There’s no doubting the power of video when it’s used strategically in a business’s marketing or sales process.
If, as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth ten times more.
You can write about your process, your materials, or your people, but it will never be as powerful as when you show those things.
At IMPACT, we teach our clients that trust is the central currency of all business interactions. After all, customers only buy from companies they trust.
As such, we should do everything we can to build trust with our audience.
The right video content allows your customers to get to know you and your business. They can start building a relationship with your brand before they ever reach out and enter your sales process.
Unfortunately, when most companies start to invest in video, they come away with videos that are aesthetically pleasing but do very little to actually help a customer get ready to buy. All too often, it’s fluffy content that doesn’t resonate with prospects.
In our work with hundreds of clients across dozens of industries, we’ve developed seven core video categories that are highly effective at building trust and turning viewers into customers.
We call these videos The Selling 7.
They provide an answer to the age-old question: If you're just getting started with video, where should you begin?
Below, I’m going to break down this question so you can be sure you’re putting effort into high-value projects.
We’re going to cover:
- A high-level overview of The Selling 7
- Where to start (and why!)
- What metrics to watch to know your videos are working
Let’s get started so you can begin producing the videos you need.
What are The Selling 7 videos?
The Selling 7 is a strategy that serves as the cure for the common marketing video. Instead of fluffy, self-promotional content, you get buyer-centric, effective videos that help you accomplish your goals.
These seven types of videos are proven to speak to the unique needs of your buyers. Here they are:
The Selling 7
- Employee bio videos introduce your team to your customers. These videos humanize your company and begin to establish trust. Buyers are made to feel more comfortable when they can see a face and hear a voice.
- Landing page videos accompany any form or download to address questions and alleviate fears. If someone is concerned about giving you their information, for example, this video calms them.
- “80%” videos answer the top 7-10 sales questions that come up on nearly every sales call. By addressing those basic questions in advance, your sales appointment will be more productive and focused.
- Cost or pricing videos offer a direct explanation of price — as well as the factors that make that price go up or down. Money is on every buyer’s mind, and addressing cost openly shows them that you’ve got nothing to hide.
- Product/service page videos explain an individual product or service, as well as who is (and is not) a good fit for it. By eliminating the bad-fit prospects, your sales team will waste less time on prospects who were never going to buy from you anyway.
- Customer journey videos tell the story of a past customer. These videos give a customer the opportunity to see someone else facing the same problems as they are, and see how you solved it for them. Customer journey videos provide valuable social proof and relatability.
- “Claims we make” videos allow you to show proof of the promises you make to your customers. Do you use top-grade materials? Show it. Do your people go the extra mile for your customers? Show it. Don’t say that you’re the best. Show what makes you the best.
This is only an overview. You can check out this article for a more in-depth look at each. But for now, with the basics laid out, let's talk about where (and how) to get started.
The Selling 7: Where to get started
Your might have dozens of employees, hundreds of products, and thousands of customers. Where do you get started?
Below, we'll offer advice about the best ways to begin. Remember, however, that these are just recommendations. Your business has unique needs that might push you in another direction.
Note, below I'm assuming you have a videographer on staff. If you don't, don't worry. You can still use this information to guide your video strategy.
There are a ton of free video recording tools you can use (like Vidyard, Wistia, and Loom) to start creating basic videos right away, and AI tools like Descript and Vidyo can make editing a snap.
1st: Employee bio videos
I always advise my clients to start with employee bio videos for a few reasons:
- These are low-hanging fruit for your videographer. They’re quick and easy to shoot and produce.
- Bio videos go a long way in helping your sales team be seen as educators.
- They help build valuable rapport between your videographer and the rest of your team.
- They get people comfortable on camera. It’s easier to talk about yourself than about an abstract or esoteric concept. If your team starts with bio videos, they will get over some of their stage fright by the time the more challenging video topics come up.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out: How To Make Amazing Employee Bio Videos (+ Examples)
2nd: Landing page videos
Landing page videos have only one job: to help with conversions. According to research by Tech Jury, using videos on landing pages can improve conversions by 86%.
Conversions are critical for filling your sales pipeline with new leads. Like the bio videos, these are quick to shoot and produce, and they can have a profound effect on your numbers.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out: 5 Best Landing Page Video Examples
3rd: 80% videos
You can think of an 80% video like a capstone video project. It’s going to cover the top 7-10 questions your sales team is getting from your customers. When you get this video in the hands of your sales team, they will be able to dramatically improve the efficiency of their meetings.
Unlike landing page videos or bio videos, which might only be 60-90 seconds, 80% videos will be a bit longer. And that's by design.
However, it's important not to overcomplicate this video. Look to your most successful or tenured sales team members for the right questions, and get them to respond to them quickly and concisely on camera.
