Being powerful persuasion tools, videos exhibit the potential to shorten sales cycle. With the sales cycle shortened, the touchpoints at which you meet your audience, are reduced and the efforts also minimised.  Additionally, the need to rely on salesy techniques goes out of the picture.

Once you have created a video, its ability to sell more is largely dependant on the practices being followed.

Here we have listed 4 such ways in which videos can help you sell more, on a budget:

  • Incorporate videos in email marketing to attract leads

Video in email can increase CTR by 200-300% and also reduce the “unsubscribe” rate by 75%.

Email marketing, on its own, is a very effective marketing technique; when combined with video marketing, it becomes even more powerful because videos are more likely to engage the viewer quickly as compared to other forms of content.

When it comes to using videos in emails, the options are many. You can use anything from customer testimonials to product description videos.

In terms of ROI, it is important to note that email marketing outperforms all other marketing channels. The average return is $44 for every dollar that is spent.

Additionally, adding a video to your email comes at zero extra cost. You can either embed your video directly or use video link to take the viewer to the website where he can watch the video.

The combination of video and email yields great marketing results.

NotifyFox, for example, used this explainer video in their cold email marketing to achieve an open rate of 40%.

Key Takeaway:

When taking the video route in your email campaigns, be sure to first lay down your objective. For your video to sell more, the embedding option is not the best idea since it doesn’t take user to the website.

  • Put an explainer video on your landing page to boost conversions

A video placed on the landing page has the potential to increase conversions by as much as 80% which means that they create space for more sales.

Since your website’s landing page is the first element of user experience, it makes sense to use videos to optimise the landing page for better engagement.

By eliminating the dependence on text for brand introduction and bringing a more appealing content format (video) into the picture, you can shorten the sales cycle and thereby trigger more purchases.

The effectiveness of videos on landing pages is largely governed by two things: design aesthetics and video content. In terms of design, the size of video and the thumbnail take a key role. Video content optimisation, on the other hand, depends on a number of things: video quality, audio etc.

Key Takeaway:

Video can sell more when placed directly on the website where user interaction is of utmost significance. So optimise this opportunity by focusing on design details as well as content.

  • Use live video on social platforms to positively influence the purchase decision

Live videos not only create the space for online sales, they are also effective in boosting offline conversions.

Various businesses are relying more and more on live formats to showcase their product launch, events, conferences; allowing their audience to take part, virtually. This drives sales because it helps create trust through visual demonstrations.

In fact, live videos can be used simply to celebrate the holiday mood or simple monthly themes. Like Dunkin Donuts creates the right mood for Valentine’s in this live video:

Additionally, these live videos inform users about specific business events that they might not be aware of. This is quite beneficial for brands that operate in the B2B sector.

Key Takeaway:

Social video consumption is on the rise. In such a scenario, it is best to make your video strategy social proof to increase sales. Go live, take your audience behind the stage, give them live footage of special events.

  • Use video calling to solve customer queries

When you create a product/service to address a particular pain point, it makes sense that your customer will have queries. And sometimes these queries may demand more attention than a FAQ space on your site.

Like in a scenario where user gets stuck at a point while navigating your app, video calling be a great way to help your customer find a way. Again, this is extremely useful for B2B sphere; SaaS companies often rely on these techniques to guide their users. And it can be extremely helpful during product trials. Skype can be a good option here.

Key Takeaway:

Video calling improves user experience and helps in building trust which creates a positive purchase effect. Such strategies pave way for great feedback which, in return, creates space for more sales.

Conclusion

Video is one such content format which isn’t restricted to a specific stage of the buyer’s journey. You can use it to attract leads (explainer videos), move them to the evaluation stage (tutorials, how-to’s) and then to create delight (video calling) after the purchase has been made.

Strategies like social video, landing page videos boost purchases without requiring huge investment. Shareable social videos increase your reach, landing page videos reduce the brand introduction time, video calling that addresses user queries creates trust; together, all these things help videos sell more.

Deepasha Kakkar

Deepasha is a visual marketer, founder of Crackitt, and consumer behaviour aficionado. She helps businesses & organisations hone their identities, craft their brands, and share their truths using beautiful handmade animated videos and compelling infographics. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

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