Video marketing is not a new concept. In fact, since 2016 it has been commonly practiced, to excellent results, by some of the most forward-thinking brands out there.

Over the past seven years or so, video consumption has been rising steadily. But it's not just in the younger generations – video marketing can impact everyone.

Not convinced video marketing is right for your brand? Check out these stats. . .

• 90% of US consumers between the age of 12 and 44 are digital viewers
• 89% of people have been convinced to buy a product and;
• 79% of people have bought software or an app because of a video they watched.

With these figures top of mind, why aren’t more marketing teams jumping on the bandwagon and creating videos galore?

Video Marketing Drives Business Value

Limited budgets, minimal resources, and being short on time are some of the most common reasons marketers fail to include video in their marketing campaigns and plans. Yet, according to Gartner, some of the top-performing brands in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C), are “agile in their media mix . . . and continue to invest in the [video] format.”

As marketing objectives evolve and become more revenue-focused, strategies need to be more thoughtful of audience habits, expectations, and constraints.

Does your ICP truly have time to review a 60-page document, or would a 90-second video be better suited? You need to be agile to find out!

The best part about a video marketing strategy is that it can be used across the customer lifecycle. There are infinite ways to meet your audience in the right place and at the right time, with meaningful, valuable video.

Video marketing can be truly impactful in terms of driving business goals across the customer journey – from prospect to advocate.

If you’re here – you’ve at the very least toyed with the idea of implementing video marketing into your strategy. Let’s dive into how video can be mapped to the lifecycle.

Mapping Video Marketing Across the Customer Lifecycle

The customer lifecycle refers to the journey a consumer or buyer takes before, during, and after the sales cycle.

Though not exhaustive, there are generally four stages: Pre-Sales: Awareness and Evaluation, Sales: Purchase, and Post-Sales: Retention.

Each touchpoint requires different forms of nurture and information. There is no catchall solution to speaking across the lifecycle and when it comes to video marketing, there must also be a unique approach in how the audience is spoken to at each stage.

Awareness Phase

Prospects don’t always know that they need a solution, or even that they have a problem.

You need to show that you understand their pain points and that your product can help them achieve a solution. You need to validate your prospective customers’ worries. Put them in context and ensure that they know there is a way to fix it.

It's time to flaunt what you’ve got and make your brand memorable.

Using brand videos enables you to showcase your values and your unique position in the market. Educational webinars can support you and your product as an industry leader and convert prospects to leads.

According to Wyzowl, 95% of marketers say that video has increased brand awareness.

Evaluation Phase

When prospects understand the scope of their problem, and which other brands are experiencing something similar, they begin to review available solutions.

At this point of the customer lifecycle, it’s imperative that you establish your brand as a winner. And more importantly, with you, customers can win too.

It’s time to use video to both educate and sell.

Ideally, potential customers know your brand at this point and want to understand why they should choose you over your competition. Building feature-led videos that showcase your integrations or features can help you stand out.

The State of Video Marketing 2023 disclosed that 90% of marketers saw video generate leads.

Purchase Phase

At the bottom of the funnel (BOFU), prospects need to see how your solution beats the others. Whether that be in terms of ROI, initial cost, capabilities, or service and support there needs to be a cherry on top.

You want to cross the finish line with your customers. To do that, you must ensure they feel seen, understood, and that their success is a priority for you.

It’s time to whip out those super happy customer testimonials.

Customer satisfaction-focused videos should explain why they are happy they chose you, switched to your service or product, and directly explain your superiority. When it comes to testimonial videos, it’s best to leave humbleness at the door and be bold.

Wyzowl reported that 87% of marketers say that video has helped increase sales.

Retention

The customer lifecycle truly begins after the sale has gone through. Marketers need to ensure that they cater to customers to help in retention efforts.

Consistently offering value to your customers is key to keeping them happy: whether this value directly relates to your product or service, or is purely for your customers’ sake, you must ensure that they feel looked after.

It’s time to show your gratitude.

Providing onboarding, informational use cases, and ‘tips and tricks videos can help to support your customers as they onboard and find value in your product.

Based on the Wyzowl 2023 report, 53% of marketers said that video has reduced support queries.

Video can be an impactful medium at every touch point of the customer lifecycle helping to elevate your marketing strategy, spread brand awareness, and accomplish business objectives.

Now that you understand the need for video marketing and how it can apply across the customer cycle, it’s time to learn how to create a results-driven video marketing strategy.

Our detailed eBook The Beginners Guide to Results-Driven Video Marketing can help you build a plan your whole team can get behind.

Download the eBook for free and learn how to:

• Measure and analyze your success,
• Optimize and recycle content, and
• Stay organized to maximize ROI.

If you're seeking a solution to securely store and effectively distribute your video assets, find out why a digital asset management (DAM) system is the most effective solution out there.