How to Use Video to Generate More Leads

Did you know that 55% of visitors spend fewer than 15 seconds on your website?

Even worse, 80% of your website visitors will never return.

Businesses, now more than ever, need to play the long game and nurture relationships with their prospects. But before you can start building those relationships, you first need to actually generate leads from your website.

Thankfully, with built-in plugins and embeddable forms, it’s easier than ever to convert website visitors into highly-qualified leads.

Then, once you’ve gotten permission to continue the relationship, it’s time to nurture them with great content.

But the problem is, most businesses are only using newsletters, free trials, and other low-value offers to generate leads.

That’s just not going to cut it, which is why I’m going to share a simple way to permanently 5-10x your website’s lead conversion rate using a video-based “lead magnet.”

How Valuable is Your Lead Magnet?

A great lead capture strategy begins with a great lead magnet.

Lead magnets, also known as “premium content offers,” are pieces of content that your website visitors can only access after filling out a form and joining your email list.

Sure, there are tricks and techniques to increase conversions, but by far the most important element is the lead magnet itself.

It needs to be:

• High quality
• Easy to consume
• Relevant to your target customers
• Less valuable to people who aren’t target customers

So the more valuable your content offer or lead magnet is to your prospect, the more likely they are to give up their email address for it.

That’s why newsletters, free trials, and consultations don’t work very well; they just don’t offer enough value and everyone knows they’re just thinly-veiled sales pitches.

Ebooks, worksheets, checklists, and other downloadable reports are much more effective. But even these lead magnets aren’t ideal, because people don’t read as much anymore.

Plus, they’re 4x more likely to watch a video than read text.

That’s why video is the ideal content format if you want to increase the perceived value (and conversion rate) of your content offer.

The Benefit of a Video Lead Magnet

No matter what you plan to give away in exchange for your lead’s contact information (name, email, etc.), the goal is to build trust and nurture your lead in the hopes of earning their business when they’re ready.

But unless they consume your content, it’s pretty hard to do that.

That’s why video is the ultimate form of content if you want your prospects to engage and take action...

Watching video is much more passive and feels like entertainment, while reading text feels like you’re burning brain calories
Video communicates your brand personality better than text, so you’re able to build a personal connection with your viewers
Emails that include “VIDEO” in the subject line received an 86% higher open rate, while emails that include a video thumbnail see 200-300% more click-throughs.

But what if you’re already offering other kinds of lead magnets, such as:

• Ebooks
• PDF reports
• Case studies
• Free quotes or consultations
• Membership content

That’s all fine and dandy, but consider this…

Which would you rather exchange your personal information for?

20-Page Ebook About How to Create a Daily Workout Plan

Or…

12-Day Video Workout Course Led by a Personal Trainer?

Pushups and sit-ups are hard either way, but the latter of the two is far more enticing, isn’t it? The video course has a higher perceived value, is easier to consume, and is more likely to be watched.

It’s safe to say that the videos would see a higher conversion rate than the ebook.

Plus, the video course gives you 12 different touch points with your lead, while the ebook is downloaded and read just once (or forgotten). That’s 12 opportunities to make a personal connection with your prospects, and prospects review (on average) 12 pieces of content before they’re ready to buy.

Are you seeing the value of video yet?

What Makes “Valuable Content” Valuable?

It’s important to note that just because something is in video format doesn’t automatically make it valuable.

The value of a piece of content is based more on how helpful and relevant it is to your audience, not just the format it comes in. Video just happens to boost the perceived value.

Here’s what I mean…

Your lead magnet or content offer needs to be relevant to your audience, address their needs, and solve their problems. This all depends on where they are along the buyer’s journey, but the more helpful your content is, the more valuable it will be to them.

Ideas For Your Video Lead Magnet

Now that we know video is perceived to be higher quality content, and is also easier to consume, the ideas for lead magnets are endless.

But to help get you started, here are a few ideas on using video to generate more leads:

Video Mini-Course: Much like the workout video example, a mini-course that’s broken up into several modules is a great idea for a content giveaway. Online learning is a rapidly growing industry, so a free online video course is the kind of content that makes your leads say, “Wow! I get that for FREE?”

You can break up your course into several modules or chapters, then release them one-by-one using email automation. That way you’re building a relationship with your lead over several days, not just a one-time download.

Webinar Replay: If you offer recorded webinar replays, you can repurpose them and promote them as premium content giveaways. Just make sure you cut them up into smaller chapters — much like the video mini-course. Four 10-minute videos are much easier to digest and will result in stronger relationships than one 45-minute webinar.

Gated Video Content: With tools like Wistia or Vidyard, it’s easy to capture lead information right within the video player at any point during the video. So, if you have a video on your website that contains premium content, it may be worth it to ask for a name and email address up front before people can watch it.

Remember — the more valuable your content is to your lead, the more likely they are to exchange their information for it.

Capture Even More Leads with a Smart Video Strategy

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with creating video content and capturing leads. But just remember a few things…

• Video gets the highest engagement and best results. But remember — what’s covered in the video is far more important.
• Your lead magnet or content offer is the beginning of a (hopefully) long, successful relationship with your prospects. Video is just a tool you can use to build that relationship more quickly.
• Video works best when it’s paired with an effective strategy that addresses your needs and helps you accomplish your business goals