Targeted Video Marketing Content: Giving your customers what they need
Before diving straight into targeted video content, let’s start at the beginning. So if you are selling your products and services online, there is a good chance that you’re familiar with the 5 stages of the Customer Buying Cycle. These five steps describe the process a customer goes through when they buy a product or service:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Preference
- Purchase
- Repurchase
You can find many blogs online on the importance of targeted content for each stage. And when it comes to content, we can not ignore the power of video marketing. Targeted video content is especially key in the first three stages before the actual purchase. In this blog you’ll find some pointers for when you’re looking to create targeted video content that matches the buying cycle.
Awareness
How does a potential customer become aware of your business, product or service? The power of Social Media is incredible in this context. In fact, because of its great power and abundance, you have to make sure your video doesn’t get lost in the enormous amount of content released every day.
The first thing to consider when producing social media videos is the audio. Or actually the lack of audio. When scrolling through a Twitter feed, Facebook timeline or Instagram page, the audience has make the conscience decision to turn the sound on. So when you’re creating your social media videos, be critical and watch it a few times without the sound on. Is it catchy enough? Do you use strong visual imagery to tell a story without relying on audio? Is there an incentive for audience to stop scrolling and turn on the audio?
The second key element that you have to consider is the length of the video. Instagram for instance doesn’t allow videos longer than a minute. The videos on social media are made to create awareness, not to present the entire product pitch. It should just be enough to tease your audience to visit your website. That is where you’ve got more control over the way you present your products or service. If you’re paying for Facebook advertising, you want to get your money’s worth right?
Consideration
A homepage video is the ideal video content for this stage of the buying cycle. To illustrate this, homepage videos can increase conversion rates by 80%. They’re powerful and bring a whole new dynamic experience to your website.
There is one big message I want you to remember when you are thinking about creating your homepage video. Ready for it? It is not about you! Your video is not about you. Your video should reflect real value for your customers.
Let’s say that you grow and sell tomatoes. What would your customers value most in a video. Do they want to hear you talk about how your have been growing tomatoes for the last 10 years or do they want amazing footage of tasty tomatoes and people enjoying eating them. Context is everything if you’re aiming to create targeted video content. So show your audience what they could be having and leave them wanting more. Market research is key in understanding what the audience actually wants to see.
Preference
In this stage of the Customer Buying Cycle the prospect develops a logical and or emotional inclination towards a particular solution. A testimonial video helps to convince the customer to choose yours.
Just like the homepage video, this iteration should not be about you. It should revolve around your existing customer and their experience with your product or service. A great tip here is to provide enough context in the video.
I’ll give you an example in a B2B context. Let’s say you manufacture bakery equipment to sell to bakeries and your latest product has improved the quality of the bakes. Your testimonial video could feature a statement from your customer, supported by footage of your customer actually interacting with your equipment. And don’t forget to include footage of happy people eating the bakes. This additional footage provides context to your audience. It helps them understand why they need your solution too.
To Summarise
On balance, video marketing is powerful but it can be daunting and expensive. So if you have a clear idea on the type of video you need and for which stage of the customer buying cycle you plan to use it, you can create more focussed content. Targeted video content that is actually useful and helpful for your audience. And that is what ultimately will drive sales.
This blog is a repost of an earlier blog that I’ve written for our friends at Apex eCommerce. Feel free to check them out. They’re incredibly talented people! -> https://apex-ecommerce.co.uk/
