Take advantage of video throughout the customer journey

So, your marketing team has created a corporate overview video and put it on your website, and now you’re done, right? If this is the extent of your video strategy, then you’ve only just begun to take advantage of the benefits that the medium has to offer. Well-crafted videos have become one of the best ways to help marketers build awareness, demand, and loyalty.

According to a 2023 marketing video survey by Wyzowl, 79% of respondents said watching a video has convinced them to buy a software or app. And people on average watch 17 hours of online video content per week. These trends underline video’s continuing popularity and benefits in the B2B SaaS buyer’s journey for gaining and retaining customers.

In the B2B SaaS industry, the challenges companies are trying to solve and the solutions to those challenges can be complex and seem intangible. In these situations, using video content can be used to better explain and show prospects how the solution is able to solve their challenge. In addition, people often prefer watching video over reading a lot of text and are better able to absorb complex information from video content.

To effectively engage potential customers at each stage of the buyer’s journey, B2B SaaS companies can leverage different types of video content. Here's a breakdown of the best video content for each stage of the buyers' journey:

Awareness Stage

Video naturally lends itself to telling stories. By adding motion and audio to your brand narrative, you have a better chance of catching and holding your target audience’s attention. Video gives you a chance to tell your brand story in a way that people are most likely to remember. Types of videos you can use include:

• Explainer Videos: Create concise and engaging videos that introduce your brand, highlight the pain points your product solves, and provide a high-level overview of your solutions. These videos should focus on capturing attention, creating curiosity, and establishing your brand as a thought leader in the industry.

• Educational Videos: Develop informative videos that address common challenges faced by your target audience. By providing valuable insights and educational content, you can position your brand as a trusted resource and begin building credibility and trust.

Consideration Stage

Trying to stand out in a social scroll or online ads these days is next to impossible. Short, eye-catching videos designed to pique people’s interest have a better chance of getting them to click through to gated content, compared to just text or images. Types of videos you can use include:

• Product Demo Videos: Showcase your product in action through detailed demo videos. Highlight key features, functionalities, and benefits that directly address the pain points of potential customers. These videos should demonstrate the value and unique selling points of your solution and help prospects visualize how it can solve their specific needs.

• Case Study Videos: Create videos that feature real-world examples of how your product has helped existing customers achieve their goals. Include interviews, success stories, and measurable results to showcase the effectiveness of your solution. Case study videos provide social proof and help prospects evaluate your product's suitability for their own business.

Decision Stage

Potential buyers want to hear directly from existing customers about why they bought your product, what factors went into their decision making, and how it helps them solve a challenge. Using video to demonstrate how other customers have used your product to solve their challenges can help prospects quickly visualize how the solution can be used in their organization and deliver ROI for them. Video is also a great medium for showing how your product differentiates from competitors and explaining your value proposition. Types of videos you can use include:

• Testimonial Videos: Compile videos featuring satisfied customers sharing their experiences with your product. Testimonial videos should highlight the specific benefits, outcomes, and ROI achieved by using your solution. These videos aim to build trust, alleviate any concerns, and provide reassurance to potential buyers during the decision-making process.

• Comparison Videos: Develop videos that compare your product with competitors, focusing on your unique value proposition. Highlight the advantages and differentiators that set your solution apart. Comparison videos can help prospects evaluate options and choose your product based on its superior features, reliability, or customer support.

Post-Purchase Stage

Marketing’s role does not end once a sale has been made. Using video to explain the benefits of your offerings with demos or click-through tours help prospects quickly understand how your product can help solve specific problems. How-to videos are a great way to effectively explain how to use and get the most out of your products. Types of videos you can use include:

• Onboarding Videos: Create videos that guide new customers through the onboarding process, providing step-by-step instructions on how to set up and maximize the use of your product. These videos help customers get started quickly, reduce frustration, and increase satisfaction.

• Customer Success Videos: Produce videos that showcase the success stories of your existing customers after implementing your solution. Highlight the outcomes, improvements, and positive experiences they have achieved. These videos can inspire and motivate current customers while reinforcing their decision to choose your product.

In addition to using video throughout the customer journey, marketing teams are also learning that they can reuse video for different purposes. That same Wyzowl survey showed that 30% of respondents who said they don’t use video in their marketing activity gave lack of time as a reason, and 10% said it is too expensive. But when you consider reusing video that you’ve already created, the ROI of both time and money increases.

For example, let’s say your marketing team has created a one-minute explainer video about the business challenges facing your offering’s target market, and posted it on a product description page on your web site. That video can be cut down into 15-second social clips and used to target the different audience segments that each business challenge speaks to, with a CTA to learn how to solve the issue and a link to that web page to view the full video and consume additional assets. These types of video snippets can also be done with customer testimonials, product descriptions, and brand awareness to attract attention and interest quickly and easily.

Visit our services page to learn how we can help you use video to achieve your marketing goals.