Can I use video for lead generation?

THE PROBLEM

Over the last decade, video has become the preferred and dominant form of content on the internet.  Cat videos, how-to videos, product videos… These are just a few examples of the myriad of different kinds of videos that fill the internet.

However, finding ways to use video for lead generation has not been simple for businesses that want to leverage video’s promising potential.  Somehow, it seems that businesses relegate video projects to their marketing companies and most marketing companies are relying on old video forms that don’t translate well to the goal of capturing a lead.

This article is going to look closely at why some traditional video forms aren’t effective and then explore some basic building blocks for strategizing video lead generation.

POPULAR VIDEO PRODUCTION FORMATS OF THE PAST

Prior to the internet, if you were watching a video presentation from a business, it was either a television advertisement, a presentation on DVD, or some sort of closed-circuit internal network presentation from the corporate headquarters.

These sorts of presentations were very expensive and for this reason, they tended to keep to the basics.  Very often they would present features and benefits or an inspiring sales message.  Overall, video presentations were glorified, expanded brochures. 

The added benefit of getting to see a presentation in motion was such a huge bonus to the presentation that the kind of strategy and creativity needed today didn’t seem necessary.

This “brochure-minded” approach has carried over into many of the business videos that now fill the internet.  The tendency to fill up a video with company histories as well as features and benefits is still going strong. 

COMPLEXITIES OF VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR VIDEO MARKETING PURPOSES

Producing videos for a business is complicated and this tends to worsen the negative potential.  Generally, there is a marketing agency giving ideas to a script writer who will rarely have the opportunity to talk to the director. 

The marketing agency will often talk to the scriptwriter in one mindset such as, “here is the specific kind of information we want in the video,” and then they will talk to the director in another sort of mindset such as, “we’re wanting a really cool look with lots of energy and youthfulness.” 

There are so many layers to the production and post-production of a video, that the leaders of a project can very often lose sight of a pure and central goal and then evolve into a hodgepodge of chaos that communicates very vague messages or too many messages or… no cohesive message at all.

How does your business qualify someone as a lead?

Is a lead simply any person who sends an email address?  It’s easy for businesses to get excited when their inboxes start filling up with people who have signed up for a lead magnet or a newsletter.  However, often they become disappointed when these leads won’t convert.

So clearly some leads are cold, others are warm and sometimes the leads are actually hot.  What makes a lead warm or hot?  First, the intensity of the need will determine the temperature of the lead and along with that the presence or absence of time pressures.  But that only means they are going to buy soon from someone, not necessarily your business.  So, the next big key measurements of lead value and temperature have to do with:

• How well do they feel like they TRUST your business
• Whether or not they have a SENSE OF AWE about your product or service – even if it’s very small
• How well do they believe in your process and ABILITY TO DELIVER?
• How many encounters have they had with your business in order to have some sense of a familiar RELATIONSHIP?

The Unique Power of Video

Video, compared to text articles or still images, has an exceptional ability to put the viewer in a near-to-real-life situation with your presentation.  And actually, in many ways video puts the viewer in a better-than-real-life position because they can observe a situation closely without feeling any threat of pressure.

TRUST

In a video presentation, a viewer can hear a person’s voice, observe his or her mannerisms and, based on a lifetime of developing subconscious evaluation skills, determine if they find the presentation trustworthy.

When you consider which tone of voice to use, you need to determine which tone you feel is most trustworthy.  This decision needs to work in conjunction with the goal of the video, your business’ brand, and the sector of business that you’re in.  

A software-as-a-service business model often will have a very different need for tone than a law firm or medical practice.  In a medical practice, the prospect needs to hear the actual voice of the doctor or medical team.  However, in a SAAS business very often the actual voice and face of the leadership are not nearly as relevant to a purchasing decision.

In a medical practice, the doctor might need to be very conversational, and authentic as well as be able to convey a sense of compassion.  In contrast to an insurance company, the tone may have a far better chance of connecting if it is humorous or light.

SENSE OF AWE

If you’ve ever encountered a famous athlete, actor, doctor, or musician, you likely have experienced some sense of awe.  We experience a unique psychological and emotional response to places, people, products, technology, discoveries, and other things that have somehow been set outside the norm.  They are exceptional.  They have achieved special notoriety that commands an emotional response.

Lots of people are trustworthy but don’t command awe.  A person can seem completely trustworthy and yet entirely unimpressive.

Awe needs to be present with trust to achieve the potential of setting your business clearly apart from the others.  There are several tools that businesses can use to achieve a sense of awe.

First?  (maybe last), most simply, businesses can be the most recognizable solution to a problem by being the most present brand in any space.  If your potential prospects have consistently seen your brand image, heard you speak about your solution and others, seen multiple unique insights related to your business and niche, seen multiple team members, seen multiple images appear in their newsfeed, and seen you appear with relevant media personalities, then your overwhelming presence has a sort of stardom to it that will evoke a sense of awe.

A business can be regularly presented in various settings that lead a viewer to a sense that the business is very familiar and connected within a physical or online community.

We have systematized a process that consistently builds both trust, awe, and recognizability over time.

To find out more about how Video Propeller can create a customized solution to use video for lead generation in your business, please click here.