Originally written: Apr 2016Updated: Nov 2019
To successfully convince your boss that inbound...
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10 mins read
These days, you'd have to look hard to find any successful business which doesn't employ videos as an integral part of its online marketing strategy. But even after all is said and done, we know there will still be doubts.
But why should you invest in videos? Are they really worth your money? We thought it would be best if we offer you our top 50 advantages and benefits of using video on your website to put you at ease.
While everyone else ramps up their budget to send just plain old text emails, you can gain the upper hand by sending out video emails. These can be highly personalised and set you apart from an inbox filled with run of the mill newsletters.
It's been proven that a combined audio-video stimulus has a better recall value than any text we read. Videos are your chance to get stuck in the minds of your consumers and become memorable.
Video emails and online videos are the future of communication. Their usage will only increase with time so the sooner you realise this, the better it'll be for you. Consumers expect businesses to be innovative and move forward; how can you ensure you meet those expectations?
Even though web videos are being readily utilised by businesses, not everyone has realised their potential and they're yet to hit the mainstream markets. This is your chance to get ahead of your competition and show why your business is a cut above the rest.
All those emails written by CEOs really don't have the same impact as a video - video that looks you in the eye and tells you how fantastic a company is. Think Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch!
Videos in emails give people a chance to put a face to the name and allow prospects to know you even before they meet you. We regularly let Rikki, Digital 22 Sales, Marketing & Client Director, take over our emails. It's that personal touch we want our consumers to connect with.
You might be spending loads on sales pitches or docs that are too boring to read. Whereas if you spend your time on recording a video with your team, showing them doing what they do best, it'll add a genuine human touch to your pitch which can swing the deal in your favour.
Believe it or not, but videos are perceived as more trustworthy than any other medium. It appeals to our fundamentals. When people watch you on video talking about the benefits of your products and services, they're much more likely to trust you. And we all know that trust counts for sales.
You can create introduction videos that tell them about your business and other videos talking about the kind of work you do. Adding some quotes from previously satisfied clients will help even more.
Videos hit their mark every time. All you need to worry about is recording them right the first time and you can sleep peacefully thereafter knowing your message will be delivered as intended, without the risks of it being misconstrued.
Written words in emails can be confusing or taken the wrong way. It's hard to perceive the tone of the sender in the absence of any non-verbal cues. Video content eliminates this confusion and any other chances of your message being misinterpreted.
So what's perceived as a humble brag on an email can be seen for what it actually is - the pure excitement and joy you have for your achievements.
Answering phone calls or writing email responses to customer queries is costly and time-consuming, especially when you might be a smaller team. Videos, on the other hand, provide a cheaper and more effective alternative to providing this essential part of service.
It's much easier for customers to learn how to troubleshoot or use a product by watching a video about it as many times as they want.
Videos are as easy to click and send as a regular text email. You don't have to work odd hours to interact with prospects in some other part of the world. It's more accessible than waiting around for timezones.
Customers call when answers to their queries can't be found online. By leveraging videos, you can save yourself the trouble of having to man the phones. They're easy to understand and very effective in answering customer queries.
You can shoot a video for each of their queries and they can be just as useful for thousands of other customers who might stumble across the same issue.
Consistency is important in a marketing message. With videos you deploy online or send in emails, in time you'll build a library you or your team can review before recording any new videos.
This will ensure the same consistency in your message to consumers, every time.
Videos are an underrated tool for informing and educating prospective customers about how you fit in the picture. Show them what they need and most importantly, what they're missing.
You can cite examples from your previous clients and show them what you've done to entice them. If done right, you can send them a compelling message without being pushy.
The way younger consumers shop is constantly evolving. More and more like watching videos before making their purchasing decisions. Make sure you aren't left out of the loop and that you deliver content in the way they most like to consume it.
When you use videos, you have the option to make the message interactive. By including links to 'limited time' offers, you can make the message that much more compelling and urgent. You're creating demand that otherwise wouldn't be there.
