How to include video marketing in the customer journey?

"Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell," Seth Godin. And what better way to tell the story than a video which is the most influencing and interactive mode of communication. In a 2018 HubSpot survey, 54% of consumers wanted to see more video content from a brand or business they support.  Companies are now consciously opting for video content production to reach their marketing goals as customers immensely appreciate it for being short, easy to interpret and, engaging. 

This blog aims to identify how organizations can use 'Video Marketing' to influence and interact during the three stages of the customer journey. It guides you to channelize your investment in an apt type of video content production for your marketing campaign. 

Blog Preview 

What is video marketing?

Video marketing is all about integrating videos in the marketing campaign to promote the brand, product, or service. It is the perfect way to engage with prospective customers by converting complex content into memorable visuals helping them understand the information in a simpler way.   Video marketing is a guaranteed way to reinforce your brand in the sales funnel.  Organizations use video marketing in many ways; some of them are: - customer testimonials, webinars, tutorials, stories, product demonstrations, case studies, etc.   

Video marketing statistics 

1. Mobile video consumption has increased 17 fold since 2012. (Cisco) 

2. Cisco projects that global internet traffic from videos will make up 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022. (Cisco) 

3. 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day. (fortunelords) 

4. 70% of YouTube viewers watch videos for "help with a problem" they're having in their hobby, studies, or job.  (Think With Google) 

5. Globally, YouTube is consumers' leading source of video content, at 83% (Facebook is second, at 67%).  (HubSpot) 

6. Email subject lines that include the word "video" see a 19% increase in open rates and a 65% boost in click-throughs. (theintactone) 

What are the benefits of video marketing to different stakeholders? 

Most stakeholders, including decision-makers, marketers, consumers, prefer videos as it gives out a good amount of information in a short time. Integrating video marketing in the campaigns can elevate the desired message even higher. A well-rounded marketing plan is what you need to aim for, where videos are of prime importance in your strategy. The traditional mediums like blogs and print ads still work to impact consumers. But benefits of Video Marketing are inclusive of the people involved in the process.     

Marketers -

As per 'State of Video Marketing 2021' research by Wyzowl, 93% of marketers who use video say that it's an integral part of their marketing strategy, and 87% reported that video gives them a positive ROI. A company can achieve this result by a better understanding of using video and tracking and quantifying its impact.  Most marketers feel that a video is an excellent tool for lead generation and 84% of video marketers agree with this fact. Also, nearly 8 out of 10 marketers feel that video has a direct, positive impact on sales and has the potential to aggravate sales.  

Decision-makers - 

On measuring success, most key decision-makers (63%) consider video engagement the top metric. While only 29% of them consider sales as a measurement of success, 78% report that video marketing has improved their company's presence — meaning that videos will positively impact even if the focus remains on other metrics.  Video is an SEO powerhouse in disguise, helping build backlinks to your site, boosting likes and shares (which can affect search analytics), and driving traffic to your site. [Ref: WYZOWL]

Sales team -  

Video can be a resourceful tool for salespeople during the customer buying journey. It can increase engagement and help salespeople sort and act on cold or unresponsive leads through backend analytics.  94% of salespeople agree that videos help users understand their product or service better, while 43% states that video has reduced the number of product support calls their company receives. (HubSpot) 

Service team - 

The service team also benefits from various forms of videos like onboarding videos, knowledge-based videos, meet the team videos, support video calls, and customer stories.  Usage of these videos helps create a more effortless and personalized customer support experience. 

Customer -  

Video helps you connect emotionally with your audience. Today, most of the company's marketing efforts focus on helping build trust. And video holds the power to clearly reflect what you say to who you really are as a company.  This plays well with customers' curiosity and allows them to have a better vision for your brand.  

A survey published on NG data highlights that a customer is likely to retain about 10% of heard information three days later; by contrast, if what they hear is accompanied by relevant imagery, they'll retain an average of 65% of that information three days later. So with videos, information retention is sure to be boosted in customers.  

Video content pools in most online traffic, and a good video marketing strategy hold the potential to attract new visitors. The content of the video is creative and interactive, aiding smooth decision-making for customers. Four times as many customers would prefer to watch a product video than read a product description.  [Ref: NG Data]

What types of video marketing can you use in each stage of the customer journey? 

Strategic video marketing takes into account your brand's goals and metrics, as well as your customers' location in the buying journey. For effective results, it's crucial to do precise audience targeting and determine where videos will be placed and in what context they will appear. The three aspects of Attract, Engage, and Delight makes a customer journey. And it's the organizations' ultimate objective to convert potential customers into actual buyers via video content strategy. 

