The use of video as a marketing tool was ubiquitous way before the dawn of the internet. It used to be that videos, primarily in the form of TV advertising, was a point of entry into the sales pipeline. Fast forward to today, where streaming services are rapidly taking over from traditional broadcasting viewing. This change in consumer behaviour has forced a change in marketing strategies, but has it changed enough?

The advent of social media, and the ability to precisely target customers, saw many companies simply jump platform. Trying to apply the traditional broadcast advertising model to this new way of reaching an audience. Many are still trying to do this today.

The problem is that, with the traditional approach, an audience had little choice but to watch the adverts. Where as on social media an advertiser has 0.3 seconds in their videos to capture their attention before they scroll past it. Not to mention the additional challenges faced by “this is an advert” being plastered next to it.

With fake news also becoming a real problem, consumer trust in advertising is at an all time low. Meaning they are placing more and more trust in the social media influencers that they feel they can believe. 

This doesn’t mean that video advertising as a medium is dying. It just means its application needs to move with the times. The solution is not to swim against the tide. It’s to change how quality videos can be used to enhance the sales journey.

Instead of using videos as a first point of contact, leave that up to the influencers. Use proper productions to motivate the purchase decision and close the deal.

Once a potential customer has become aware and interested their next thought is to find out more. This is where your premium content should come into play.

By creating a variety of well produced content, that can be easily found by potential in-bound customers, you can elevate the perceived quality and value of your offering. Very quickly influencing their purchase decision, especially with high value sales.

Now, changing where you use videos your pipeline is one thing, but it goes nowhere if you’re not creating the right content.

For years now, Google have been telling us that we have 5 seconds to engage a viewer. Whilst this is true, its meaning has regularly become misinterpreted. This has often lead to the thinking that you have to make the sale within 5 seconds – ramming all the information down a viewers throat in this window.
Now, just take a step back from this and put yourself in the mindset of a viewer. Is that really going to make you want to buy something? Or does that conjure up memories of holidays with a never ending onslaught of pushy sales people shouting at you as you walk past?

What it really means is that you have 5 seconds to make someone want to keep watching, and this is far simpler that you might expect. With an in-bound audience its all about showing them that they are watching what they have come to see, and that it’s of a quality that they will enjoy. Simple.

The next logical conclusion is that a change of messaging is also necessary. At this stage in their journey a viewer wants to find out more, so give them that. Show a viewer why this is the right purchase decision for them. Help them visualises what they will get from doing so. Using a premium look and feel will emphasise that this is a quality purchase worthy of their investment. Not a pushy sales piece offering 20% off for a limited time. 

As these are in-bound viewers you have far more leeway on how you can do this compared to a traditional 30 second ad. These viewers are here to learn more, whilst being entertained.

At this point in the viewers journey they already have the inclination to make the purchase. They just need the final nudge to make them commit. This is where the true ROI of properly produced videos comes in. Showcasing your offering in a way that both entertains a viewer and puts them in the mindset of what is possible if they make the purchase. This can be a hugely powerful influencing factor. As a medium, video has the ability to do this far and above that of any other format. A well produced piece will elevate an offerings perceived value and quality, suggesting that it’s of an equal, if not better, standard than the production they are watching.

By moving your use of premium content to the end of the sales journey you can end on a high, reenforce a sense of quality and value and turn viewers into customers.

Ross Dixon

Creative Director