Using videos to optimize engagement in search-driven buyer journeys

The method of buying a buyer begins along with your first contact. There are a number of levels a client goes by earlier than turning into a buyer after which a loyal buyer. A purchaser journey begins with figuring out or expressing a necessity. This want then needs to be fulfilled ultimately or the opposite. 

With over eight billion searches per yr, actual purchaser journeys are difficult and should take weeks or months. Nonetheless, to simplify issues, here’s a snapshot of the important thing levels an individual goes by to change into your buyer. Since almost 68 % of on-line experiences start with a search engine all these levels can very effectively occur in Google itself:

• Consciousness: when a client finds out that you’ve an answer to an issue, they want to be solved. In lots of (however not all) circumstances, this looking journey begins with a “tips on how to” question. 
• Consideration: when a client provides you to the checklist of potential resolution suppliers
• Resolution: when a client believes you might have one of the best resolution and turns into a paying buyer.

Companies want to assist customers make the proper determination by offering data, help and instilling belief in your model by the method.

With video content material displaying up throughout search outcomes, it is sensible to make use of movies for all these three levels within the client’s journey. The most effective factor about movies is that they rank extremely effectively, particularly when you host them on YouTube and observe video optimization.

The 2 distinct sections the place video can help your potential clients at every stage of a shopping for journey are:

• Featured snippets: When Google features a video in a featured snippet, that’s a robust sign that individuals are looking for a video tutorial to unravel their downside. If that’s your goal search question, making a video is a should, particularly when optimizing for the “consciousness” stage within the funnel.
• Video carousels: Google contains video carousels when a video intent is implied. It isn’t in any respect tough to rank your video there, particularly in the case of particular (low-search-volume) queries, like brand-driven queries.

Right here’s an instance of each of those sections rating on the very prime of the search consequence web page, pushing natural outcomes method under the above-the-fold a part of the display. Discover a very-well branded video by Lowes being featured for a really related – albeit longtail – question. I guess this generates fairly a couple of leads for them. There’s additionally one other model – The Dwelling Depot – rating its video within the carousel under. Seems to be like, each of those manufacturers are doing their homework effectively:

There are a lot of completely different sorts of video content material that can be utilized at every particular stage.  These movies assist to encourage the patron to proceed their journey with you relatively than along with your competitor.

Consciousness

Because the title suggests, this video optimization technique ensures that your goal clients change into conscious of your model.

The forms of video advertising and marketing content material that work finest at this stage of the funnel embody:

Be certain your movies are well-branded to construct recognizability: Use your emblem and colour palette in your video thumbnail, as it’s going to present up in search outcomes.

As soon as the attention has been created, it’s time to consolidate all that effort and transition your client to the subsequent stage of consideration.

Consideration

You may improve your buyer expertise at this stage by movies that place your product in a method you need it to be positioned. A superb motive to make use of movies at this stage is that they put your product in a real-life context, that’s, they present precisely how different individuals are utilizing your product.

The best movies for this stage are:

• Explainer movies to introduce your client to the product and describe what you provide intimately. The explainer movies current the issue, focus on how your organization can show the answer and spotlight the options of the product and its advantages to the patron. Consider these movies as lead magnets: You need them to offer worth, not simply discuss your product. 
• Product demo movies to clarify how a services or products works intimately. They spotlight all the benefits of utilizing the product in a straightforward to know format. They typically use step-by-step directions to indicate tips on how to use the product and should embody some modern concepts about the place to make use of it. A superb script and wonderful presentation make it a standout product demo movies of all time. It’s a good suggestion to create an on-site video gallery in your website to share these demos along with your website guests. Movies do decelerate your pages, so thoughts your web page load time when utilizing embedded content material.
• Storytelling movies to indicate a lighter facet of your corporation, humanize it to make it join with the patron. These movies inform a narrative about your corporation, its hopes, aspirations, and values. Normally, firm workers and executives communicate in regards to the firm, their experiences with it and their work. They’re designed to create an emotive response that may strengthen the customers’ relationship along with your firm.

As all of those movies are speculated to be rating in Google, be sure that to match them to the precise search queries which have increased business intent.

Resolution

The third stage of the patron’s journey is convincing the client that your services or products presents one of the best resolution to their downside. 

That is the stage the place the patron is already dedicated to purchase and desires a mild nudge in the proper path. That is the time when you could emphasize on trust-building so the patron trusts your model and buys your product. The best movies at this stage are peer testimonials and evaluations.

• Video testimonials: These are one of the best forms of movies for belief and confidence-building in your potential clients and a should for the ultimate stage of buyer acquisition which is lead conversion. 
• Buyer-driven storytelling movies displaying how your clients use the product in a extra inventive context.

Your goal search queries for these kind of movies embody:

• Your product and your model title: When you have a longtime model (or in case you are working in direction of that), your model title is being searched in Google, and these movies will make sure you’ll have one more asset you management in brand-driven SERPs. If you’re doing a good job monitoring your model in natural search, you already know your necessary brand-driven search queries.
• Competitor-driven search queries: These are search queries exploring your rivals’ options and evaluating two rivals.

These movies must also be reused in two necessary methods:

• Embed them in your key touchdown pages: Video content material is a well known option to enhance conversions however on this case it’s a great way to assist your clients really feel at house as they are going to see the identical video on the web page after clicking the hyperlink on YouTube. It is usually a good suggestion to curate these movies in your devoted buyer evaluations web page.
• Use these movies to your remarketing campaigns. You need to use retargeting on YouTube to serve them to individuals who already went by stage #2 within the shopping for journey however haven’t transformed but.

Conclusion

Utilizing movies in your natural search technique to have interaction clients at every main stage of their shopping for journey is likely one of the finest examples of how search engine optimisation and gross sales can assist one another. Embody movies in each search engine optimisation and CRO methods and you’ll probably see a lot better outcomes on each fronts.

Ann Smarty is the Founding father of Viral Content material Bee, Model and Neighborhood supervisor at Web Advertising Ninjas. She might be discovered on Twitter @seosmarty.

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