An important step in any sales process is for your client to get to know you. You can send out videos to prospects so they can get to know you and your personality before even meeting you. It's especially important when we can't reach out to prospects like we used to.
Many of us excel at personal interactions rather than writing sales pitches. With videos, you have a chance to make that perfect pitch in an email without writing a single word. For those who can talk the back legs off a donkey but struggle with the written word, this one's for you.
Videos are fantastic for training new recruits. Build a bank of resources and have them familiarise themselves with the work routine of your company even before they come in for training. Let them access these from home and in their personal time.
This will mean you don't have to train them in the basics and they'll already have an idea of what to expect.
We often find ourselves answering the same questions over and over again. With video, you can simply record your responses and email them directly to any client who asks the same question. Build on your collection of response videos and in time, you'll have every answer automated.
Videos make conveying complex thoughts and lengthy explanations simple and more entertaining. It's much easier to display information through practical application rather than write it down and leave it open to interpretation.
Videos can support your long-form content and keep readers engaged.
Did you know you can record a good enough video from your phone? Cheap production costs and long term viability of videos make them an indispensable marketing tool. Soon enough, you'll free up finances to spend elsewhere in the business.
Relationships are built over time and videos can support that blossoming partnership. Videos allow you to add a personal touch to any automated message. You can make the conversation more personalised by simply adding a video, be it to welcome new customers or to inform and thank the existing.
Wish your clients happy birthday and make it personal or just give them an update on the project. Either way, they'll feel a part of your organisation and will soon anxiously wait for your next feature.
CRM systems are those little saviours that make you undeniably more efficient. When you link with videos with your CRM, it becomes more personal, automatically. Just wait for a new prospect to sign up on your website and watch your personalised video message get delivered right into their inbox.
Say hello to a new sales lead without pressing a button!
Even with the world innovating every day, there will always be those who like doing business old school. They're easily turned off by automated messages and mechanised texts. By adding a video to your message, you can re-introduce the human touch unlike any other medium.
Regular interactions are important for any healthy business relationship. Use web videos to interact with your partners and joint venturers. Show them what you have been up to lately and ask them what they think about it. You'll be surprised at how involved they will get after watching your video.
Acknowledge your clients, appreciate their effort and do it all with personal video emails. Repeat it with the same videos for any new clients.
Show them how much you care, without dedicating anymore of your time than you have to.
Videos can easily convert any effective marketing strategy into cost-effective marketing strategy. Consider the re-usability factor of videos and cost of production compared to ROI becomes inconsequential.
If we were for some reason in a chocolate factory, videos would be those geese that laid golden eggs. And I want one.
You can save time and cost if you employ videos to answer any FAQs. With same products and services, different customers are likely to ask the same questions. So why should you answer it every time individually? Shoot an appropriate video response and let everyone learn from it.
Shoot-and-reuse videos will make your life much easier by filtering prospects, meaning you won't have to travel to those who aren't actually interested in your offering. This helps the environment too as you'll only need to burn gas to go meet genuine prospects.
Videos will allow you to do multiple things at once – talk to clients, train new recruits and answer customer queries - round the clock. This means you can dedicate more time to important business matters or relaxing. Completely up to you.
Creating a perfect video response is a step towards perfecting your entire business process. Once you create a flawless video, you can use it forever in future. Create even more perfectly reusable videos to make your business perfectly efficient.
Everybody's marketing needs a little face lift now and again. Excite your customers with shiny new videos and appeal to them unlike any other form of communication. It's just one way to develop a more effective marketing strategy.
Quick video responses and pre-recorded answers to FAQs show your customers you're a thorough professional who knows what they want. This helps you establish yourself as an expert in your industry.
Web videos still haven't fully made themselves into the mainstream. When people receive an interesting video in their email, they're compelled to show it to others. It can generate enough buzz through word of mouth for your business. So what are you waiting for?
Web videos have the same benefits as an ad on TV, but they don't cost that much. They're on-demand and often received better than any TV commercial as people want to watch them. Save yourself a few pennies and get creative with what you have. It's free to get started.
