How To Incorporate Video Into Your Sales Strategy
Sales is a fast-paced, highly pressurized, and demanding line of work. Not quite a newsflash, we know. But are you using the right tools to maximize results — and minimize the stress? Incorporating video into your sales strategy can help you reach and engage your audience, stay top of mind, overcome objections, turn prospects into customers — and customers into brand advocates.
Video Is More
Cold calls. Warm calls. Follow-up forms. Emails. More calls. Traditional sales methods are no longer so tried and true. Given the busy schedules of leads, prospects, and customers — and the constant flood of messaging they receive from brands — it can be difficult to break through and connect. Video makes the difference. It is more…
- Interesting. When prospecting, relationship-nurturing, and sales emails feature video, for example, their open rate is 5 times higher, and the open-to-reply rate is 8 times higher.
- Visual. Ok, that’s an obvious one, but video helps leads and prospects truly see how your solution can impact their work/life — and it puts a face on your brand.
- Memorable. When reading text, people retain about 10% of the message. When viewing a video, they retain 95%. Stand out, and stay top of mind.
- Human. Your competitors may offer similar products or services. Your differentiator is you. It’s your story. Give your company a face and a personality.
As Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” Video is an opportunity to go beyond features and benefits, connect with your audience, and get to the “why.”
In this case: Why should customers buy from you. Why should they choose your solutions? Convince, persuade, move them to act by incorporating these videos into your sales strategy:
Demos and How-To’s
At this stage of the game, leads need to know exactly how a solution can work for them. Demos and how-to’s are the ideal way to show them your product/service in action. Here’s a demo from Nest, which manufacturers smart home devices. How do your systems and appliances work together? Nest shows you in a simple way:
How-to’s help you simplify your solution and teach people how to use it. They can also overcome objections, particularly if you have a more complex offering. Work management platform Asana, for example, created a “How to Asana” series to explain common tasks.
Testimonials
This is proof that you do what you say you’re going to do. It’s that simple. Testimonials and customer stories are powerful in that they leverage the trust that consumers have in their peers: 83% of consumers trust peer recommendations over advertising. So let satisfied customers/clients tell your story. Here, Tyler from Carplex explains the challenge he faced and how Adam Grubb Productions helped him solve it.
Case Studies
Problem. Solution. Results. Yawn. Case studies can feel formulaic and boring — unless you bring them to life with video. Show, don’t tell. This is just what we did for Holladay Properties. The video incorporates the elements you need in a case study with visual and emotional appeal.
Culture
Remember to go back to the “why?” Culture videos highlight the personality of your brand. Often used for recruiting, they can also help push leads the rest of the way towards conversion. They want to know what it’ll be like to do business with you, how you’re different from the competition, how you can help them improve their lives. Show them.
Here we talk about the creative culture at AGP:
Personalized Messages
You could send a follow-up email (which will probably go unopened) or dial the phone (which will probably go to voicemail) to qualified leads. Or you could create a personalized video message. It takes no more time than that email or phone call, but video has a much better shot at making it through. Remember, when emails feature video, open rates and open-to-reply rates climb.
Corporate loyalty program BlueBiz puts another spin on personalized video. They created a “Happy Birthday” message that is tailored to each lead and client and send it out on the big day. It’s simple, but when someone sees their name in your video (even if it’s easily interchanged with someone else’s), it makes an impact. Take a look:
Effective, compelling business video streamlines and strengthens your sales process. Are you ready to tell your story — differently — and see the results you need to catapult your brand to a new level?