The following is an example of how we can use video marketing in the 3 stages of the customer journey-

Say, Dr. Rutansh Sanghvi, Director of Star Labs Healthcare, needs a Mass Spectrometry Machine. So while scouting on LinkedIn, he comes across an advertisement from VP Digital Healthcare explaining a new futuristic mass spectrometer machine. Through this situation, let's see what type of video marketing solutions can be used in the stages of attracting, engaging, and delighting.  

Attract 

• Dr. Sanghvi was in dire need of a mass spectrometer machine. While scouting LinkedIn, he came across a LinkedIn video advertisement by VP Digital Healthcare explaining a new futuristic mass spectrometer machine. Dr. Sanghvi couldn't ignore the ad as it showed all the functions that he needed in the mass spectrometry machine. 
  
  
• Dr. Sanghvi was intrigued by the video and continued his scouting by searching on the web for the same product and came across a detailed explanatory video on YouTube.
  
  
• He decides to check the VP Digital Healthcare website and notices a vlog on the website. The vlog gives further more details on the mass spectrometer and customer testimonials who have already purchased the product. The video took him to a link that takes him to an interactive video to web experience the product.  
  
  
• The attract phase is a lot like fishing, and to do it right, you'll need bait. This phase of video marketing is where you don't overwhelm your visitors by giving out too much information.

Engage 

• Dr. Sanghvi was impressed by the work done by VP Digital Healthcare and decided to get in touch with their sales executive Neel.  
  
  
• Neel sent Dr. Sanghvi a link to a Lab Tech associations webinar where the company chief was giving his take on the latest lab tech innovations worldwide. In the webinar, he discussed how research and development play an essential role in developing lab tech devices of today. Also, he explained the latest mass spectrometer machine which they have designed and gave his insights on the change it brings.
  
  
• Neel also sent a link to a FAQ video that answered common queries regarding the product. 
  
  
• Neel then got on a call with Dr. Sanghvi and gave him a presentation on a mass spectrometer through a 3D video tutorial that explains the benefits of the machine and how to use it.  
  
  
• Apart from that, he presented a case study through a video explaining how the mass spectrometer machine worked for the previous customer. The case study included analysis, results, and challenges along with the customer testimonial. 
  
  
• This phase is where the magic happens and is usually the favorite for marketers. It is swelled with the potential to lure the buyer even deeper towards product offerings. Here you can meet them where they're at for better output, so do not miss out. 
  
  

Delight

• During the delivery of the mass spectrometer machine, Neel sent Dr. Sanghvi a detailed onboarding video for the Star Labs Executives for easy orientation. 
  
  
• After a few months, Dr. Sanghvi was facing problems with the machine, and he contacted Neel and expressed his concerns. In reply, Neel sent him a link to a Troubleshooting manual that consists of customer support videos for planning, installation, training, troubleshooting, maintenance, and disposal of products and solutions  
  
  
• One day while scouting through LinkedIn, Dr. Sanghvi came across a video from VP Digital Healthcare where he could see the company chief giving a full company tour.  
  
  
• The video gives a full behind the scene tour, which showcases what makes VP Digital Healthcare a different experience for its employees and its customers. The video ends with the chief thanking all the customers for taking their time out and giving their business. This makes Dr. Sanghvi happy, and hence his trust in VP Digital Healthcare has increased tremendously.  
  
  
• It is the phase where your efforts from the past two stages usually start to pay off. Follow-up with your buyers and let them know that they have been heard and their feedback counts. Show them that you mean business.

What role can Ethosh play in video content production? 

Ethosh offers a wide gamut of content production services, including 3D videos, 2D videos, VR and AR platforms, among many more. We have collaborated with top brands across the globe and helped them achieve their desired goals by providing them with high-quality video content. At Ethosh, we understand that every brand has a unique offering and needs a unique storytelling voice. We create customized, personalized videos for your brand that help you connect with your consumers and engage them, making them excited to know more. 

Ethosh takes care of every step of the video-making process saving you all the hassles of video production. From initial ideation to conceptualization, to scripting & storyboarding, composition, animation & effects, to final edits, and asset development, Ethosh is capable of creatively handling all the processes smoothly.

Reference and Citation- 

• • 1. Youtube fact- https://fortunelords.com/youtube-statistics/  
    2. Hubspot research- https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing 
    3. Video Marketing Stats  https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy  
    4. Marketers and decision-makers stats- https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/ 
    5. Sales, service, customer stats- https://www.ngdata.com/what-is-video-marketing/