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Don’t listen to marketers who tell you that video is solely used for brand awareness. It’s a common myth peddled by people who shy away from analytics. While it’s true that video is the best tool to get your name out there, it’s not just a one-trick pony. Video is versatile, and as the demand rises for video content. By 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic (Source: SmallBizTrends). There are a million different ways you can use it to achieve your marketing goals.At the end of the day, all marketing goals have the same end result: increasing sales. So let’s just cut to the chase. Beyond just brand awareness – how can video be used as a sales-driving tool? As with all content, clear messaging is crucial. A laser-focused call to action prompts people to follow through after the view. The right placement is everything. Three-pronged strategy that puts content in the right places to nurture your leads closer to closing the deal. There’s no silver bullet, but the videos below may get you where you want to be. Here are some specific ways to utilize video marketing to drive conversions. #1 – Direct Advertising on Social Media Social media is notoriously amazing for building organic brand awareness, but it’s also great for driving sales. Both B2B and B2C companies have found massive success by serving relevant content to the communities they’ve built on various social platforms. Facebook alone generates 8 billion video views on average per day (Source: Rocketium). That’s largely because these platforms make content intrinsically shareable. People can share with their cultivated networks, with people who have opted-in to follow them. By extension, if the content piques their interest, they’ll follow your company and get your updates as well. It’s a dream come true. You can test posts organically before deciding to sponsor them – gauging engagement and performance before spending a dime on distribution. There are several places for a direct CTA – in the visuals, in the script, and in the caption itself. The hard part about driving conversions on social is that your plea needs to be enticing enough to get them to click out of their app/tab of choice. Pairing an engaging video with a clear CTA catered to your audience can achieve this. You’ll also want to pair it with a mobile-optimized site that encourages future visits. Social – you can connect with influencers who can make a direct plea to their networks using platforms like LinkedIn. The key here is making it seem organic – either tell a story, point to a cause greater than yourself, or shoot it naturally with a phone to make it seem real. All in all the formula for driving conversions on social is simple: Engage, entertain, emote, entice. #2 – “How To” Videos DIY culture is huge right now. As the economy ebbs and flows, people are taking things into their own hands that they previously would have outsourced. A reliance on the digital world is enticing people to get back to their roots and work with their hands. How-To videos can seem sort of counterintuitive for some service-based industries. Giving people the knowledge they need to complete a project can feel like you’re giving away the farm. But at its core, it’s content marketing. It establishes you as an expert, gets people to trust you, and wins over clients. During the gold rush, the people who made the most money consistently were the people selling the shovels. Imagine if they had marketed videos like “HOW TO FIND GOLD IN YUKON” or “BEST PRACTICES FOR SIFTING THROUGH LARGE AMOUNTS OF DIRT” and used their own shovels and sifters in the video? Now imagine they put a link directly to the product – not only in the caption and description, but also as an overlay link? It’s indirect advertising in the most direct way possible. Showing your products in use, giving tips about best practices, and adding a layer of social proof. Using the products you sell as a piece of the greater puzzle, and showing the viewer where their place is in the whole thing. #3 – Video Testimonials In the digital age, social proof is an essential component of every marketing strategy. People are armed with information, and they’re going to do their research. Third party review pages are often the first place they’ll go Investing in testimonials shows that you’re investing in your clients and their thoughts. It gives them a person to connect to, a person to trust, tells a story and can create a case study Better yet, entice your customers to post their own independent reviews. “Unboxing” videos are HUGE for beauty, electronics, gaming industries. If you’ve got a rabid fanbase out there, they’re waiting for content like that. Of course, if you go this route (whether you plan to or it happens organically), you’ve got to make sure your product is so good people can’t ignore it. It’s got to hold its own and offer a true value, because people will be honest. And that’s what you want at the end of the day, isn’t it? #4 – Retargeting Failed Conversions Abandoned shopping carts no more! distractions happen, prices add up, Shipping discounts (x% abandon bc shipping, I’m sure you’ve seen the memes) — retargeting is often done with banner ads, but banner blindness etc. programmatic (A whopping 80% of users recall a video ad they viewed in the past 30 days (Source: Hubspot) and pre-roll ensures that you’ve got their eyes – don’t waste that opportunity. Make it useful, give them a discount or free shipping so they close the deal. Look at the analytics and see why they’re leaving — undecided customers can be given the nudge they need to click “buy”. #5 – Reduced Requests for Customer Service Explainer videos, demos, tutorials, product/service walk-through reduce the need for a customer service workforce. Give you a personal touch, personal interaction, illusion of experience/interaction, without added cost. Visual representations