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4 Must-Have Top-of-the-Funnel Videos 4 Must-Have Top-of-the-Funnel Videos

4 Must-Have Top-of-the-Funnel Videos

By Michael Nelson

The conversation I constantly have with most business owners, marketing managers and salespeople is that they are struggling with one of three problems—and sometimes all three.

The first problem is that they are struggling to find ways to fill the top of their sales and marketing funnel. They want to connect with prospects that are not just tire kicking, but actually interested in making a buying decision. They are frustrated with traditional methods of prospecting such as cold calls and networking, finding the results are not what they used to be. Many of them are spending time, money and resources on organic social media or paid ads, only to be disappointed with conversion rates.

This leads to thin pipelines, desperate salespeople and saying yes to the wrong customers at the wrong price point.

What they want are ways for folks who are actively going through the buying process to find them, to be at least somewhat aware of their brand, and to make a buying decision. It’s this last one that has them scratching their heads or throwing their hands up in frustration.

The second problem they are battling with is filling their hiring pipeline. It’s a common problem. They want to grow their business and need talent to do it. They are sometimes using traditional methods such as newspapers or radio, and some of them are looking to other digital strategies including recruiting websites, social media and more. Even with these New Age techniques, they are still disappointed with the results. Just like they struggle to find prospects for sales, they are also struggling to find potential new hires.

This leads to problems such as being over capacity—unable to fill orders or perform work, and in the end watching their numbers slowly slide.

They want talent to search them out, high employee retention and overall growth of the business because they have the best team in the business.

The third problem is that they are confused about how to show differentiation in the market. They constantly find themselves competing on price, and they struggle to find ways to help buyers and potential hires understand why they should work with them. Their messaging sounds like that of everyone else: “We are the best. We have great customer service. We are not the cheapest, but we are worth it.” The thing is, their competitors are saying the same things and also have the reviews to prove it, just like you.

In the end, they are forced into commodity-based selling, competing on price and often saying yes to work that is not worth it in the long run. A friend of mine used to call this suicide selling—you are slowly killing your own business by saying yes to work you shouldn’t.

All three of these problems have similar solutions: You need a way to attract qualified buyers or attract the best talent. You need a compelling way to tell your story that helps differentiate your business. You need a way to market your business that is cost-effective and gets results.

So here are four must-have videos for filling the top of the funnel:

Sales/Lead-generation Video

This video has a few different uses. It is a prospecting tool that can be sent to people or businesses that are in your target market as a way to pique their interest. It can be used as a digital leave-behind after an initial meeting or even with a networking partner to help them better understand how you help your clients and customers. It can be a top-of-the-funnel piece for marketing purposes, content for your social media and website, and even a cross-selling piece for current clients. It can be used to help new talent understand your selling propositions. It’s a short video, around 1-2 minutes in length, that not only explains what you do, but why choosing you over your competitor would be important to someone who is a qualified buyer. The amount of use you can get out of just this one video is vast and, considering the price point, extremely valuable. It, just like the other three videos we will discuss, is the Swiss Army knife of your sales, marketing and communication efforts.

We follow a very specific format to ensure you get the right messaging. You may be asking, “Well, what is it?” That’s our “secret sauce,” so I cannot just give it to you, but I will say that it is a formula successfully used by many companies around the world. We didn’t create it; we just employ it diligently. 

For this video, we look at three things that have been used by organizations all over the world in order to come up with the content needed to create a video that will generate results.

About Story

Every business has a unique story that not only details what it is but also helps prospects understand reasons outside of sales as to why its people may want to work with you. A company’s story helps make it relatable to you and your business and forms a sense of simpatico that is often missed or overlooked during the sales process. Every business owner has faced hardship and adversity; we are all very similar in that regard. Helping your prospects understand how their struggle and yours are similar can really help form a solid relationship. Again, we follow a very specific format for this video that guarantees we tell a compelling, emotional story that humanizes your business and relates a narrative beyond the technical aspects. (More secret sauce here, but let’s chat about how to tell your story.)

Hiring/Recruiting Video

One of the biggest challenges facing every employer is hiring and recruiting. We all struggle with finding and retaining top talent that is exactly what we need to help our businesses perform at a top level. Being able to communicate the kind of environment and culture someone would be walking into if they worked with your company is paramount. This can help you not only fill your labor force, but may also get potential rock stars reaching out to you with a desire to join your team. 

Testimonial Video

Nothing—and I mean nothing—sings your praises louder than when it comes from other people. Having videos of your loyal client base telling how they helped you can attract prospects and top talent as well as help make the difference in whether you close. There is no secret sauce here, just emotional-based content that engages. This goes beyond that 140-character-based review and really delves into real-world examples of who you help and how much it meant to them on a personal level. 

If you still aren’t sure if this is possible for your business or how to make these four videos happen, we would love to chat with you. Our job is to find the story even when you think there may not be one; believe me, there is a story there. It is just a matter of asking the right questions to help peel back the layers to get from the surface to the emotion behind it.


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