In 2015 and beyond, mapping your content marketing to the Buyer’s Journey will become even more important. Buyers today are well researched and spend a considerable amount of time making purchase decisions, especially B2B buyers. Everything from blog articles to videos will have to be created and distributed with the stages of the Buyer’s Journey in mind.
Videos continue to pick up steam as a leading factor in B2B content marketing strategies, particularly explainer videos. Understanding how to create the right kind of video for the right buyer can make or break the success of this strategy. Here’s an overview of what types of videos perform best at each stage of the Buyer’s Journey, and a closer look at the effectiveness of using explainer videos to engage potential buyers.
The Awareness Stage
A buyer in the Awareness Stage is only just beginning to understand their problem. They are in the initial stages of discovery and might be beginning to research possible solutions. Some examples of good types of videos that work for prospects in this stage are:
- FAQ videos
- How-to videos
- Educational videos
These video types are considered Top of the Funnel (ToFu). Think of the sales cycle here. The prospect discovers a problem in the Awareness Stage, i.e. the ToFu. Videos and other types of content are meant to guide the prospect further through the sales cycle with content that is designed to meet their needs at each stage of the Buyer’s Journey.
Which leads us to the next step…
The Consideration Stage
It is in the Consideration Stage that buyers are aware of their problem, have found potential solutions, and are beginning to evaluate these solutions. The Consideration Stage is where explainer videos come in. Explainer videos are the best types of video to further explain a solution to a buyer’s problem. Buyers in this stage are looking for more information to their problem, and this is the place where sales reps can give it to them. This is where your reps can leverage their expertise and knowledge and further guide buyers through the sales cycle.
Put yourself in your buyers’ shoes. Use explainer videos that are short, concise, and easy to understand. Address the possible solutions and give real examples of how your process works. Buyers need to be able to visualize working with you and your company in order to determine if it’s a fit for them. So show them with an explainer video!
The Decision Stage
Here’s where you wrap it all up. The Decision Stage is where buyers have evaluated their solution options and are ready to make a decision that will work best for their company. This is where you need to reaffirm that your solution is that best fit. Here’s some ways to do that:
- Provide real testimonials from other customers
- Give an overview of a case study that explains how your solution worked for another company
In short, videos are not the future of content marketing; they are the current state of content marketing. If you aren’t using them, you are behind. We are visual people. In a world that is filled with content, videos cut through all the noise and present your solution in a clear, competitive way that will leave a lasting impression.
Watch the SmarkLabs explainer video to get an idea of what yours should look like.
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