5 Ways To Boost Transactions With A Video Sales Strategy
By Stanley Meytin
Boost Sales with Video
High-quality video content has quickly become the most influential media form on the internet, and businesses are jumping at the chance to use this platform to drive sales. Before you pick up the camera, however, it’s best to start off by planning a thorough sales strategy. When you’re trying to boost transactions with video content, your sales strategy should consider all of these key points.
1. Understand And Apply The Stages Of The Buyer’s Journey
While coming up with ideas for your video content, it’s important to always keep in mind the buyer’s journey. The buyer’s journey is the process every customer goes through when purchasing a product or service. Each step of the journey should align with the concepts behind one of your videos in order to successfully deliver your sales strategy. Here’s what the buyer’s journey looks like:
Awareness
During the awareness stage of a buyer’s journey, the consumer realizes they’re in a predicament and in need of a solution. The problem they become aware of can be anything from discovering a stain on a sweater to having a friends wedding coming up. In this stage, people tend to reflect on the issue at hand and do some light research. Using the same examples that were already mentioned, this would involve them doing their best to determine what stained their sweater and finding out what kind of attire their friend’s wedding requires.
Consideration
After someone is faced with a problem, they start to search for solutions. During this stage of the buyer’s journey potential customers will be doing more specific research and start considering their options. For example, if their sweater is stained, they’ll look up DIY stain removal solutions, dry cleaners nearby, and similar sweaters to buy to replace the damaged one. If they have a formal wedding coming up they’ll look for stores that sell gowns or tuxedos both near them and online, as well as stores that rent them out. Targeting potential customers at this point of the buyer’s journey might include content highlighting a product or service, or a how-to video.
Decision
Once a customer has chosen which direction to go in, they’ve entered the decision stage. This means that they’ve decided to take their sweater to a cleaner or they’ve decided to rent a gown online. They then start to compare the companies that offer the service or product they’ve decided on until they find the one that’s most suitable for them. Video content that targets those in the decision process should give them the extra push they need to choose you over competitors. Show them why they can rely on your products or services with a customer testimonial that explains why your brand stands out.
2. Take High-Quality Videos
If your videos aren’t high-quality, most likely people will scroll right by them. Your audience won’t take your company seriously if your video content is shaky and pixilated. Ensure you’re creating professional quality videos with these tips:
Use Proper Lighting
While a photo can easily be altered to appear brighter, a poorly lit video can’t be edited as easily. To avoid ending up with dark shadows distorting your subject matter, use natural lighting when possible. If you need to use a lamp or two, use fluorescent bulbs to eliminate an unnatural yellow hue. Splurging on professional lighting equipment is always an option as well, as long as you have someone on your crew who knows how to use it.
Use Professional Camera Equipment
While the cameras on our phones continue to become more sophisticated, they still fall short of basic video recording equipment. If you’re working on a budget, however, then having a smartphone released within the last few years could get the job done if it’s used properly. First, make sure your settings are switched to HD filming. Always shoot the video with your front facing camera while the phone rest in landscape orientation. Lastly, use a tripod to ensure the video isn’t shaky or create a makeshift tripod using a stack of books.
Adapt Video Content For Each Social Platform
Each social media platform has different requirements for sharing video content. Consider the allowed video length, dimensions, and what audiences expect to see on each platform when creating your sales strategy.
3. Choosing A Voice And Direction
The voice behind your video content should not only be in sync with your brand, but it should have a clear direction as well. When your audience sees a new video post from you, they should know what kind of content to expect. Most successful business videos can be put into one of three categories:
- Inspirational: videos that are relatable yet emotional
- Informational: videos that educate viewers on issues that are important to your brand
- Entertainment: videos that make viewers laugh or capture their attention so that they can’t look away
4. Displaying Products Or Services
Every successful video sales strategy requires content that puts your products or services on full display. There are a number of angles in which you can go about creating video content that shows off your goods, but in order to boost transactions, you’ll want to use methods that have proven to show results. These are some of the most successful forms of video content:
DIY Videos
DIY videos are incredibly trendy right now, so if any of your products can be used to create this kind of content, it’s highly recommended that you do so. The DIY project you decide to capture doesn’t have to be something that specifically uses your product but can be related to it in some way. For example, if you sell windows, you can write a script about crafting DIY curtains or a DIY window seat.
