Marketing efforts in the last decade have seen a significant shift with the surge of social media and other digital mediums. One area of digital marketing that has revolutionized how brands reach their target audience is video marketing. With more potential customers spending hours online, video content has emerged as a go-to lead generation strategy for boosting SEO, enhancing outreach, and driving conversion rates.
Video lead generation, or using video as a primary source of generating leads in marketing campaigns, turns casual website browsers into high-quality leads. Videos are no longer simply source of entertainment – they have evolved into compelling marketing tools that can immensely amplify marketing funnels and strategies. This invaluable integration of video content in any marketing strategy can steer users right through the sales funnel, coaxing them into responding to a CTA or ‘call-to-action‘.
So, wondering how you can leverage video content for lead gen? Or perhaps you’re looking to spruce up your landing pages with engaging and high-quality videos? You might be contemplating adding a tutorial or faq video to your website or planning your next steps for email marketing. Regardless of your goal, this article is your comprehensive guide to understanding and unlocking the immense potential of video lead generation. Explore different types of video from compelling testimonials to exciting video ads, all aimed at generating leads. Grasp how to optimize them for search engines, embed them on your landing pages or social media platforms, and how to lead your audience into your sales funnel.
We will dive into the nuances of lead gen, from YouTube videos, gated content on LinkedIn, creating a playlist, templates, and webinars to CRM integration. Learn the importance of lead generation and how explainer videos, case studies, marketing campaigns, outreach, and automation can generate qualified leads for your business. Also, find out the best lead generation tools and strategies to increase your email list, conversion rates, and ultimately your ROI.
As we conclude the article, you will have a better understanding of why video is the future of lead generation, with insights on how to shape your video marketing strategy for success in your marketing efforts. So, Buckle up and get ready for a gold mine of insights into the world of video lead generation!
What is Video Lead Generation?
Video lead generation is the process of using video content to attract, capture, and qualify potential customers for your products or services. Video lead generation can be done in various ways, such as adding a call-to-action (CTA) to your video, gating your video content with an email form, or embedding a lead form within your video player.
The goal of video lead generation is to collect the contact information of your viewers, such as their name, email address, phone number, or company name. This way, you can follow up with them via email marketing, phone calls, or other outreach methods and move them further along the sales funnel.
Why is Lead Generation Important?
Lead generation is important because it helps you grow your customer base and increase your revenue. Without lead generation, you would have to rely on word-of-mouth or cold calling to find new prospects, which can be time-consuming and ineffective.
Lead generation allows you to identify and target people who are interested in your product or service and who are likely to buy from you. By generating leads, you can build relationships with your prospects, educate them about your value proposition, and persuade them to take action.
The Benefits of Using Video for Lead Generation
Using video for lead generation has many benefits over other forms of content, such as text or images. Here are some of the main advantages of using video for lead generation:
Video increases engagement: Video is more engaging than text or images because it appeals to multiple senses and emotions. According to HubSpot, video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined. Video also keeps people on your website longer, which reduces bounce rate and improves SEO.
Video builds trust: Video allows you to showcase your brand personality, tell stories, and demonstrate your expertise. Video also enables you to feature testimonials from your customers, which can boost social proof and credibility. According to Wyzowl, 79% of consumers say that video has convinced them to buy a product or service.
Video converts better: Video can help you increase your conversion rates by showing the benefits and features of your product or service in action. Video can also help you create a sense of urgency and scarcity by using countdown timers or limited offers. According to Eyeview, video can increase landing page conversions by 86%.
5 Types of Videos for Generating Leads
There are many types of videos that you can use for generating leads, depending on your goals, audience, and stage of the buyer’s journey. Here are some of the most common and effective types of videos for lead generation:
1. Brand Video
A brand video is a type of video that introduces your company, mission, vision, values, and culture to your audience. A brand video can help you raise awareness, create a positive impression, and differentiate yourself from your competitors.
A brand video should be short, catchy, and memorable. It should highlight what makes your company unique and why people should care about it. A brand video should also include a clear CTA that encourages viewers to learn more about your company or sign up for a free trial or consultation.
Here is an example if a Brand video from Bolt:
2. Video Ads
A video ad is a type of video that promotes your product or service to a targeted audience on various platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Google. A video ad can help you reach new prospects who may not be aware of your brand or offer.
A video ad should be concise, relevant, and compelling. It should capture the attention of your viewers in the first few seconds and deliver a clear message that showcases the value proposition of your product or service. A video ad should also include a strong CTA that drives viewers to take action.
