Your sales force utilize a variety of strategies to attract new customers and increase sales. Over the years, they've probably tried different selling trends as well, with varying degrees of success. But one trend that has proven to be extremely effective and shows no sign of dissipating is using video in sales. That's because video has become the number one content format preferred by consumers, making it an integral part of any sales and marketing strategy.
Consider the following eye-opening statistics about using video in sales:
- According to Cisco, video currently makes up over 80% of all consumer internet traffic.
- Studies and surveys have shown that over 70% of consumers prefer to see videos to learn about a product or service, and over 80% have made purchase decisions based on a video.
- Using video in sales increases conversions by up to 80%.
If you want to increase your ROI, using videos in sales is an integral tool when it comes to converting more potential customers. With today's technology, it's easy to produce and publish videos fairly quickly and inexpensively. But a professional-looking video is also important, as is where you choose to host your video.
Why Is Using Video in Sales So Effective?
There are several reasons using video in sales has proven to be an extremely viable sales strategy. For starters, watching a video is simply more interesting than reading a few blocks of text. Videos are visually appealing, entertaining and engage more of your senses, which helps the information presented in the video remain longer in the minds of your target audience. When used in email marketing, videos vastly improve click-through rates.
Videos better introduce your brand to prospects who aren't yet aware of you. Videos will help your brand get noticed a lot easier than text content, and a good video can ensure that your product or service stands out from competitors.
Videos are also more suited to showcasing the benefits or features of a product and how it can positively impact someone's life by solving a pain point. In fact, using video in sales throughout the entire customer journey can serve to build brand awareness and increase sales conversions. Nearly 90% of video marketers reported a strong ROI as a result of using video in sales.
Many brands opt to use an enterprise-grade video hosting platform to further enhance their marketing and sales campaigns. Viostream, for example, features unparalleled security and sharing tools and enables brands to better connect with their audience. Get a taste of what Viostream has to offer by creating a free account today.
Using Video in Sales: Best Practices
Although videos can be easy to make with the right tools, it isn't always so easy to create a video that really stands out or gets the point across in an effective manner. Consider these best practices when using video in sales.
Keep It Short and Simple
Although consumers love videos, they don't necessarily want to watch videos that are too long. As an unwritten guideline, sales videos are typically kept to a length of about 30 seconds to 3 minutes. For example, a short video can be used to simply showcase a particular feature or benefit of a product. A longer video can be used to showcase the product or service itself in a more in-depth fashion. But any longer than 3 minutes and you risk losing the interest of the viewer.
Know Your Audience
Many marketers make the mistake of creating a video they think will appeal to the audience without thinking about what the audience actually wants. Your sales force will ultimately be much more successful if they create videos that show how your brand's products or services will solve customer pain points, with messaging that resonates with the target market.
Choose the Right Hosting Platform
Free video hosting platforms like YouTube make it easy to quickly get your videos out there. But you give up a lot when you use these platforms. You have no control over what advertisements YouTube will insert before or during your video. There is also a matter of security (or lack thereof) when using free hosting platforms. And there are a lot of distractions when a consumer watches one of your videos on YouTube or another free platform, which can result in a loss of conversions.
When using video in sales, it's far better to use a business-oriented video hosting platform such as Viostream. Featuring an easy-to-use, reliable interface, you can easily share your videos with your audience and utilize powerful video analytics to align your content with your audiences' interests. Sign up for free account today.