Video is expected to account for nearly 75% of all web traffic in 2017, according to a study cited by HubSpot. As mobile broadband speeds improve and devices become faster, more and more Internet users will watch online videos. Of course, this means a powerful new marketing channel for business owners. By using video, business owners can reach their target audience while subsequently promoting their products and services.
Not all video marketing campaigns are focused around sales, however. Some are designed to generate leads. Even if a viewer doesn’t buy the advertised product or service after watching a video, he or she may still express desire in that product or service. The business behind the video can then capture that viewer as a lead, “nurturing” him or her through the sales cycle. So, if you’re interested in generating leads for your business with video marketing, keep reading.
Does Video Marketing Really Deliver Leads?
As with all marketing channels, there’s no guarantee that video will generate leads. Some businesses take the wrong approach when using video for this purpose, resulting in few-to-no leads generated. Assuming you take the right approach, however, this shouldn’t be a problem.
According to an Aberdeen study cited by OptinMonster, video marketers generate 66% more qualified leads than their marketing counterparts who don’t use video. Furthermore, a separate survey found that 92% of business-to-business (B2B) rank video as being their most demanded content. Statistics such as these reinforce the power of video for lead generation. Regardless of what your business sells, you can attract more qualified leads using video.
Choose a Video Type
The first step in using video to generate leads is to decide what type of video you want to create. If you’re trying to generate leads for a product, for instance, you may want to create an explainer video about the product and how it works. Alternatively, you can make a advertorial video that directly promotes your business’ product or service.
Another idea is to make a documentary-style video that provides a behind-the-scenes look into your business’s operations. This is a less invasive form of advertising that usually generates a strong response with the audience.
Edit with Call to Action
Always remember to include a call to action (CTA) in your video, preferably as a text or graphics overlay. You can still have talent speak the CTA, such as “contact us today to learn more” or “visit our website to sign up.” However, you have to remember that many users watch online videos without sound. And if the sound is turned off, they won’t be able to hear your CTA.
You can increase the lead generation power of your marketing videos by including a text or graphics CTA. Editing your videos to include this CTA ensures that viewers will see the message, resulting in more leads and inquires.
YouTube Overlays
If you plan on uploading your video to YouTube (hint: you should), you can take advantage of the platform’s CTA overlay feature. Basically, it allows publishers to include a clickable message in their video. Unlike a typical overlay, users can actually click this message to visit the respective website. CTA overlays are a part of YouTube’s advertising program, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to pay for them. As long as you have a Google AdWords account, you can create and use them for free.
To learn more about interactive YouTube videos and how to make them, check out this Google help article.
Lead Generation Tracking
Don’t forget to track the number of leads generated through your video marketing efforts. Unfortunately, many marketers overlook this step. As a result, they don’t know which channels and platforms deliver leads and which ones don’t. The bottom line is that you need some type of tracking system to determine which leads come from video.
A simple solution is to look at the referral traffic on your lead page. If you are sending users to a newsletter signup page on your website, for instance, you should track the referring page from which visitors came. This will allow you to see which leads came from YouTube or other video-sharing platforms.
Promote Your Videos
Finally, you should promote your videos to boost exposure and visibility. The more people who see your video, the more leads it will generate.
You can promote your videos in several ways, one of which is by sharing them on social media. If you have a strong following on Facebook or Twitter, for instance, publishing a link to your video will help funnel some of that traffic towards your video marketing campaign. Another idea is to embed your videos on other websites and properties. You’ll generally need admin access to the website on which you want to embed your video, however. Once embedded, visitors can watch the video without leaving the site.