How-To Videos
Slightly different from DIY videos, how-to videos offer a step-by-step look at how to use a product or complete a task with your merchandise. Consider your customer’s point of view and what problems they might come across. This can be a general issue that they might deal with on a daily basis, in which case you can demonstrate how your product or service is the ideal solution. How-to videos can also address issues customers sometimes have when using your product such as assembly or use of a specific feature.
Explainer Videos
An explainer video gives you the opportunity to describe how one of your products or services work. By personalizing the video content to your audience’s lifestyle, you’ll be able to not only capture their attention but offer them the solution to a problem they’ve been experiencing. To ensure you’re keeping up with your video sales strategy, be sure to point out all of the features and options that make your brand stand out among competitors.
5. Measure Your Results
A sales strategy is useless without taking the time to measure your results with analytics. Each social channel that you publish your video on weighs success differently, but there are several pieces of data you’ll want to make a note of. It’s great if people are liking and sharing your video content, but when the goal of your sales strategy is to boost transactions, success is determined by how many people end up purchasing one of your products or services. When reviewing analytics be sure to record:
- The success rate for each target audience
- The success rate across all social media channels
- How much is spent on advertising across channels
- How many sales are generated from each social media channel
After you’ve run your video ads for several days, you’ll be able to see what’s working and what’s not. You can then apply any necessary changes to your target audience or choose to end ads that aren’t resulting in sales. If you notice that some of your ads are working well, consider extending them to further boost your conversion rates.
With a seemingly endless number of options available to consumers these days, companies have to go the extra mile to gain the trust of potential new customers. Their confidence in your brand is what ultimately persuades them to choose your products over others during the buying process. Sharing video content brings the human aspect back into online sales, guiding customers through their purchase, making them an essential part of your overall sales strategy.
Reading Time: 5 minutes
By Stanley Meytin
Boost Sales with Video
High-quality video content has quickly become the most influential media form on the internet, and businesses are jumping at the chance to use this platform to drive sales. Before you pick up the camera, however, it’s best to start off by planning a thorough sales strategy. When you’re trying to boost transactions with video content, your sales strategy should consider all of these key points.
1. Understand And Apply The Stages Of The Buyer’s Journey
While coming up with ideas for your video content, it’s important to always keep in mind the buyer’s journey. The buyer’s journey is the process every customer goes through when purchasing a product or service. Each step of the journey should align with the concepts behind one of your videos in order to successfully deliver your sales strategy. Here’s what the buyer’s journey looks like:
Awareness
During the awareness stage of a buyer’s journey, the consumer realizes they’re in a predicament and in need of a solution. The problem they become aware of can be anything from discovering a stain on a sweater to having a friends wedding coming up. In this stage, people tend to reflect on the issue at hand and do some light research. Using the same examples that were already mentioned, this would involve them doing their best to determine what stained their sweater and finding out what kind of attire their friend’s wedding requires.
Consideration
After someone is faced with a problem, they start to search for solutions. During this stage of the buyer’s journey potential customers will be doing more specific research and start considering their options. For example, if their sweater is stained, they’ll look up DIY stain removal solutions, dry cleaners nearby, and similar sweaters to buy to replace the damaged one. If they have a formal wedding coming up they’ll look for stores that sell gowns or tuxedos both near them and online, as well as stores that rent them out. Targeting potential customers at this point of the buyer’s journey might include content highlighting a product or service, or a how-to video.
Decision
Once a customer has chosen which direction to go in, they’ve entered the decision stage. This means that they’ve decided to take their sweater to a cleaner or they’ve decided to rent a gown online. They then start to compare the companies that offer the service or product they’ve decided on until they find the one that’s most suitable for them. Video content that targets those in the decision process should give them the extra push they need to choose you over competitors. Show them why they can rely on your products or services with a customer testimonial that explains why your brand stands out.
