Whether you’re in sales or marketing, your ultimate objective is to close more business. The best sales and marketing teams are always looking for unique ways to attract new leads and convert them into customers. They experiment with different methods and measure which resonate with prospects and help impact final sales.
Video has long been one of the most impactful instruments in marketing. But over the last decade – as the cost of video production has plummeted – the benefits of video have become accessible to the smallest businesses.
While marketing teams have increasingly adopted video to educate their prospect base and raise brand awareness, sales teams have been much slower to leverage the advantages of video.
Do you use video within your sales process? Do you need help incorporating video into your sales campaigns?
Strategic videos can unquestionably help you close more leads. You simply need to understand why video is so effective, and determine which of the many techniques you can use to bolster your sales process.
Learn how hyper-personalized direct mail converts offline prospects to online customers:
Download your copy of Human to Human Personalization At Scale
1. The Psychological Impact of Video
When done well, video is as engaging as any medium. It may be the most impactful form of communication. It’s why most people in this day and age are consuming information through video.
Why is video so popular? Why does it resonated so strongly with us? Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D. explored the psychological impact of video, and why we respond to this medium differently than others.
According to Dr. Weinschenk, video is innately persuasive. Us humans are wired to respond to movement, body language and tones of voice. Words on a page could hardly convey so much emotion as a well-crafted video. Even a great photograph or illustration is limited relative to the potential of video.
Because video can incite such emotion, its viewers can make deeper connections. And when someone feels more connected, they can develop greater trust in your brand.
When your prospects are deciding where to spend their money – which services they should invest their hard-earned dollars – they’re going to choose someone they can trust. It’s a big reason why inbound marketing has exploded in recent years – It helps you develop trust in your audience.
2. Video’s Influence on the C-Suite
While video can have immense entertainment value, that’s not the reason it has a substantial impact on your sales process. In fact, Forbes Insights found quantitative evidence on the impression videos can leave on your most important decision makers: prospects in the C-Suite.
After watching a company’s video:
- 65% of executives visited a vendor’s site
- 53% of executives researched more information about that vendor
- 51% of executives under 40 made a business-related purchase
Especially with stakeholders who don’t have time to read through your site or marketing materials, video offers an extremely efficient and engaging way to impress upon an executive.
Closing deals with executives can prove difficult. If you’re having trouble getting them to sign the dotted line, strategic videos may be the key to boosting your close rate. Your videos can help decision makers digest information more easily and build the trust they need to commit to your solution.
3. Use Your Video Resources
If your marketing team hasn’t already, have them start building out video resources. Blogging and content offers are a great way to help educate your prospects through the sales journey but video is also a great medium to create so that you are appealing to people who prefer education and consuming information in the form of video rather than eBooks, whitepapers, etc.
Use video resources as you are nurturing your prospects. Maybe you find that the lead you are talking to isn’t ready to make a sale just yet. This is the perfect time to help educate them a little more so that they have more background in the field. When following up with nurturing emails consider using video resources. This will help continue to build that trust and connection while also providing an easy way to consume the information.
4. Replace Traditional Communication with Video
Think about the back and forth that takes place during the sales process. Think about the questions your prospects ask throughout their journey? How could video could help you stand out from other sales teams?
For starters, rather than holding sales calls over the phone, consider hosting video conferences. Seeing your face and nonverbal expressions will help your prospects become more comfortable with you. And your ability to read your prospects’ nonverbal cues could go a long way toward moving them toward a sale.
Of course, no medium is leaned upon as heavily as email. For most marketing and sales teams, emails is essential to your lead nurturing. Rather than using text, however, you can record a video to follow up on conversations or answers your prospects’ questions. Your energy and excitement that can be difficult to convey in an email will foster a stronger connection, and the information will be easier to digest.
The simple fact that you took the time to record a personalized video will be a gigantic differentiator from your competitors.
With great tools such as Wistia’s Soapbox, you can easily record a video. You can even share your screen to walk prospects through your product, if need be.
5. Incorporate Video Into Your Overall Strategy
While the focus of this article is using video in your sales process, it shouldn’t be your only instrument. No lone medium should be called upon to attract and nurture your prospects.
Both your sales and marketing teams need to find ways to integrate video with all other mediums – email, social, digital and print. A full-pronged approach that includes video will strengthen your message and make it more well-rounded. For example, Enthusem integrates video with direct mail to create a hyper-personalized experience.
Despite these substantial benefits, many businesses fail to integrate video into their marketing and sales tactics. They often assume the time, effort and money is too much to commit. But automation software has revolutionized how businesses can scale their efforts.
If you identify the best opportunities, determine how to scale, and when you need to create hyper-personalized video content, you can close more deals and maximize your marketing and sales ROIs.
Learn how to effectively personalize your video strategy at scale through our Guide to Crushing Personalized Video.