It’s good to have these videos as soon as possible, but it makes sense to create this after the videographer has laid some groundwork with your team first.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out: How To Make An Amazing 80% Video (+ Examples)
4th: Cost and price videos
We are adamant about this with all our clients: You must address cost openly on your website. The price of what you offer is one of the most important pieces of information your customers are looking for.
Often, companies get started by addressing cost in writing — whether on a product or service page or in an article.
Adding a video that visually demonstrates the factors that influence price (and showcases the various components and configurations of what you offer) can really help you educate and build trust with your prospects.
A key thing to remember with a cost video is that your prices may change.
Make sure you're carving out time at the end of every fiscal year to look at, update, and optimize your videos so the sales team isn't working with outdated content.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out this example video that covers the cost of metal roofing:
5th: Product or service page videos
Simply put, not everyone will fully understand who your business is or what exactly you offer. A video explaining your product or service will address those questions.
Ideally, you should have videos for every one of your offerings.
Keep this in mind: you want your potential customers to be able to tell if they would be a good or bad fit for any particular product or service. This way, they can self-select in or out of your sales process — and your sales team talks to fewer bad-fit prospects.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out: 7 World-Class Product and Service Page Videos
6th: Customer journey videos
Your customers can do a better job telling the story of your company than you ever will.
No one wants to hear a company brag about itself, but they love to hear from people like themselves who have dealt with a similar problem and found a solution.
This video comes in sixth because it’s not something you can just go out and produce. You need to build durable relationships with customers first.
Additionally, building a robust video initiative will help you get customers on camera. If they know your YouTube channel and have seen videos during their own customer experience, they’re more likely to recognize that you’re serious about telling stories with video.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out this example from La-Z-Boy:
7th: 'Claims we make' videos
While “claims we make” videos are last on the list, they are still hugely important and powerful. Part of why they come last is because they’re difficult to produce and easy to get wrong.
It’s easy to just make a commercial about how great you think your business is. That’s not the goal here.
Though these videos are about your business, they’re really done with the customer in mind.
- What makes your business the best solution to their problem?
- How do you deliver a customer experience they’ll love?
When "claims we make" videos are done right, they’re a potent and genuine introduction to your company.
🔎 Searching for more inspiration? Check out: 6 Examples of Claims We Make Videos
How to know your Selling 7 videos are helping sales
While The Selling 7 encompasses a whole range of content, the end goal is always the same: increasing revenue for your company. Each video is designed to build trust, educate buyers, and turn prospects into customers.
So, how do you know that they’re working? What metrics should you check on to monitor success? Be prepared to answer these three questions:
1. Are people watching?
Whether you’re hosting videos on YouTube or sending them in sales prospecting emails, viewer retention is the biggest metric you want to see.
- Are people actually watching your videos?
- How much are they watching?
- If you're using YouTube, are you getting shares, likes, or subscribers?
The actual metrics and numbers will vary depending on your situation, but the data you get can inform your strategy. (If viewers are leaving after 30 seconds, your video might be too long — or your introduction should be reworked.)
You’re putting in all this work to produce these videos. You want to be sure you’re actually getting a return on your effort.
2. Are people taking action?
What do you want from your viewers? With a landing page, you want the viewer to fill out a form. For an employee bio video, you might want them to reply to an email or book a meeting. In other cases, it might be subscribing to your YouTube channel.
Whatever action you’re looking to prompt, check to see if it’s happening.
Monitor form fills and click-through rates. Keep weekly tallies and see if they go up or down.
Try A/B testing with different videos, or with text vs. video. Keep tweaking until you have the best results.
And then, keep trying to improve.
3. Are people giving you feedback?
Anecdotes, reviews, and feedback matter. One of the best metrics of success is what you hear from your viewers. Make sure you've got a way to track the feedback you get from your audience.
Ask the people you work with. Ask the customers. Take every chance you can to learn from your audience.
Take the first step and get started
Whenever you’re unsure about how to proceed, start by simply focusing on what will be the most helpful to your company and your sales team. Bio videos build trust. Landing page videos help increase conversions. Your 80% videos help streamline your sales conversations.
Your needs might determine the best place to start. What I’ve offered above are just guidelines.
Video can feel like a big undertaking for a business.
If you’re concerned about hiring a new employee and buying a whole bunch of expensive equipment, remember this: A video you made on your own is a lot more powerful than having no video at all.
You can get started with a smartphone and a $15 lav mic from Amazon.
Today, video is crucial to digital sales and marketing success. When you put your effort into producing videos that are proven to connect with customers and build trust, you’ll be on your way to bringing in more revenue for your business.
If you need help, don't hesitate to reach out to the IMPACT team for guidance.
Author: jbecker@impactbnd.com (John Becker)
* This article was originally published here
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