Check out this video for some video ad examples:
3. Testimonials
A testimonial is a type of video that features a customer or a client who shares their positive experience with your product or service. A testimonial can help you build trust, credibility, and social proof among your prospects.
A testimonial should be authentic, specific, and emotional. It should highlight the problem that your customer or client had, how your product or service solved it, and what results they achieved. A testimonial should also include a CTA that encourages viewers to try your product or service for themselves.
Have a look this this video testimonial from HubSpot for Zoom:
4. FAQ Videos
An FAQ video is a type of video that answers the most frequently asked questions that your prospects or customers have about your product or service. An FAQ video can help you educate your audience, address their pain points, and overcome their objections.
An FAQ video should be informative, helpful, and easy to understand. It should cover the most common questions that your audience has, such as how your product or service works, what benefits it provides, how much it costs, and how to get started. An FAQ video should also include a CTA that invites viewers to contact you for more information or to make a purchase.
Find some FAQ Style Video examples in this video:
5. Tutorial Videos
A tutorial video is a type of video that shows your audience how to use your product or service, or how to achieve a specific goal related to your niche. A tutorial video can help you demonstrate your expertise, provide value, and generate leads.
A tutorial video should be clear, detailed, and engaging. It should walk your audience through the steps of using your product or service, or achieving a specific goal, in a logical and easy-to-follow manner. A tutorial video should also include a CTA that encourages viewers to sign up for more tutorials or to access a free resource related to the topic.
Here is a Guide to Animoto as an example. Animoto: Animoto is a video creation tool that allows you to create professional-looking videos from photos, clips, and music
9 Ways to Use Video for Lead Generation
Now that you know the types of videos that you can use for lead generation, let’s look at some of the ways that you can use them effectively. Here are some of the best practices for using video for lead generation in 2023:
YouTube Cards / End Screens
If you are using YouTube as one of your video marketing platforms, you can use YouTube cards and end screens to generate leads from your videos. YouTube cards are interactive elements that appear on the top right corner of your video and allow you to link to other videos, playlists, websites, or polls. YouTube end screens are similar elements that appear at the end of your video and allow you to promote other videos, channels, subscriptions, or websites.
You can use YouTube cards and end screens to direct your viewers to other relevant videos on your channel, to subscribe to your channel, to visit your website or landing page, or to fill out a lead form. This way, you can keep your viewers engaged with your content and capture their contact information.
Landing Pages
Landing pages are web pages that are designed to convert visitors into leads by offering them something valuable in exchange for their contact information. Landing pages are one of the most effective ways to use video for lead generation because they allow you to showcase your offer and persuade your visitors to take action.
You can use landing pages to offer various types of incentives to your visitors, such as ebooks, whitepapers, webinars, case studies, free trials, consultations, or discounts. You can use video on your landing pages to explain the benefits and features of your offer, to demonstrate how it works, or to provide social proof from satisfied customers. You can also use video on your thank-you pages to thank your leads for signing up and to provide them with additional information or instructions.
Email Gates
Email gates are forms that require visitors to enter their email address before they can access your video content. Email gates are a simple and effective way to use video for lead generation because they allow you to collect leads from people who are interested in watching your videos.
You can use email gates for various types of videos, such as webinars, tutorials, case studies, or gated content. You can also use email gates for teaser videos that give a preview of what’s inside the full video. You can use email gates on your website, blog, social media platforms, or email campaigns.
In-Video Lead Forms
In-video lead forms are forms that appear within your video player and allow you to collect leads from your viewers while they are watching your videos. In-video lead forms are a powerful way to use video for lead generation because they allow you to capture leads at the moment when they are most engaged with your content.
You can use in-video lead forms for various types of videos, such as brand videos, testimonials, FAQ videos, or tutorial videos. You can also use in-video lead forms at different times during your videos, such as at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of your videos. You can use in-video lead forms on your website, blog, social media platforms, or email campaigns.
Video Cards
Video cards are interactive elements that appear on the bottom left corner of your video and allow you to link to other videos, playlists, websites, or polls. Video cards are similar to YouTube cards, but they work on any platform or device. Video cards are a convenient way to use video for lead generation because they allow you to direct your viewers to other relevant content or offers.
You can use video cards for various types of videos, such as brand videos, video ads, testimonials, FAQ videos, or tutorial videos. You can use video cards to link to other videos on your channel, to your website or landing page, to a lead form, or to a survey. You can use video cards on your website, blog, social media platforms, or email campaigns.
Personalized Videos
Personalized videos are videos that are tailored to each individual viewer based on their name, location, preferences, behavior, or other data. Personalized videos are a unique and effective way to use video for lead generation because they allow you to create a more personal and relevant connection with your prospects.
