In today’s internet world, video marketing is easily the smartest way to convert your online audience into loyal customers. As per a recent report, by the end of this year, online video will account for 74% of all online traffic. Content marketers are realizing this huge potential of reaching out to the world through online videos. However, while conceptualizing a marketing video the biggest challenge you face is to strike a balance between telling a story and highlighting the key propositions of your offering. While internet audiences love those powerfully emotional or rib-tickling hilarious stories, sometimes it is also essential to be direct and inform your audience about your awesome product features. It is a tough call, right? So, where do you draw that fine line? The answer lies in a carefully designed video strategy that targets your potential customers at their exact stage in the buying process. Yes, there are different kinds of videos that work better for different stages of your sales funnel.

TOFU: Top of the Funnel

This is where your audience is just getting to know about your brand. Self-obsession with messaging might just drive such an audience away. Videos that are more story-oriented work really well here. Try to connect with your audience with a funny ad or an emotional cause and subtly inject the brand name towards to the end. This builds strong brand awareness and recall and often also creates an urge to explore more about your business. The idea is to educate the potential customers, build empathy through a story and make them aware that you exist. Recommended channels to publish such videos: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat.

MOFU: Middle of the Funnel

This is where your potential buyers are exploring more keenly about your offering and perhaps comparing those with other similar options available in the market. Explainer videos that highlight how your business solves a pain point for these audiences would trigger their first serious interest in buying. Videos about the unique features of your offering could make a lot of difference at this stage. Short videos about different use cases, case studies, and customer testimonials would really drive them further toward the bottom of your sales funnel. Recommended channels to publish such videos: Website Landing pages, Sales pitches, and Paid ads through Google/Facebook.

BOFU: Bottom of the Funnel

Traditional marketing experts suggest that content stops working at this stage of the funnel and the final conversion mainly depends on the personal connection between your sales team and the potential customer. However, with more and more focus on customer segmentation and sales automation, videos come in handy in pushing them over the line. Short videos about existing offers, discount seasons, and free trials could trigger an immediate response among the audience to go toward your buying conversion. Video hosting tools like Wistia also allow you to collect email ids of people who are genuinely very close to conversion and probably need a little more push into buying. Recommended channels to publish such videos: Target marketing techniques like SMS and Email marketing. Here is a summary of how Video marketing strategy can be aligned to your sales funnel.