While video can be unparalleled when it comes to marketing your brand and demonstrating the features of your product or service, many companies overlook its usefulness in their sales process. Let's take a deeper dive into how video can help you increase sales and improve conversions.
According to Psychology Today, "humans associate the same personality traits to brands as they do with people."
What does that mean? Considering the fact that (when we actually want the company of other people) we generally like to spend our time with those who make us feel comfortable, one can also deduce that we associate with brands that also make us feel comfortable.
So how can we make our target consumers feel comfortable while both consciously and subconsciously pressing the buttons that spark their motivation to purchase?
First, we meet them in the middle – we give them the right content – when they want it, where they want it, and in the format, they want it in. When you don’t provide upfront value and give prospects the exact content they’re looking for, they can just as easily find a competitor that will. Content helps you increase brand awareness, establish credibility, and nurture leads into prospects and prospects into customers.
It’s no secret that video represents the latest digital content frontier. 74% of those who aren’t currently marketing with video say they expect to start in 2019 – compared to 34% in 2017. As the space fills with more noise, the need for GREAT video content is on the rise.
Video is useful for more than just nurturing relationships and increasing brand awareness, though. In fact, video on landing pages is capable of increasing conversion rates by 80%, and the mere mention of the word “video” in your email subject line increases open rates by 19%. 90% of customers also say videos help them make buying decisions.
In comparison to more traditional methods of communication, like phone calls and emails, video allows you to convey the entire spectrum of communication – body language and all.
You can convey emotion visually, rather than just vocally or in words, which gives a salesperson more power by allowing you to appeal to the feelings and emotions people have when they are searching for a solution to their problem.
In terms of cold outreach, leveraging videos allows salespeople to add a face to their name, which aids in relationship and trust-building – both keys to strengthening brand loyalty and creating a positive experience for consumers.
Plain and simple, videos are more engaging than emails or phone calls. Videos can make a person feel positive emotions far more effectively than a phone call or email can, that's for sure.
Spark curiosity by appealing to your audience's desire to fill the gap between what they know and what they want to know
Put simply, videos are easier to digest. As an added bonus, videos allow you to add simple graphics and visuals to your pitch, which are great for conveying a lot of information in a short amount of time.
Telling a story allows you to place your own experiences and ideas in another person's mind, making them feel what you felt. In other words, you can empathize on a deeper level. You can tell the story of another customer who had similar problems and how your product or service helped fix them. This can be achieved by literally telling the story or by depicting it through graphics and infographics.
You don't want your videos to inspire fear or for that matter, any negative emotions. Rather, you want to convey empathy by using warmer emotions, such as happiness, hope, or excitement. Show the excitement of another customer you've helped, or inspire them to actively find a solution to their problem by directing them to the appropriate awareness or consideration content.
Trust doesn't just happen. It needs to be built, especially when consumers grow more and more skeptical of brands they haven't heard of. How can you build trust?
Bring in outside sources that have their own credibility. As new content formats (e.g., podcasts) gain popularity, building credibility is easier than ever. The nice thing about podcasts is their ability to be consumed via audio-only or by video. If you don’t have the means to record a video podcast or interview, record the audio!
For additional credibility, become a subject matter expert and industry leader by attending trade shows and conventions, participating in online discussions, engaging your audience and promoting your brand on social media (when appropriate), and utilizing the right marketing strategies to accomplish your goals.
Need help leveraging video in your sales process? Want to learn about other useful and exciting sales and marketing tools that can help your company grow? Start a conversation with Tobe Agency today.