Building your video content Strategy Series: Consider the Entire Customer Journey
Building an effective video content strategy goes beyond creating individual videos—it involves thinking about how your content fits into the entire customer journey. This journey represents the path a potential customer takes from the moment they first learn about your brand to the point they become a loyal customer, and even beyond. To maximise the impact of your video content, you need to align your strategy with each stage of the customer journey. For experts in video marketing, this requires a deep understanding of how video can address customer needs, build trust, and drive conversions at every touchpoint.
By considering the customer journey, your video content becomes more than just promotional material. It becomes a tool for building relationships, educating potential buyers, and creating lasting loyalty. In this article, we will explore how to strategically create video content that engages customers at different stages of their journey, ensuring a seamless and cohesive experience.
The Awareness Stage: Capturing Attention with Educational and Entertaining Content
The first stage of the customer journey is awareness. At this point, potential customers are not yet familiar with your brand or the solutions you offer. The goal at this stage is to introduce your company and spark curiosity without overwhelming the audience with hard sales messages. Here, video content should focus on providing value, capturing attention, and positioning your brand as a credible resource.
Educational and entertaining videos work particularly well in the awareness stage. For example, explainer videos or thought-leadership pieces that address common industry challenges allow you to position your brand as a helpful guide. These types of videos should not push your product or service directly but instead offer valuable information that resonates with your target audience. The key is to capture attention by addressing a pain point or sharing an insightful perspective that makes the viewer want to learn more.
Social media platforms are especially useful for distributing awareness-stage content. Short, visually engaging videos posted on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube can generate initial interest and lead viewers to explore your brand further.
The Consideration Stage: Building Trust with In-Depth Content
Once potential customers are aware of your brand, they move into the consideration stage. Here, they begin researching solutions, comparing competitors, and evaluating how your offerings might meet their needs. The goal in this stage is to build trust and provide more detailed information that helps prospects make informed decisions.
Video content in the consideration stage should be more in-depth than in the awareness stage. Product demo videos, customer testimonials, and case studies are excellent tools for showcasing your product’s value and differentiating it from competitors. These videos allow potential customers to see how your product works in real-world scenarios, understand its benefits, and hear from people who have had positive experiences with your brand.
It’s also important to address any potential concerns or objections in this stage. An FAQ video or a comparison video can help clarify questions your audience may have and guide them towards the right decision. Your goal is to position your brand as the most credible and valuable option.
While these videos can be hosted on your website, they are also effective on platforms like LinkedIn, where decision-makers seek detailed, relevant content.
The Decision Stage: Convincing Prospects with Targeted Video Content
In the decision stage, potential customers are ready to make a purchase decision, but they need that final push. At this point, video content needs to address specific features, benefits, and the value proposition of your product or service. The goal is to convince prospects that your offering is the best choice for them and make the purchasing process as seamless as possible.
Product demonstration videos, feature walkthroughs, and pricing breakdowns are highly effective at this stage. These videos should highlight the key differentiators that set your product apart and make it clear why the investment is worthwhile. At this stage, you can be more direct about your offer, explaining how your product solves a particular problem or meets a specific need in greater detail.
Personalised video content is also powerful in the decision stage. By tailoring your messaging to individual customers, you create a sense of relevance and urgency. For example, sending personalised video messages to prospects explaining how your solution fits their unique challenges can increase the likelihood of conversion.
Additionally, ensuring that your call-to-action (CTA) is strong and clear is crucial. Your CTA should guide viewers to take the next step, whether it’s signing up for a free trial, requesting a demo, or making a purchase. Videos hosted on your website or landing pages should lead directly to conversion opportunities, making it easy for prospects to take action.
Post-Purchase: Nurturing Loyalty with Follow-Up and Onboarding Videos
The customer journey doesn’t end once a purchase is made. In fact, post-purchase video content is crucial for nurturing loyalty and turning one-time buyers into long-term customers. After the sale, your focus should shift towards supporting customers and ensuring they get the most value from your product or service.
Onboarding videos are essential for new customers. These videos provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up or use your product, helping customers get started smoothly. By making the onboarding process simple and user-friendly, you reduce potential frustration and ensure a positive experience from the start.
Follow-up videos, such as tutorials on advanced features or tips for optimising product use, help deepen customer engagement. These videos provide ongoing value and reinforce the benefits of your product, increasing the likelihood of repeat purchases or upgrades.
You can also use video content to gather feedback and strengthen relationships with your customers. A simple "thank you" video, combined with a request for a review or testimonial, adds a personal touch and shows that you value customer satisfaction. This type of content helps maintain an emotional connection with your customers, increasing the chances that they will become loyal advocates for your brand.
Expanding Relationships: Using Video to Encourage Advocacy
Loyal customers are valuable not just because they continue to buy from your brand, but because they can become advocates who help spread the word. Encouraging advocacy is the final stage of the customer journey, and video content plays a key role in activating and empowering your most loyal customers to share their positive experiences.
Testimonial videos featuring satisfied customers are highly effective at showcasing the value of your brand to new audiences. These videos serve as social proof and can be used across multiple channels, including your website, social media, and email campaigns.
In addition, user-generated content (UGC) campaigns that encourage customers to create their own videos highlighting how they use and enjoy your product can amplify brand awareness. By providing incentives or featuring customer videos on your official channels, you encourage more people to share their stories, further extending your reach.
Building video content that fosters advocacy also strengthens customer relationships. By acknowledging and celebrating your loyal customers through personalised video messages or spotlight features, you create an emotional connection that deepens their brand loyalty.
Conclusion: A Holistic Approach to Video Content Strategy
Considering the entire customer journey when building your video content strategy ensures that you engage, inform, and convert potential customers at every stage. From awareness to advocacy, video content can address the unique needs of your audience, helping to build lasting relationships and drive meaningful results.
For expert marketers, aligning video content with the customer journey is essential for long-term success. By using data to understand customer behaviour, optimising your content for each stage, and nurturing loyalty, you create a cohesive and powerful video content strategy that supports your business goals.
#CustomerJourney #VideoMarketing #ContentStrategy #CustomerEngagement