The concept of the marketing funnel — the top to bottom organization of how you talk to your customer and what you say to them — is something every marketer is familiar with. So familiar, in fact, that you might look at marketing materials and immediately think of where in the funnel it sits; i.e. billboards are at the top, while sales demos are at the bottom. But how can we think about video specifically within the funnel construct?
Here are some ways you can engage with your audiences through video at each stage of the buyers’ journey, and move them faster through the funnel! (P.S. We dove even deeper into this topic during our webinar with Ceros, Improving Content Marketing Through Visual Storytelling. Don’t forget to watch the recording & recap videos with our biggest takeaways!)
Top of Funnel: Peak their interest
When we’re talking about video content for the top of the funnel, we always want to consider topics that are rich with keywords that inform and educate your target audience on your product. Consider the questions they may be asking themselves about your brand, service, or product. And create content that works to answer them directly, or offers them enough context for them to decide how they want to proceed with your offer.
This is also an opportunity to emphasize the equity that your brand has already accrued. Videos that feature earned media or awards from publications that your audience has already heard of will help bolster your credibility.
For an example of top of funnel content, check out this video from Vitamin Shoppe:
Mid-Funnel: Get them thinking
There can be a lot of variation within the middle of the funnel when it comes to what your customer is looking for. But a good strategy here is to tease them with more direct, or in-depth nuggets about what your service or product provides to them. You can do this by surfacing bits of information that’s typically found in some of your deeper content like gated materials, white papers, and webinars. You can also offer up sound bites from exclusive events. Think of this content as a sneak peek behind the scenes of your story. No need to go overboard with information, but make it feel like it’s getting close to the source.
For an example of content that will get your mid-funnel audience thinking, check out this recap video we made for our first Storyteller Circle event.
Bottom of Funnel: The final hook
As you know, the bottom of the funnel should be where they’re ready to take an action. So use this moment as an opportunity to surface, or resurface the best mode of contacting you. And provide them with some of the nitty, gritty details that lock them into your value prop.
This content should be a distillation of what you’re about, why it matters, and how someone who needs what you have can get it. Consider content that has a direct call to action and an easy pathway to making a purchase. Also, keep it specific with product explainers and videos made from case study content so your customer, who’s likely about to make a purchase, gets that last bit of proof that will make them comfortable doing so.
Here’s an example of some tightly done bottom of funnel video content from our partner Lloyd Media Group for Universal Home Care.