6 Clever Video Marketing Hacks to Increase Your Leads

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Do you find lead generation tough? You are not alone! According to a HubSpot survey report, 65 percent of businesses find lead generation to be their topmost marketing challenge.  

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However, there are enough strategies that can be adopted up your lead generation game, one of which is content marketing. Better still, video content marketing!

A business’s content marketing efforts directly impacts its ability to generate leads. In fact, according to the Not Another State of Marketing Report by HubSpot, lead generation is the third most common metric used by marketers to measure their content efforts. 

(Image Source: Hubspot)

Simply put, the quality and type of content you share and the way you promote it has a huge impact on the number of leads your business generates. 

When we talk about the most preferred type of content used by modern marketers, video content tops the list. 

(Image Source: Hubspot)

That’s because videos are the most engaging, and memorable (and profitable!) content type today. An infographic by Oberlo shares that video marketers get 66 percent more qualified leads compared to those who don’t use videos. Further, sharing video content allows you to leverage the power of YouTube, the second-largest search engine after Google!

Use the below-mentioned video marketing hacks to wow your visitors and convert them into valuable leads. 

1. Make the First 5-10 Seconds Count

Over the past decade, the audience’s attention span has sunk drastically. Research reveals that if your audience isn’t hooked within the first five seconds of the video, there’s a high chance of them skipping it never to return. Hence, it’s important to grab your viewer’s attention within the first 5 seconds (10 seconds is the outer limit!). Here’s what I recommend! 

a) Get to the Point, Quickly! 

Always start with the viewer’s intent in mind. Tell them what they will get from your video. Check out how Brian Dean starts each of his videos to gain maximum viewership and subscriptions for his YouTube channel. 

(Video Source: Youtube)

Neil Patel, in the first 10 seconds of this video, appeals to what every digital marketer dreads – building backlinks. This is enough to keep viewers glued to the video as they relate to it and need a solution. 

(Video Source: Youtube

b) Sprinkle Your Video with Emotions (Fear, Mystery, and Urgency)

Creating a sense of urgency, mystery, excitement, or fear in the first 10 seconds can pique your audience’s curiosity, persuading them to keep watching.  

The first 5-10 seconds of Wistia’s video for its product Soapbox is absolutely intriguing. Check out how they spark curiosity among their viewers who are eager to know more about it. 

(Video Source: Youtube)

c) Narrate a Story

I am not talking about sharing long background stories. You need a short intriguing story that hooks viewers and leaves them wanting to know more about your brand. 

Referring to Wistia’s awesome videos again! The company launched a series of engaging videos involving clients of Soapbox who share their journey with the product. These videos not only act as social proof but are also creatively made (with a hint of humor!) to engage viewers until the end and generate leads.

Finally, pay attention to the tone of voice, the visual style, and the background music you use. These factors also help in making a good first impression on your viewers, encouraging them to stay.

2. Prioritize Content Quality 

Whether you are creating a demo video or a tutorial, focus on delivering value to your viewers. High-quality, relevant, shareable, and easy-to-consume content will help you capture quality leads and boost conversions. 

Tailor your video content to various stages of the sales funnel, namely top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. Simply put, you should have a relevant video to attract viewers, convert them into leads, and nurture them into loyal customers. 

a) Top of the Funnel

This is the awareness stage where you need to attract viewers and deliver enough informative content that offers a solution to their needs or issues. Use educational and brand videos (that share your vision/mission) to capture their attention and raise awareness through relevant content. 

b) Middle of the Funnel

By this stage, your viewers are committed to solving their problems and looking to consider different options. Hence, you need to share product videos, explainer videos, and case studies that share why your product or service is the best option, thus converting them into leads. 

c) Bottom of the Funnel 

This is where your leads make a decision. So, close that sale by sharing testimonial videos that can act as a final incentive for them to make a decision. 

After this stage, use user-generated videos to engage customers and attract more leads. 

3. Gate Your Video Content 

This is by far the most popular and winning tactic you can adopt to generate new leads. Set up an email gate, asking your viewers to share their email for access to a video of a live webinar or an influencer interview. However, make sure the content is absolutely worth their efforts. 