2. Take High-Quality Videos
If your videos aren’t high-quality, most likely people will scroll right by them. Your audience won’t take your company seriously if your video content is shaky and pixilated. Ensure you’re creating professional quality videos with these tips:
Use Proper Lighting
While a photo can easily be altered to appear brighter, a poorly lit video can’t be edited as easily. To avoid ending up with dark shadows distorting your subject matter, use natural lighting when possible. If you need to use a lamp or two, use fluorescent bulbs to eliminate an unnatural yellow hue. Splurging on professional lighting equipment is always an option as well, as long as you have someone on your crew who knows how to use it.
Use Professional Camera Equipment
While the cameras on our phones continue to become more sophisticated, they still fall short of basic video recording equipment. If you’re working on a budget, however, then having a smartphone released within the last few years could get the job done if it’s used properly. First, make sure your settings are switched to HD filming. Always shoot the video with your front facing camera while the phone rest in landscape orientation. Lastly, use a tripod to ensure the video isn’t shaky or create a makeshift tripod using a stack of books.
Adapt Video Content For Each Social Platform
Each social media platform has different requirements for sharing video content. Consider the allowed video length, dimensions, and what audiences expect to see on each platform when creating your sales strategy.
3. Choosing A Voice And Direction
The voice behind your video content should not only be in sync with your brand, but it should have a clear direction as well. When your audience sees a new video post from you, they should know what kind of content to expect. Most successful business videos can be put into one of three categories:
- Inspirational: videos that are relatable yet emotional
- Informational: videos that educate viewers on issues that are important to your brand
- Entertainment: videos that make viewers laugh or capture their attention so that they can’t look away
4. Displaying Products Or Services
Every successful video sales strategy requires content that puts your products or services on full display. There are a number of angles in which you can go about creating video content that shows off your goods, but in order to boost transactions, you’ll want to use methods that have proven to show results. These are some of the most successful forms of video content:
DIY Videos
DIY videos are incredibly trendy right now, so if any of your products can be used to create this kind of content, it’s highly recommended that you do so. The DIY project you decide to capture doesn’t have to be something that specifically uses your product but can be related to it in some way. For example, if you sell windows, you can write a script about crafting DIY curtains or a DIY window seat.
How-To Videos
Slightly different from DIY videos, how-to videos offer a step-by-step look at how to use a product or complete a task with your merchandise. Consider your customer’s point of view and what problems they might come across. This can be a general issue that they might deal with on a daily basis, in which case you can demonstrate how your product or service is the ideal solution. How-to videos can also address issues customers sometimes have when using your product such as assembly or use of a specific feature.
Explainer Videos
An explainer video gives you the opportunity to describe how one of your products or services work. By personalizing the video content to your audience’s lifestyle, you’ll be able to not only capture their attention but offer them the solution to a problem they’ve been experiencing. To ensure you’re keeping up with your video sales strategy, be sure to point out all of the features and options that make your brand stand out among competitors.
5. Measure Your Results
A sales strategy is useless without taking the time to measure your results with analytics. Each social channel that you publish your video on weighs success differently, but there are several pieces of data you’ll want to make a note of. It’s great if people are liking and sharing your video content, but when the goal of your sales strategy is to boost transactions, success is determined by how many people end up purchasing one of your products or services. When reviewing analytics be sure to record:
- The success rate for each target audience
- The success rate across all social media channels
- How much is spent on advertising across channels
- How many sales are generated from each social media channel
After you’ve run your video ads for several days, you’ll be able to see what’s working and what’s not. You can then apply any necessary changes to your target audience or choose to end ads that aren’t resulting in sales. If you notice that some of your ads are working well, consider extending them to further boost your conversion rates.
With a seemingly endless number of options available to consumers these days, companies have to go the extra mile to gain the trust of potential new customers. Their confidence in your brand is what ultimately persuades them to choose your products over others during the buying process. Sharing video content brings the human aspect back into online sales, guiding customers through their purchase, making them an essential part of your overall sales strategy.
What story would you like to share?
Whether you want to launch an idea, spark a movement or simply get people talking about what you do, you have one shot
at delivering your message in a way that matters. Let’s make sure you do it right.
Leave a Reply