Automated emails can sometimes lack that personality aspect we all crave as consumers. When part of a well-written workflow, they can nurture leads into customers. You're giving them the best chance to convert when you throw in a cheeky video.
The presence of advanced analytical services, such as offered by Vidyard and YouTube's own 'Analytics' tool, helps anyone keep track of the numbers. Knowing exactly who's watching your video, when and also how many of them actually made a purchase (if you couple a CRM system) is invaluable.
You can track your spends while you tinker your strategy.
With an effective use of videos spread out throughout your sales message, you can direct and redirect consumers from different stages of the sales cycle to an actual sale.
A good example would be linking a video to the text and the video creating an urgency to buy with a direct link to the 'purchase' page.
Videos give you the freedom to create and reuse the same content over and over again. It'll come in handy when you want to reiterate your brand's ethos or your sales message, reaching out to consumers through different online media channels without increasing your spend. Don't let them forget you!
Using engaging, informative and entertaining videos in your marketing strategy will make you look professional, but also approachable. Customers who have to wait less time for answers will have a positive opinion about you that they'd most likely share with others.
No sales pitch can beat the word of mouth vote of confidence from someone you trust.
If you focus your efforts on online videos, they're less likely to be wasted. With a one time investment, web videos will keep on generating profits for you - tirelessly. You'll have enough time to focus on customers who actually pay your bills while web videos filter out the rest for you.
Clients are happy when their questions are answered on time. They're also pretty joyous when all their questions are answered and they know you care about their business with you.
Also, your customer service representatives are even happier answering questions when they aren't bogged down by the same repetitive questions. With good customer service, you'll ensure your clients don't have a reason to look beyond you, ever.
According to HubSpot, including video on a landing page can increase conversions by a whopping 80%. Watching a compelling speaker in a video can absolutely influence buying behaviour and persuade a visitor to convert into a lead (or a lead to convert into a customer!), as opposed to simply reading the information and choosing not to part with their details.
Search engines are constantly looking for content that engages viewers. Nothing entices longer page views quite like a video. This is the perfect opportunity to increase your visibility and gain some extra eyes on your site. Inbound marketing? You've cracked it.
How often do you share a video with a friend or family member? Let’s face it: this is the age of viral videos. What's more, 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others. This is your chance to have some fun and really show what your company is all about. Maybe you'll even go viral.
Videos aren’t all about making money or gaining views, the content you produce can actually contribute to your brand voice. It's an excellent way to introduce more about your company, its employees, the environment and your brand itself.
Websites are no longer static brochure sites. Successful businesses are using their website to create compelling experiences around their brand and videos can do just that. Case studies, demonstrations of products, sharing insight and stories - these add value to the visitor and keeps them on the page.
Studies have even shown that 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video. Better go and prepare for your close up.
For candidates looking for a new workplace to call home, your website is the first place they'll go to shape their decision. First impression count - if you can capture their interest here and really show why they should work for you, you're winning.
It's also a great way to put them at ease and banish any interview jitters. They'll already feel like they've met you and the wider team.
By leveraging video marketing, you'll lay a solid foundation for your business to grow. Along with CRM systems, videos will maintain an automated personalised channel of communication for all new prospects, round the clock, so you wouldn't miss out on any opportunities.
Web videos will take care of most of your needs including training employees, answering customer queries and also filtering out poor quality prospects. Once you have the pieces set, you'll be ready to handle any number of new customers with the same workforce.
Video marketing continues growing in demand and you're only limited by your imagination.
By adopting a video first approach can transform your whole business.
Videos can complement your entire marketing strategy. More than half of customers want to see videos from their favourite brands and it’s predicted that 82% of all internet traffic will be video by 2021. Before you fall any further behind the curve, it’s time to add inbound video to your current marketing efforts.
Check out our ultimate resource on inbound marketing video techniques. You'll be the next Tarantino in no time.
Originally written: Apr 2016Updated: Nov 2019
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