by 
Do you use social media to generate revenue?
Want to add video to your marketing plan?
Serving social media video at the proper time can help a person go from lead to customer in a few simple clicks.
In this article, you’ll discover how to use social media video to support your sales funnel.
#1: Create Your Sales Video
In today’s social media economy, video reigns supreme and a high-converting sales video is one of the most valuable assets in your marketing arsenal.
Here are a few tips to create a high-converting sales video for your business:
Outline the key problem that your product or service can solve. Explain the current issue that customers and prospects have, and then outline the solution that your product or service provides.
Tell a story. A story will keep viewers engaged and provide entertainment, enlightenment, and information. You know your customers best, so if you feel that incorporating humor, statistics, or sarcasm makes sense, do it.
This video for Allstate’s #ItsNotJustStuff campaign explores the strong connection that we have with our possessions.
Be concise and use statements that keep viewers engaged. Once you’ve written the video script, read it out loud. Make sure it sounds as natural as possible and doesn’t come across as too salesy.
Think about the video’s production value and use the right tools. Creating a polished, professional-looking video is crucial. According to a Brightcove survey, 62% of consumers are more likely to have a negative perception of businesses that publish poor-quality videos.
Don’t forget to sell. A lot of sales videos don’t actually include a call to action asking for a sale or a signup. Rather than imply a particular action, spell it out for your audience and direct them to take it.
Here’s an example of a winning sales video from Dollar Shave Club. It appeals brilliantly to their target demographic, includes all of the necessary information about the product, has a strong call to action, and serves up a dose of humor.
#2: Automate Delivery of Your Video
Now that you have a solid sales video, it’s time to put it to work for you.
By automating as much of your sales funnel as possible, you can sell your products and services as you sleep and increase the average customer dollar spent. Automation can help you achieve massive growth and is crucial to improving your profit margins.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to automate your video marketing and social media:
Design an Optimized Landing Page
First, create an optimized landing page using a tool like Unbounce or Leadpages. Make sure that you also install the Facebook pixel on the page.
Keep the landing page simple and clean, include one main offer, and add a solution-based headline. The offer might be an opt-in for a free resource or tool or an option to buy your product. Whatever the main call to action for your landing page, make it obvious and easy!
Create a Facebook Video Ad
Now, use your sales video to create a highly targeted Facebook video ad. The ad should be based on the product or service featured on your landing page. The main goal of the ad is to get users to click through to the landing page.
You can target the ad to specific segments of your audience. These are the 200,000-500,000 people who are most likely to purchase from the landing page.
Retarget Through Facebook Ads
Next, retarget through Facebook ads to maximize your sales process.
Unfortunately, abandoned shopping cart rates are on the rise. A Baymard Institute study shows that on average, 68.81% of shopping carts are abandoned. For some of your customers, life just gets in the way. They get distracted, they’re not ready to buy, or they don’t have the money at that moment.
When they leave the sales process, it doesn’t mean they don’t want your product or service. It’s up to you to remind consumers of the solution that you’re providing.
Social Media Marketing Workshops (Online Training)
Want to improve your paid and organic marketing on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or LinkedIn—and secure your future? Get ready to be coached by 14 of the world’s best social marketing pros in the most comprehensive social marketing training we've ever offered. You’ll receive step-by-step live instruction so you can increase your reach, create amazing engagement, and sell more with social media. Become the marketing hero for your company and clients as you implement strategies that get proven results. This is a live online training event from your friends at Social Media Examiner.
How can you claim some of the 68.81% back? Because your landing page includes the Facebook pixel, you can retarget people who visited the page but didn’t get to the purchase stage.
Create another ad about your product that is shown only to people who visited the landing page. The ad should draw people back to the landing page, increasing the chances they’ll become paying customers.
#3: Record and Serve an Upsell Video
To generate additional sales from purchasers, create a video to offer complementary products or services. Be sure the upsell product makes sense for your customers. Does it relate to the product they’ve just bought? Will it add value and help solve their problem?
Once you’ve answered these questions, film the upsell video. You can start with the same sales script as the primary product, but be sure to tweak it for the benefits and solutions this new product creates for your customers.
#4: Measure Success and Refine Your Strategy
How do you know if your sales video is succeeding? By reviewing your metrics! Remember the goal you set out to achieve with the video: to sell a certain amount of your product or service. How far off of that goal are you? Have you surpassed it?
Here are the metrics you should be tracking:
- Social media shares
- Social media comments
- Video views on social media channels
- Landing page views
- Average time spent on landing page
- Click-through rate on the landing page
- Average time spent watching the sales video
- Percentage of viewers who take the call to action (to purchase)
- Percentage of upsell/cross-sell
- Abandoned shopping cart percentage
- Retargeted sales
- Abandoned shopping cart sales via email
Review your metrics and tailor your strategy as needed. If some aspect of your sales process isn’t working, make changes to improve your results.
The power of insights is in how you respond to them. If your video has been well received by your audience, understand the why and how so you can replicate successful tactics in future videos.
Use Social Media to Spread Messages About Your Service or Product
If you have a product or service to market, the goal is to sell. However, if you create one sales video and post it everywhere hoping for the sales to roll in, that’s not likely to happen.
Remember that your customers are all different types of buyers. Some will know you and your offerings well, while others might be unfamiliar with you but want to know more. Some people will prefer to buy after seeing your pitch 5, 6, or 7 times, while others will buy from one line in an email.
Rather than drastically changing your message or pitch for each audience, you can tweak your message in slightly different ways.
Engage in Real Time With Live Video
Live video lets you engage with your followers in a more personal and intimate setting. You can share a targeted message with your audience and they can interact with you. With a live stream, you’re chatting with your followers, not reading your sales video script.
In this Facebook Live video, a Weight Watchers leader demonstrates how to use the company’s new FitBreak app.
During the live stream, talk about the benefits of your product or service and direct viewers to click through to your landing page or website.
Tease the Longer Story
If you want to direct people to a video on another platform, consider teasing the longer story.
On Twitter, for example, you can record up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds of video to deliver short, sharp messages. Share the core message of your product or service, the reason why your followers need to listen, and how they can access the information you want to share (the landing page you want them to go to).
Share Customer Testimonials
Testimonials and case studies are both elements of social proof or social influence. They’re the embodiment of the saying, “If it works for him, it might work for you.” You can post your video testimonial on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, LinkedIn, or basically anywhere!
Conclusion
Audiences are 10 times more likely to engage (embed, share, or comment) with video content than with text-only blogs or related social posts. Take advantage of this by automating your video marketing and incorporating social media. This adds contingency and moves away from relying on a single point of success, thus ensuring you don’t have a single point of failure.
What do you think? Has this article inspired you to revise your video marketing plan? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
