieve them.
Use Lead Capture Forms
Lead capture forms are typically used on landing pages to obtain contact information from your visitors or to get them to sign up for your mailing list in exchange for something of value, like an e-book, discount, or free trial.
When these people become part of your mailing list, they are giving you a clear sign that they're interested in your business and are open to receiving marketing content that eventually converts them into clients.
Now, some of you might be wondering how you can possibly include a lead capture form in a video.
Well, you can actually insert one anywhere in your video and choose whether you want to completely gate your content or just make it optional for viewers to submit their contact info to subscribe for more content.
Don’t Overdo It, Though!
Having said all that, forms can be a double-edged sword that sometimes irritates people, so it’s important to use them well.
You have to make sure that the lead capture form is well integrated within the content and won’t pop up at random intervals that will frustrate your audience.
One option is to add one of these forms to the very beginning of your video, but this will only work if your viewers are already genuinely interested in your offer and content.
A better alternative is to place the form at the end of your video.
Give your prospects a compelling and attractive glimpse of your offer that leaves them wanting to know more, and then ask for their emails in exchange for more related content!
Whichever option you choose, don’t try to add a lead capture form to every video you have.
In this case, quality prevails over quantity.
Select only the content that’s the most compelling and likely to be useful to your visitors.
Inserting a lead capture form into your videos can be quite useful if you want to get prospects’ contact information to start building a relationship with them that could eventually lead to them converting into customers.
Send Personalized Videos to Prospects
If the lead generation forms in your videos have succeeded, you now have the names and email addresses of many prospects who have already shown interest in your company.
Most business owners already have an email marketing strategy in place, so it would be a good idea to start sending personalized video emails to convert those leads into customers.
There are several ways to implement email personalization depending on your objectives, but it basically involves incorporating certain information into the video that’s completely tailored to the intended recipient.
It can be data such as a name, company, or anything that can help you personalize the video to make it unique to each viewer.
Suppose you only have an email address but want to build a relationship with those contacts that have just signed up for your mailing list.
In that case, you can simply start your video using a personal and conversational tone to welcome them and tell them what they stand to gain with their subscription.
When trying to reach out to a specific lead, on the other hand, it would be beneficial to address them directly and refer to their particular situation and concerns to show that you're aware of their needs.
Take advantage of this and tell them how your business can help them as well.
Sending video content through email is very versatile and can help you achieve several goals, such as improving customer experience and connecting with prospects personally, all of which can contribute to converting them into customers.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, using video content to increase conversions for your business is more complex than just creating a video and posting it on your social media.
However, it doesn’t have to be daunting at all!
With all the tips and ideas we’ve included in this article, we hope we have given you some ideas to start strategizing your video plan now.
So get out there, and start making videos your existing and potential customers will love!
We promise you won’t regret it ;)
Victor Blasco is an audiovisual designer, video marketing expert, and founder/CEO of the explainer video production company Yum Yum Videos.
Besides running the business, he’s a lifelong student of Chinese philosophy and a passionate geek for all things sci-fi.
