In our recent manufacturing industry survey, we discovered that 47.6% of engineers prefer video over all other content types. So, if you’re not including quality video content in your marketing strategy for 2023, you’re likely missing out on attracting a big part of your audience.
VIDEO CONTENT AND THE INBOUND METHODOLOGY
When you use the inbound methodology as a foundation for your business, you replace the traditional sales funnel with a flywheel. The three phases of the flywheel are ‘attract’, ‘engage’ and ‘delight’. When you apply force at the attract phase, it creates a momentum that keeps the wheel spinning, and, therefore, makes your business go round.
Video content can work at each phase and create the forward momentum to power the flywheel. In this blog, we’ll discuss how video content can be implemented at each stage of the inbound flywheel.
STEP 1: ATTRACT LEADS WITH VIDEO CONTENT
How much video content are you posting on your social media pages? Video has long been the most successful social content, and this trend continues in 2023, with the rise of AI-generated content pushing customers to look for video to build trust with a brand.
For social media, short videos work best. Dedicate a whole day to filming, and you’ll end up with months’ worth of content for your social channels.
Here are some ideas on what to capture for your social media video content:
Manufacturing in Action - Behind-the-scenes footage of your machines or products in operation. These are a visual treat for your audience, are satisfying to watch, and allow you to introduce your audience to your products in a highly engaging format.
Frequently Asked Questions - Brainstorm a list of 20 of the most commonly asked questions about your product and service, and film the answers. These videos build trust in your audience and can help them during their individual research phase of their buying journey.
Show, Don’t Tell - What do you say you do? Do you claim to be the best tooling solutions provider, or medical device manufacturer? Is there a way you can show your audience this, rather than simply telling them? Presenting this information visually will always be more compelling.
STEP 2: ENGAGE LEADS & CUSTOMERS WITH VIDEO
Engaging videos are all about creating content that will excite and encourage your prospects to take action.
From driving website visits, to generating new conversions, taking an engagement-focussed approach to your video strategy will pay dividends. By creating video content which is entertaining, inspiring and educational, you encourage leads to stick around for longer.
Here are a few ideas on what types of videos can best engage your audience:
About Us - Create a longer video for your website that captures exactly what it is like working with you.
Meet the Team - The team page is often one of the most visited pages on a company’s website. A video introducing your staff can help foster a relationship with your prospects by closing the gap between your business and your customers. It also is an excellent tool in a recruitment strategy, by allowing candidates an insight into what it’s like to work for your company.
Landing Page videos - Videos on a landing page or for a specific campaign are a powerful way to engage a user. For example, including a video explaining what happens when a user follows the suggested CTA has been shown to increase conversions by up to 80%.
STEP 3: VIDEO CONTENT FOR THE DELIGHT PHASE
These videos are arguably the most essential your business can produce, because delighted customers drive repeat sales and referrals - generating the force needed to keep the flywheel spinning.
Here are a few video ideas you can use to create video to delight your customers:
Case Studies - case study or testimonial videos have a double-pronged approach to driving the flywheel round. On the one hand, they reinforce the hard work and achievements you provided for the featured customers, and give free exposure for their business. On the other hand, they offer social proof to leads and prospects visiting your website, increasing conversion rates. Try putting a short video testimonial next to your contact form on the website.
Educate and Entertain - The two ‘E’s that should be behind every video you create. Delight your prospects and existing customers by producing educational and entertaining videos on your industry, products or services. Consider creating deep-dive explainer videos, webinars, recorded seminars or even product demonstrations.
There you have it! Three ways to include video in your inbound marketing strategy.
Video can be daunting to get started with, so we have created three video packages that work to support each stage of the inbound marketing flywheel.
- Attract video package, from £5,520
- Engage video package, from £7,520
- Delight video package, from £10,080
To read more about our video services click here, or get in touch today.