Turn Your Landing Pages into Lead Magnets with Video Teasers

You may already recognize the value of video as a customer engagement tool. You may even be using it to provide demonstrations for how to use products you sell. Your prospects may not want to admit they are lazy, but video really is the best way for your prospects to absorb the value you and your products deliver. Somehow, if your prospects learn something, they never feel the time spent watching video was as wasted as that spent on social media.

However, even if you already use video on your landing pages, you could be missing out on a key opportunity to capture quality leads. You could ensure that every landing page captures leads if you use the video teaser’ concept.

Just what is a video teaser? It’s a preview video that entices viewers to opt in to watch a longer video. A mere 30 seconds is the perfect length for initiating a longer engagement, because your teaser video makes it obvious what you’re giving away in exchange for your prospect’s contact information.

You don’t want to place an email gate at the beginning of your teaser video. Most people resist giving away information unless they know exactly what they’ll get in exchange. The resistance may be strong enough to bounce a prospect away from your site.

Note: An email gate is usually a pop-up window into which a viewer must enter information to gain access to the video.

Planning Your Video Teaser and Longer Video

First, be sure you pack valuable information into the initial 30 seconds. There are many strategies you could use.

• Focus on a problem and why it needs to be solved. The first 30 second clip needs to cover enough to whet viewer appetite for the topic.
• Tell a compelling story. This could be built around a customer testimonial—a white paper approach with the edge only video can deliver.
• Take an FAQ and share the elevator answer in the teaser. Expand the answer in the longer video.
• Share a tip to engage viewers. Promise a specific number of additional tips in the extended video. Make sure viewers know how those additional tips will benefit them before the 30 second clip ends.
• Create a video webinar invite. Use live and/or recorded webinars for expanded content. Keep the webinars short—30 minutes rather than 60.

Consider all the elements that make an engaging video as you make your plans. You’ll find using a storyboard to organize is very helpful. A PowerPoint or Keynote slide deck can be helpful as well. Plan to close the 30-second segment with a verbal call to action. This is where your email gate should appear.

Following Up with Great Video

Ensure the longer video that viewers signed up for delivers on the promise of your teaser. Viewers get angry when you bait and then switch.

The video doesn’t have to be long. It can be as short as two minutes. It just needs to leave your viewers satisfied that they got exactly what they wanted.

Implementing the Plan

Placing video high on your landing page—above the screen’s bottom edge—is important. Most visitors to your page are going to show interest in your video.

It’s also best to place your video directly on your landing pages. While YouTube can also be part of your strategy, hosting your own video ensures visitors remain on your website.

If you do choose to use YouTube, consider adding annotations. This feature allows you to add side notes,’ much like you’ll find in a book. You can also add CTAs and hyperlinks to additional landing pages.

Putting a video teaser plan into practice ensures you are able to track the effectiveness of your video content. You’ll know which videos engage the most prospects, and which ones bring in qualified leads.