You can use personalized videos for various types of videos, such as brand videos, video ads, testimonials, FAQ videos, or tutorial videos. You can use personalized videos to address your viewers by their name, to show them content that matches their interests or needs, or to offer them a special deal or discount. You can use personalized videos on your website, blog, social media platforms, or email campaigns.
Using Video to Drive Traffic to Stores
If you have a physical store or location, you can use video for lead generation by driving traffic from your online channels to your offline channels. This way, you can increase your foot traffic and sales.
You can use video for lead generation by creating and sharing videos that showcase your store location, products, services, events, promotions, or customer reviews. You can also use video to create geo-targeted ads that reach people who are near your store location and invite them to visit. You can also use video to create QR codes that link to your website or landing page and display them in your store window or signage.
Social Advertising
Social advertising is the process of creating and running paid ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, or TikTok. Social advertising is a powerful way to use video for lead generation because it allows you to reach a large and targeted audience of potential customers who are interested in your niche.
You can use social advertising for various types of videos, such as brand videos, video ads, testimonials, FAQ videos, or tutorial videos. You can use social advertising to target your audience based on their demographics, interests, behaviour, location, or other criteria. You can also use social advertising to create retargeting campaigns that reach people who have already interacted with your brand or website and remind them of your offer.
Share on Social
Sharing your video content on social media platforms is one of the easiest and most effective ways to use video for lead generation. By sharing your video content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, or TikTok, you can increase your brand awareness, engagement, and reach. You can also generate leads by adding a CTA to your video posts or stories that directs your followers to your website or landing page.
You can share various types of videos on social media platforms, such as brand videos, video ads, testimonials, FAQ videos, or tutorial videos. You can also share live videos that allow you to interact with your audience in real time and answer their questions or comments. You can also use hashtags, tags, or mentions to increase your visibility and reach.
Best Lead Generation Tools
To make the most of your video for lead generation efforts, you need to use the right tools that can help you create, distribute, and optimize your video content. Here are some of the best lead-generation tools that you can use in 2023:
Wistia: Wistia is a video hosting platform that allows you to create and manage your video content. Wistia offers features such as in-video lead forms, email gates, video cards, video analytics, and integrations with other marketing tools.
Vidyard: Vidyard is a video platform that allows you to create and share personalized videos. Vidyard offers features such as video personalization, video email marketing, video analytics, and integrations with other sales and marketing tools.
Loom: Loom is a video recording tool that allows you to create and share screen and webcam videos. Loom offers features such as video editing, video sharing, video analytics, and integrations with other communication and collaboration tools.
Animoto: Animoto is a video creation tool that allows you to create professional-looking videos from photos, clips, and music. Animoto offers features such as video templates, drag-and-drop editing, stock media library, and social media sharing.
Leadpages: Leadpages is a landing page builder that allows you to create high-converting landing pages for your video offers. Leadpages offers features such as landing page templates, drag-and-drop editing, A/B testing, and integrations with other email marketing and CRM tools.
Closing: Why Video is the Future of Lead Generation
Video is the future of lead generation because it is the most engaging and effective form of content marketing. Video can help you attract more prospects, build trust and credibility, and convert more leads into customers.
To use video for lead generation successfully in 2024, you need to create and share different types of videos that match your goals, audience, and stage of the buyer’s journey. You also need to use various methods and tools to generate leads from your videos and optimize your video marketing efforts.
FAQ
How do you use a video as a lead generation tool?
To use a video as a lead generation tool, you can gate your video content. For instance, create a 30-minute tutorial video, break it into three 10-minute videos. The first two will be ungated, and the third is gated. This strategy encourages viewers to provide their contact information to access the full content.
What is lead generation in video content?
Lead generation in video content is the process of using videos to attract potential customers and gather their contact information. This is achieved by creating engaging videos and promoting them correctly, such as linking your video marketing to your social media. This strategy draws viewers into your videos and uses this engagement as a way to generate leads.
Which are the 4 steps of the lead generation process?
The 4 steps of the lead generation process are: 1. Conduct research on your target audience. 2. Create great content that appeals to this audience. 3. Develop a lead generation database to store and manage these leads. 4. Qualify and score leads to prioritize follow-up.
What are the 3 approaches of lead generation?
The three approaches of lead generation are search engines, content marketing, and social media. These methods involve optimizing your online presence to attract potential customers, creating valuable content to engage and educate your audience, and leveraging social media platforms to reach a wider audience and foster relationships.