How to Use Video Prospecting to Generate More Leads
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Cold outreach campaigns are a nightmare for most marketers. Cold emails generally have low open rates and even lower levels of engagement.
But do you know what can make your cold outreach email campaigns more exciting and effective?
Video prospecting.
When Hubspot asked what type of content consumers wanted to see from brands, 54% of the respondents said videos. Video consumption has also increased tremendously in the last few years.
So, why don’t more businesses create videos to give consumers what they want? It’s the logical thing to do, right?
In today’s article, I will show you how you can breathe life into your outreach campaigns through video prospecting.
Prospecting refers to the activity of turning a prospect into a genuine lead or opportunity. Before we look at how you can use video in these different outreach campaigns, let’s look at the basics of prospecting through emails.
Introduce yourself
The first critical step in any outreach campaign is introducing yourself to the right person. Therefore, start by looking for the right person in the organization you’re reaching out to. You can find that person on professional platforms like LinkedIn. You can also use tools such as Voilanorbert to find the prospect’s email address.
Once you get the contact information, craft a killer introduction email. Mention your name, company, and the position you hold. Then, point out your services. Keep the whole email short and sweet.
Lastly, add a short paragraph offering your services and include the appropriate call to action (CTA).
The key difference between video prospecting emails and regular outreach emails is that you can use a video as your CTA. So, instead of sending potential customers to a regular sales or landing page, direct them to an in-depth video covering your services.
Include testimonials in your follow-up email
We usually hope that potential clients will get back to us after sending the initial introduction email. Sadly, that rarely happens. Some prospective customers will read your message but will not reply. Others won’t even open the email in the first place. That’s where the follow-up email comes in.
You want to prove that your solution works in the follow-up email. What better way to do that than through testimonials?
Testimonials provide the social proof you need to convince prospects that you’re an expert in your field. Although short customer testimonials can get the job done, you will find that case studies are more effective.
For example, Drift focused on customer results instead of the product itself. As you can see below, Drift included a mini case study showing the impact of switching from lead forms to conversational marketing.
With a case study, you can walk your prospects through the customer journey of your previous or current client. Tell the story of how your product or service solved the client’s pain points. Even better, let the client tell the story themselves through video interviews.
Be sure to include some figures as well. Don’t just say you increased the client’s web traffic or sales. Share exact figures or percentages of those results.
Look at your current or previous clients and find the perfect subject for your case study. Ideally, you want to go with a client that other prospects can relate to. So, find someone who has similar pain points or interests as your target audience.
Offer free content
In the last email, try giving out something for free to see if it’ll capture the prospect’s attention. You can offer a free consultation, for example. Tell the prospect to pick out a date and schedule the appointment.
You could also showcase your expertise by providing a free report. For example, if you’re pitching a CRM product, do your homework on the field. You can investigate the latest CRM trends, for example. Then, generate a report and demonstrate how your product aligns with those trends, how it can help the prospect interact with his customers better and make more sales.
Don’t send out the entire report, though. Remember, the goal of this email is to pique the prospect’s interest and get them to engage with you. Therefore, provide just a tiny scoop and ask the lead to get back to you for the full report.
Five video prospecting tips
Now that you know the basics of email prospecting let’s delve deeper into how you can use videos for your outreach. Videos can be highly effective, but only if you get your video prospecting strategy on point. The video must be interesting to keep the viewers engaged and informative to boost the response rate.
Here are five tips:
Write a sales script
You can’t just talk in front of a camera and say what comes to your mind, then attach that video to your outreach email. If you want to convert a prospect into an opportunity, you need to craft a script first. Your video script needs to be short but informative enough to raise your prospect’s curiosity.
So, start by introducing yourself, then mention your company’s services. From there, point out some of the problems that you’ve identified and want to help the client resolve. Be careful not to focus too much on this point because your video shouldn’t sound too promotional. The goal at this point is to get the prospects engaged, not give a sales pitch.
The next thing is to address your credibility. Why should the prospect consider your solution? Establish your credibility to convince the prospects that you’re an expert in the field. Mention your credentials and your experience in the area.
But that alone is not enough. You also need to highlight a testimonial or case study. Mention a previous client you worked with and the kind of results you produced for them.
Conclude the video with a CTA. You can ask them to reply to your email, call you, or visit your website.
Check out this real-life example from Power Reviews.
The video starts with an introduction, but he doesn’t jump straight to his pitch afterward. Instead, he talks about a product made by the prospect. That’s significant. It shows he’s familiar with the prospect’s business.