Check out how well-known brands like Gartner and Content Marketing Institute gate webinars to generate new leads. 

Gartner webinar
(Image Source: Gartner)



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Online tools like Lead Generator and Turnstile can help you generate email leads by inserting a user-friendly email form at any point during the video. 

4. Add a Video to Your Landing Page 

Landing pages are meant to offer visitors relevant brand information, thereby converting them into leads and pushing them down the funnel. Also, people spend 2.6 times more time on pages with a video than those without one. So, adding a video to your landing page makes sense!

A great example of this is HRdownloads, an HR software company, which uses a video on its homepage to share its vision and mission and generate quality leads. 

( Image Source: Hrdownloads)

5. Have a Clear CTA 

The most successful video campaign can fail to generate leads if a clear call to action isn’t included in it. You’ve got to tell your audience about the final action they need to take. A CTA helps you do that. It reiterates the central focus of your video, converting it into a solid lead generation tool.

Most businesses use pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll CTA to generate conversions through video engagement. However, you need to consider where your viewers are in the buying process and add the CTA accordingly. For instance, a pre-roll CTA (at the beginning of the video) doesn’t make sense for a new audience who’s unaware of your brand. In this case, viewers have little motivation to click. 

Mid-roll and post-roll videos are quite successful as they come across as natural breaks and do not interfere with the viewing experience. Further, they tend to have a higher conversion rate as the engaged viewer is more likely to respond to the CTA. 

Notice how HubSpot effectively uses CTAs at strategic points in its videos to encourage their viewers to act. The CTAs either encourage viewers to visit the HubSpot Academy website or subscribe to their channel. 

(Screenshot Source: Youtube)

YouTube annotations, cards, pop-up CTA, and contact forms in the middle or at the end of your video can get you the desired response. For instance, if your video is 3-minute long, you can add a mid-roll pop-up CTA at 1:10 for a new tool you introduced. Towards the final frames of the video (post-roll CTA) you can insert an annotation, asking the viewer to subscribe to your channel. 

6. Share Your Videos on Social Media Channels for Maximum Visibility

The latest Digital 2020 report by We Are Social and Hootsuite reveals that nearly 50 percent (3.8 billion) of the world’s population is using social media. 

(Image Source: Wearesocial

What’s more? According to the Social Video Trends: Marketer Insights for 2020 report by Animoto, branded video content is the social consumer’s favorite type of content. In fact, 60 percent of consumers who purchased from a brand got to know about it through their social media videos. 

So, if you aren’t promoting your video on social channels, you are losing out on a huge opportunity to generate leads. Consider these tips to generate leads using social videos. 

a) Optimize Videos for the Social Channel

Your ultimate objective for sharing video content on your social channel is to encourage visitors to visit your website, where they can be further engaged. Optimize your video for the channel you choose. For instance, YouTube and IGTV are ideal for long videos. Twitter, on the other hand demands brevity and encourages short videos (about 45 seconds). 

Check out HubSpot’s recommendations for the ideal video length as per the channel. 

Facebook – 1 minute 

YouTube – 2 minutes

Instagram – 30 seconds

Twitter – 45 seconds

Creating tailored video content for social channels is key to the success of your video in the social world. Consider the best practices of each social channel when planning to go social with your video marketing strategy. 

b) Leverage Live Videos 

In a year from now, live videos will make up for 10 percent of internet traffic. That’s how important live videos are to the success of your online promotion strategy. Live videos are ideal for the modern FOMO-obsessed social consumers. So, more live videos means more people will watch your live streaming, generating new leads for your business. 

c) Create Mobile-Friendly Videos 

91 percent of social media users access these channels using a mobile device. Naturally, it’s important to create videos that are easily accessible across a variety of devices. 

Wrapping Up

Without a doubt, videos are one of the most powerful lead generation tools available to modern marketers. By having a solid video marketing strategy in place you can differentiate yourself from the competition, engage your audience through the sales funnel, and generate new leads. 

Use the winning tips shared above to get your prospective buyers to the next stage of the sales cycle and drive business profits. 

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