According to a recent survey by Animoto a staggering 73% of consumers are more likely to buy a product or sign up for a service if they watch a branded video that explains it. And that’s not all. The survey also revealed some pretty impressive figures when it comes to videos role in consumers research into a brand, comparison shopping and in post-purchase info.
Today, video is a key part of a consumers buying process. However, it can be difficult for businesses to know exactly what type of video content to produce to support best their consumer’s decision making at each stage. Often, businesses decide to make one corporate film and set ambitious expectations about what it can achieve.
So, spurred on by the survey’s results, I thought it would be useful to outline some of the different types of video content that you could create to offer your consumers a more complete video journey targeted to each stage of their purchase decision making.
#1 Awareness video
Awareness video content should be to the point and not really any longer than 90 seconds for most impact. They should demonstrate your business, its culture and you as experts in your field rather than be about your specific products or services.
Examples of this video content would be:
- a film that showcases your company culture and personality – show consumers why your business does what it does. It doesn’t have to be serious; it can be behind the scenes footage of your team at work. Or snippits of why staff enjoy working for the company. The goal is for consumers to relate to you.
- thought leadership interviews – interviews with key staff establish you as a go to source within your industry. For example, Kenwood have on their website a film we produced that interviews some of their key staff – outlining their experience, passion and commitment that has made Kenwood award winning.
- expertise how-to content – if you are experts in your field, the natural follow on is that the products/services you produce will be expert too. Similarly, Kenwood publish recipe how-to video content that provides step by step instructions on how to make delicious recipes from breads to nutritious family meals therefore showcasing their cooking knowledge and heritage.
#2 Evaluation video
93% of consumers surveyed by Animoto used video content to compare products and services against each other. Video content at this stage needs to help your consumers justify their purchase to themselves, their family or their boss so should be about your products/services . Ideal types of video content would be:
- Detailed Product Demos – Show consumers the in’s and out’s of your product. Its unique features and benefits versus competitors. Highlight the care and attention into its development. The product demo for the Kenwood Blend X Pro drills down into the fine workings of the blender which sets it aside from its competitors.
- Explainer films – An explainer film essentially provides a demo or tour to the consumer which makes it perfect for explaining complex topics as well as making services tangible. Mumbu, a new recruitment website, used an explainer film to not only demonstrate how easy the site was to use but also how it differed from its competitors. And Surrey based B&B Colliers Wood developed an explainer film to show the personal touches which makes a stay with them unique.
- Client Testimonials. There’s no better advocate than a happy customer. They can sing your praises for you, stating why they bought your product/service, why they continue to use you and refer you on. We add testimonials to our website, changing them regularly to keep them current and publishing the full suite onto our Youtube channel.
- Video Case Studies. Even better, turn testimonials into case studies. Show how your product/service has helped solved a problem and if you can include results – even better.
It’s best to keep product demos, explainer films and video case studies no longer than 8 mins and client testimonials around 2 mins.
#3 Post-purchase video
93% of consumers surveyed by Animoto also turned to video for post-purchase instructions and guidelines. Videos can reinforce consumers feelings that they made the right choice and can be a 24/7 accessible source for your consumers.
The types of video content for this stage would be:
- A FAQ Video – often the same FAQ will occur again and again. By making a series of FAQ videos and posting them to your website, or embedding one in an email to the purchaser with links to others, you can make yourself accessible when service lines are closed.
- Instructional How-to’s – Support the instructional manual with video to make instructions visual. GoCycle produced a simple but effective instructional how-to video to show new customers how to put up their folding cycle
- Thank you’s – Thank you’s are often forgotten but can be powerful to generating referrals. Action Against Hunger developed a thank you film to send to all the restaurants that had taken part in their fundraising campaign, Love Food Give Food. The film demonstrated what their involvement had meant to the communities they support and asked the restaurants to refer more restaurants to get involved next year.
Consumers are looking for more detail at this stage so video content can be approx. 15 minutes in length.
Video is powerful and persuasive. Done well, it can help consumers with their decision making process and guide them to purchase your product/service at their own pace.
Whether you’re a small business or leading brand, having at least one of each of the video content types mentioned not only will complement your other sales and marketing efforts but can also result in a real tangible boost to your sales too.
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