Over half of all businesses (68%) report struggling with lead generation. The reason is apparent: in a world where internet users are constantly bombarded with marketing pitches daily, they’ve become pickier about a business worth their time and subscription.
Also, those old-school methods where marketers brag about their unique selling points and ask their audience to join their email lists no longer work. The key is to provide something they can’t resist giving their email address and contact information for trade.
One of the most high-performing content for generating leads is videos.
But, no videos are created the same. It takes so much more than creating a lead-generation video, uploading it to social media, and crossing your fingers– hoping that prospects will find it and convert themselves into leads.
We’ll discuss leveraging videos and making these engaging content formats a robust lead-generation tool.
From TikTok to YouTube Shorts, videos are dominating the internet. At least 92.8% of internet users worldwide watch digital videos each week. Now the question is, why does everyone (including your prospects) love videos?
Video content can grab viewers’ attention quickly and hold it for a more extended time. With the rise of social media and mobile devices, people’s attention spans have shortened, and capturing their attention has become increasingly difficult.
The video format can overcome this challenge by providing a visually engaging and dynamic experience that can attract viewers’ attention and keep them engaged.
Videos can demonstrate the features and benefits of a product in a way that other formats cannot. For example, an instructional video can show a product’s use, while a product demonstration video can showcase its unique features and benefits.
This can help potential prospects better understand the product and its value. You get their questions answered, which can increase their likelihood of converting into leads.
Video content has the power to evoke emotions and create a deeper connection between the brand and the audience. Remember that your prospects expect something that they won’t find anywhere else before they give their contact information to you. This emotional connection can help build trust and credibility with prospects.
For example, a video testimonial from a satisfied customer can create an emotional connection with viewers and encourage them to try the product or service.
Videos are easy to consume and can be watched on any device, anywhere, and anytime. This makes it an effective way to reach prospects of all ages and backgrounds.
This format helps you make your business more accessible to more people. This translates to more opportunities to reach out to more prospects.
Videos are highly shareable, which can help increase brand awareness and reach a wider audience. When a video is shared, it can go viral quickly and reach millions of people in a short period of time.
This can help increase brand recognition, engagement, and loyalty. Moreover, videos can also help create a buzz around a product launch, a new feature release, or a special event, generating excitement and interest among prospects.
Understanding the benefits of videos for lead generation is one thing. Making them work as you expected is another. Now that we know how useful including videos in your lead generation campaign is, how can you get the most out of them?
Every video will have different goals. Some will focus on educating, some on connecting, and some on converting. Use your “awareness” or “top-of-funnel” videos for the highest number of leads.
Those are the ones that are designed to introduce you and your product or service to an entirely new audience, such as animated explainer videos or video ads.
You should also ensure that your video is less than two minutes long. The shorter, the better because it can capture viewers’ attention quickly and hold it for the duration of the video.
Gating your video content is one of the most effective ways to generate leads from videos. Gating simply means making your content available only to those who trade their contact information for it.
This way, you can be sure that only those who are interested in your product or service will watch your video. In other words, you’ll get high-quality leads that are more likely to convert into customers.
There are two main types of gated content: lead capture forms and landing pages. Lead capture forms are typically embedded in the video while landing pages are separate pages your viewers are redirected to after watching the video.
Both types of gated content can be effective for lead generation. However, lead capture forms are more effective because they allow you to capture leads without interrupting the viewing experience.
When creating gated content, it’s essential to keep two things in mind:
If you want to generate leads from your video, you need to include a lead capture form. The best way to do this is to add the video to a landing page with a form.
A landing page is a standalone web page that is designed for one specific purpose: conversion. This means that the page must be created with conversion in mind, and it should only include elements that are necessary for conversion.
This is a no-brainer but often overlooked. An engaging video thumbnail can make a big difference in your lead generation campaign. The thumbnail is the first thing viewers see when they come across your video, so making a good impression is essential.