He then proceeds to the primary goal of the video. He explains the importance of product reviews and how eCommerce businesses struggle to collect reviews from engaging users scale. Then he explains how his company helps businesses (like the prospects) generate authentic and engaging reviews. Finally, he closes the video inviting the prospect for a chat.
It’s a simple and pretty straightforward prospecting video, but it works incredibly well.
You might ask, how long should the video be? Keep your prospecting videos under three minutes. The above script is only 2 minutes long, for example.
You should also get creative with the footage to make it more interesting. For example, you can shift to a screen share when discussing the problems or highlighting stories of previous clients.
That should keep your video engaging enough for the prospects to watch it until the end.
Craft an engaging email copy
Your audience will interact with your email first before they get to the video. You must, therefore, make the email copy interesting enough to push them into watching the video.
Start by writing an engaging email subject line. Personalize the subject line and use powerful words to draw readers and boost your open rate. Make the email message itself super engaging.
Introduce yourself in a line or two, then get down to the primary business of the email. Remember, this is a cold outreach, so you have a tiny window to impress the busy stranger and get them into taking the desired action.
The entire email should be four paragraphs maximum. Then, include a call to action at the end, directing the reader to your video.
Add a thumbnail that captures attention.
Thumbnails play a significant role in determining the success of a video. YouTube has said that 90 percent of the most successful videos use custom thumbnails. That makes perfect sense since custom thumbnails give creators more control over how the thumbnails look.
How do you create an eye-catching custom thumbnail? First, you need to find a high-res image that represents your video perfectly. Raise the contrast of the image to make it pop.
Close-ups also tend to perform better. They’ll make your thumbnail look good regardless of the device it’s viewed on.
Next, write some text in bold somewhere above the image. The text should raise the interest of your audience and make them want to know more. You can also use this opportunity to personalize the thumbnail.
For example, if you’ve created a video for a specific client, you can include their name somewhere in the text of your thumbnail. Here’s an example of how the marketing agency Punch! used this technique to personalize.
Besides static images, you can use gifs for thumbnails. The moving images are pretty effective at capturing the viewer’s attention.
The good news here is you can test different thumbnails. If you are reaching out to many prospects, test different thumbnails while keeping track of the views. That should help you find the best-performing thumbnail you can use in your future video prospecting campaigns.
Use the right video tools.
When trying to get a total stranger to invest in your product, the least you could do is make your videos look professional. So, invest in a good camera, a tripod, ring light, and editing software.
You don’t have to go for the top-of-the-line gear if you have a limited budget. There are plenty of affordable options that can create professional videos for you. Most modern smartphones like the Samsung S20 and iPhone 12 & 13 series can create exquisite videos. A webcam is also an option if you have one of those recent Macs.
Plus, you can work with good natural lighting. A ring light is not a must-have if your budget is stretched. Just make sure the final footage presents your brand in the best way possible. Prospects should not struggle sitting through your video.
Track the views
Like other marketing campaigns, you have to monitor the effectiveness of your video and make the necessary adjustments. The first metric you need to monitor is the number of views. That can tell you how effective your email copy and the video’s thumbnail are. If the views are too few, tweak the thumbnail or the email message itself.
You can try to change the location of the video as well. For example, before closing your email, include it in the postscript instead of using the video as the primary CTA. See if that will increase your views.
Another vital metric to keep an eye on is watch time. Do viewers watch the video until the end? If not, at what point do they bounce? If too many viewers abandon the video within a few seconds, adjust your video content to make it more interesting. You can trim down the introduction section, for example.
Lastly, check how many viewers take the desired action after watching the video. If the percentage is too low, look at your script again. Does your video highlight the client’s pain point accurately? Are the benefits of your product well articulated in the video? Is the testimonial or case study relevant and powerful enough?
In Closing
Video prospecting is a great way to make your cold outreach campaigns more effective. The strategy delivers a personal touch that is hard to pull off with the standard text emails. Also, personalized videos tend to be more engaging.
This article has taught you how to create a compelling video for sales prospecting. Write a solid script, make your email copy super engaging, create attention-grabbing thumbnails, invest in the right gear, and track your metrics.
With all this information at your disposal, I’m pretty confident you have what it takes to create and launch a successful video prospecting campaign.
Martin Gessner is the Founder of Focus on Force. He has spent over 10 years working in various Salesforce roles, including business analyst, project manager, consultant, and solutions architect. Along the way, he has earned twelve certifications, published "The Salesforce Career Playbook", and helps Salesforce professionals learn more about Salesforce, develop their career and prepare for certifications.
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