Can lead generation videos help you get warm prospects to your door or inbox? Here are several ways you can use video in lead generation campaigns:
1. Offer related content for download next to your video
Bring your additional assets into the spotlight by adding a “download now” button to the sidebar of your video player. Once clicked, the CTA will bring users to a new landing page, or a drop-down menu where they can sign up to download your additional content. You can also do this to promote your regular newsletter, or any ongoing offers.
2. Embed lead gen forms directly into the video experience
Some video players, like Brightcove or Wistia (through its Turnstile feature,) allow you to embed your own lead gen forms directly into the video, so you can capture leads as part of the viewing experience.
If you’re using video as part of a brand awareness, or a top-of-funnel campaign, you may not want to include a lead generation form until the end of your video. That way, you can maximize exposure, and viewers who may not be as familiar with your product can determine for themselves whether they want to learn more.
By placing a lead gen form at the start of your video, you’re restricting access to your content until a viewer enters their information. This works well for content aimed at middle or lower-funnel leads. Good examples include more in-depth “how-to” explainer videos, webinars, and walkthrough demos that provide more detailed information about your product or service.
Placing the form in the middle of the video may be the happy medium. You’re still giving viewers an incentive for giving you their information (being able to see the rest of the video). You’re also exposing more people to your brand and message.
3. Create a gated content community
Offering exclusive content through video communities can help create a dedicated audience that’s consistently engaged with your brand. Say you put together a video collection of “best practices” for your area of expertise, a certification program, or a series of walkthroughs to help users make the most out of your product or service.
These videos would only be accessible to viewers who opt-in to access your video content. Users can sign up to receive notifications when your latest video is live. Users would then be directed to a gated microsite or landing page where your videos are hosted exclusively for members of your gated content community.
4. Sharing on social media
Posting native videos on your social media pages can be a great way to boost brand awareness, and draw organic traffic to your site. Some outlets, like Facebook and Instagram also allow for vertical video publishing, which can be easily created through easy-to-use tools like Grabyo. (Vertical video tends to perform better on mobile devices than the landscape format.)
Building your social media following will help bring in new audiences and nurture potential leads. When posting organically, consider adding a link to one of your landing pages — like your demo page or your “contact us” page, to bring interested parties directly to website pages that trigger conversion.
5. Paid promotion on Facebook
Facebook and Instagram also allow you to create lead gen forms directly in Facebook’s ad manager platform.
Forms are tied to CTA buttons located at the bottom of a post. This one-click option immediately accesses your lead gen form, which prompts users to enter their information, so your business can follow up. Facebook’s robust ad platform also allows for precise audience targeting, which ensures the right videos are delivered to the right audiences. You can target not just by demographics but also interest, profession, job title, and even employer.
Click here to learn more about specific guidelines for creating Facebook and Instagram lead gen campaigns.
6. Paid promotion on LinkedIn
In 2018, LinkedIn expanded their lead generation capabilities to include forms tied to video content for Company Pages. LinkedIn first introduced the feature in 2017 for their traditional text ads and sponsored content promotions.
LinkedIn even put together this neat animated explainer video to show you how it works. We’re fans of explainer videos like these over at IdeaRocket, and we thought this one did a pretty good job breaking down the process:
7. Promotion on YouTube
YouTube offers two ways to promote additional content: “cards” and “end screens.” There’s also specific targeting capabilities for delivering your content to select audiences.
Cards: YouTube cards let you add additional information in several categories:
- Promoting a video or playlist or channel
- Featuring a nonprofit of your choice (donations)
- Encouraging viewers to participate in a poll
- To link to an approved website (available for YouTube Partners only)
End Screens: End screens can be created to promote other video channels, or CTAs to build subscribers to your YouTube channel. These materials will appear anywhere from five to 20 seconds before the end of your video. To learn more about adding end screens to YouTube videos, click here.
8. Adding video to email
Got a great video to share? Keep your email subscribers in the loop by including a link to your video landing page in your newsletter. Or, embed your latest video directly into a tailored email. This makes the experience even more accessible for users who want to engage straight in their inbox.
Your email video series can also be tied to a larger email marketing program. These programs can include other content offered exclusively to a targeted audience.
9. Video for lead scoring
If you use a marketing automation platform like Hubspot or Marketo you can use video to score your leads.
What is lead scoring? It’s assigning a value score to a prospect, so that your sales team can prioritize leads most likely to convert.
How does video let you do that? Say you send an email to a prospect with a video link. The recipient sees the video all the way through, and then forwards it to two more people in her office, who also see it all the way through. In that case, it’s far more likely there’s is genuine interest, than if your prospect didn’t click the link at all, or abandoned it ten seconds in.
Your sales people can have visibility of metrics like Percentage of Video Played and Number of Plays – which are far more telling of a prospect’s interest than an email open is.
There are plenty of ways to repurpose your video content to create more comprehensive lead generation campaigns. All you need is a good game plan, and the content to match. Click here to learn how IdeaRocket can help you bring your latest project to life.