Your video thumbnail is like a mini-advertisement for your video content. It appears in the search results and on social media, so it’s important to make sure that it’s eye-catching and engaging in convincing people to watch your video.
A call-to-action is a short, specific message telling viewers what to do next. It can be as simple as “subscribe now” or “watch the video.” A well-designed CTA can increase conversions by up to 202%.
There are many different types of CTAs, but the most common ones for video subscribe buttons and links to landing pages. Subscribe buttons are typically used on platforms like YouTube, while links to landing pages are used on other websites and social media.
When adding a CTA to your video, there are a few things to keep in mind:
If you want your videos to be seen by as many people as possible, you need to optimize them for search engines. This means using the right keywords and tags so that your videos appear in the search results when people seek information about your product or service.
Here’s a quick list of well-optimized videos for SEO:
When optimizing your video for SEO, it’s important to remember that each platform has its unique algorithm. This means that what works on one platform might not work on another.
For example, Facebook and YouTube are the two most popular social media platforms for videos. But they have different algorithms, so something other than what works on Facebook might work on YouTube.
You can have the most engaging video, but if your headline and copy don’t match its quality, it won’t take you anywhere. That’s why it’s important to complement your videos with catchy copy that accurately describes the content.
Your headline should be attention-grabbing and accurate. It should describe the video content in a manageable amount of length. The body copy should be concise and to the point. It should explain what the video is about and why it can be helpful for your prospects.
While lead-generation videos can be a powerful tool for attracting and converting prospects, some common mistakes can negatively impact their effectiveness.
Here are some common lead-generation video mistakes to avoid:
Never gate all your videos. You want to ensure you’re providing value upfront so that people are more likely to watch your gated content. You also need to ensure that every field in your contact form is essential. Otherwise, you’ll lose leads because the length of the form will turn people off.
On the other hand, make sure to ask for enough information. The whole point of lead generation is to get qualified leads that you can convert into paying customers. So, make sure that you’re asking for enough information to qualify your leads.
While showcasing your products or services in your video is vital, you should avoid making the video too focused on your business. Instead, focus on providing value to your prospects by addressing their pain points and needs.
A video that comes across as too salesy can be a turn-off for prospects and decrease the likelihood of conversion. Instead, focus on providing valuable information and solutions that can help them.
TikTok-style videos are great for engagement, where you can shoot the video using a smartphone and maybe give a quick edit using a straightforward app. But they aren’t so great when you want to use them as a lead-generation tool.
Prospects can quickly see the difference between a high-quality, professional video and an amateur one. The last thing you want is to give off the impression that your business is unprofessional. This can make it challenging to build trust and credibility with prospects.
If you want your videos to be compelling, you need to make sure that you invest in high-quality and professional videos. This means using HD cameras and robust video editing software. It also means working with a professional video production company if you don’t have the budget or the skills to produce videos yourself.
Attracting new leads is crucial, but no matter how many leads you generate, they won’t be able to convert into customers if you don’t have a system in place to nurture them.
Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with prospects and providing them with the information they need at each stage of their buyer’s journey. This way, you can slowly guide them through the sales funnel until they’re ready to make a purchase.
To effectively nurture your leads, you need to have a lead management system in place. This is software that helps you keep track of your leads and their interactions with your brand. It also allows you to segment your leads to personalize your communication with them.
Lead management systems can be complex, but many simple and user-friendly options, such as Salesforce CRM, are available.
Generating leads with videos is only half the battle. The other half is measuring the results of your efforts so that you can determine what’s working and what’s not.
There are many different metrics that you can track, but some of the most important ones are leads generated, conversion rate, and cost per lead. These metrics will help you understand the effectiveness of your lead generation campaign and make necessary changes to improve your results.
Videos are a powerful lead-generation tool, but they must be done correctly. Getting them wrong will cost you big bucks and even hurt your brand image. By following the tips in this guide, you can create high-performing videos that will help you generate more leads and convert them into customers.
