We live in a world where people are time-starved.
Most digital-first consumers no longer have the patience to read through long-form content, like blogs or articles. Instead, they crave short, engaging videos to give them the information they need.
Brands like yours that keep up with digital consumers know this. So, you spend your time and resources creating video content with the intent to generate qualified marketing leads (MQLs) to pass to your sales team. Only to find that interest in your videos fades quickly. This can be frustrating. Whether your brand is global or local, nobody wants their marketing resources to go to waste.
But remember, video marketing is a proven strategy that has the power to influence sales in a significant way. According to Wyzowl, 86% of marketers say video helped them generate leads, and 81% say video helped them directly increase sales.
You already know video content is more engaging, digestible and effective for marketing than text-based content. But the key to successful video marketing is knowing what type of video to use and how and where to use it to reap its benefits.
Authentic video is your brand’s missing piece to drive sales and generate qualified leads.
Why Use Authentic Video to Drive Sales and Generate Leads?
Authentic videos created by real people, customers and staff, are the secret sauce to building personal connections with your customers because they’re trustworthy. For example, UGC video reviews showcase genuine social proof consumers can trust. When you give your customers unfiltered, raw and authentic content, there’s a greater chance they’ll feel a connection with your brand. When you build relationships, consumers will feel more inclined to engage with your content and even make a purchase. After all, 89% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
But, as you might’ve found with your current video marketing strategy, it’s not enough to simply produce video content, whether authentic or not. You have to use it strategically to generate qualified MQLs you can pass to your sales team.
Here’s How to Use Authentic Video to Drive Sales and Generate Better Leads:
Feature Real People in Your Videos
We talked about why you need authentic video for lead generation; now, let’s explore how to use it. User-generated content (UGC) is an excellent example of authentic video your brand can use to drive sales. 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchase decisions.
It’s not hard to believe that people are more inclined to trust someone who isn’t trying to sell them. That’s why UGC is so influential. Authentic UGC does an excellent job of catching attention and triggering an emotional response in viewers. That emotional response is what your brand needs to hook your consumers in and get them interested in your content.
Brands that use UGC tend to see higher conversion rates, amplify engagement, and build better customer relationships. So why wouldn’t you use UGC in your video marketing strategy?
The first step to getting started is asking your customers to create videos about their experiences with your brand. A great way to do this is by collecting UGC with email.
Publish UGC Videos on Your Website
You’ve asked your customers to record reviews and testimonial videos about your brand. Now comes the strategic part of video creation. To reap the full benefits of your video content and drive sales, you need to place your videos where people will see them – like your website.
When prospective customers browse through your site, it’s natural they’ll have questions about your products and services. With video, you have the power to answer their questions immediately.
For example, publishing explainer videos on your homepage eliminates the need for consumers to navigate your site to learn more about your products. Instead, you’re giving them what they want upfront. This makes for an excellent digital customer experience. Not to mention, it helps the customers learn about your product faster. They’ll make their way through the customer journey quicker and be more likely to convert.
Add Video to a Landing Page
Once you’ve got consumers on your site, you can use video to get them into your sales funnel. One of the best ways to do this is using video as a supporting call to action to drive sales.
Video is undeniably more entertaining and engaging than text-based content, which is why it’s also more effective at boosting engagement and conversion rates. Adding video to a landing page with a form can drastically improve the chances consumers will hand over their contact information. In fact, video on a landing page can increase conversions by 86%!
When you use videos that introduce the topic at hand, you’re simultaneously building a more emotional connection with viewers that can influence them to take your desired action.
Create Video Blogs
As a marketer, you should be no stranger to blogging. Writing fresh new blog posts is a foundation of content marketing, and this won’t change. Companies who blog get 67% more leads than those who don’t. However, as we said at this blog’s beginning, consumers are time-starved. 43% of people admit to skimming blog posts.
So, there’s an opportunity to enhance blogs with videos. Adding videos to the top of a blog post, explaining what the blog is about, can help get people interested in the content and drive sales. Use video blogs to grab attention, share key information, and encourage viewers to read the rest of the article. Trust us, it works. At StoryTap, we tested this out for ourselves and saw an 85.13% increase in time average spent on page with blogs that feature video!
Another critical reason your company needs blogs is for SEO. Fresh, relevant content is everything in the SEO world. And so is video. It’s no secret that search engines favour video over text. It’s why video SEO is exploding. So imagine what it could do for your rankings if you add a video to your blog?! Try it for yourself and see your search results soar.
Repurpose on Social Media
To drive sales and better leads, you need to go where your consumers go. Social media is a channel that should never be neglected in your marketing. It’s so easy to post videos to social, especially when you’ve already got the content.
Take your video content to the next level and expand your reach by reposting them to your social channels. Start with popular short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. There is no downside to repurposing video and getting the most out of your content.
All you can do is gain brand awareness, engagement and leads.
Use StoryTap’s Video Platform to Drive Sales & Qualified Leads
Creating video content is the first step to enhancing your digital marketing strategy. But you’ve got to go a step further to drive sales and qualified leads. Authentic video is your missing piece to getting real results and generating MQLs you can pass to your sales team.
StoryTap’s data-driven video platform empowers brands like yours to produce, curate and distribute thousands of authentic videos. Tap into the voice of your real customers and staff to build connections with your consumers and help them along the customer journey. Our video platform is designed to help brands grow revenue. Connect with our team to learn how we can help you drive sales and generate qualified leads with authentic video!
