How to Best Utilise Animation in Your Sales Funnel?

As more and more marketers turn to video marketing, the pressure is on to make video content that sticks and works within your sales process. With careful planning, you can use video to move people through your sales funnel. When used correctly, video can be an extremely powerful sales tool. 

So if you're looking to take your sales game up a notch, you’ve come to the right place!

But before we dive right in, to make sure we are on the same page we’re getting clear on what a ‘sales funnel’ is.

The meaning of ‘sales funnel’ is pretty broad but simply put, it's a visualization of the journey potential customers (prospects) take before purchasing what you're selling. It can encompass the whole way from the first interaction with a person to the moment of purchase. And it's not just for salespeople - it can help marketers and managers realise what's working well and what needs improvement in the sales strategy. 

Now that we know what a ‘sales funnel’ is, let’s look at the stages that the funnel goes through. Along the way, we will also provide you with a simple guide to follow on what type of animated video content works best for each stage.

Different people will use different names for the sales stages, we’ll label them:

Awareness stage, 

Attraction stage,

Action stage.

Awareness Stage

The top of the funnel marks the awareness stage, where potential customers realise or identify their problems and start investigating. 

This is where companies need to grab the attention of potential customers. They may not know you exist yet, they may be flooded with competitors and you need to stand out so your brand is recognisable. In order to do this, companies need to create compelling content that speaks to the needs of their target audience. Only when a potential customer is aware of a company and its solution, will they move further down the sales funnel.

Once you’ve got their attention, you can remind them of the problem they are facing, and the pain that is causing.

If only there was a solution...

Now that the customers clearly understand their problems, this is where they start to look for the best solutions. They are weighing up the different options shown by various brands. So, it's crucial that you can clearly show them the transformation they will experience as a result of you fixing that problem.  You can then show them that you are the expert in solving that specific problem that they are facing. Only then will they be interested in working with you.

Of course, this is easier said than done. The competition is fierce and there are always new companies popping up that claim to be the best in the business. But the key is to stay focused and consistently be clear on your value and then they are more likely to move to the next stage.

Animation/ Video Tip

If you take a look at your marketing funnel and you realise that you are at the awareness stage, consumers are probably not familiar with your brand and have not converted, so they're more likely to skip through long video content or not even watch it, to begin with. So, to generate awareness and interest, go with a short, attention-grabbing animation/ video. Something that's shareable and informative, but also entertaining.

**This is one of the animated video content we created for Hiya Snackbar brand.

If you would like to know more about why you should implement more short-form content into your marketing strategy, have a look here: https://www.motionmanor.co.uk/why-is-short-form-video-content-the-way-to-go-in-2022/

Attraction Stage

Now you have their attention, you want to be showering them with a variety of materials. And plot twist, it’s not 40 LinkedIn messages asking if they want to buy from you (You know who you are…).

You want to be outputting value, so the prospect begins to see you as a reputable individual who can be trusted to solve their aforementioned problem. 

Give value to your customers for free whether that is educational content, blog post, guide they can follow, quick tutorial, keep grabbing their attention… heck, even have a normal human conversation! After all, people buy from people.

Once you’ve built credibility, and your prospect knows you, trusts you and likes you… you can move on to stage 3.

Animation/ Video Tip

This is where utilising animation explainer video can work really well as the customers have already been engaged and are more likely to go further and investigate.

For the Attraction Stage, slightly longer content (preferably under 3 minutes) that goes into more detail about your product or service would work well (a product demo video also would work well here). This is where you start to make your case and show potential customers why they need what you're offering. 

**Animation that was created for Crown Couriers.

Action Stage

You’ve got their attention, you’ve proved your worth, now is the time to ask for something. 

As Gary Vaynerchuk, say’s “jab, jab, jab, right hook’.“Jabs are the value you provide your customers with: the content you put out, the good things you do to convey your appreciation. And the right hook is the ask”.

This is where you throw the ‘Right Hook’, but Gary V makes a great point that’s good to keep in mind; 

“Just because you jab and jab and jab, doesn’t mean you automatically get to land the right hook. Putting out great content, sending baskets of fruit, whatever your jab is, it doesn’t entitle you to land the right hook. It just allows you to have the audacity to ask. You have to earn the right to ask people for a sale. In fact, you have to earn the right to ask people for anything. That’s just life. You can’t have the expectation that they will convert”.

Animation/ Video Tip

Focusing on a strong ‘Call-To-Action’ can be the difference between a customer choosing your product or going with the competition. So make sure your animated explainer video includes a clear CTA as well as showing off what sets you apart from the competitors.

**This is one of the animated video content we created for a plant-based dog food brand, dogood.

Conclusion

It’s all connected, understanding what the prospects go through at each stage of the funnel not only helps you better guide your customers through the funnel but it can also help you see how best to approach your marketing and sales. It’s a holistic approach.

We hope the article was useful and that the tips on what kind of animated video to utilise along the way were helpful. 

If you're looking to add a bit of pizazz to your sales funnel, animation could be the perfect addition to your business! Why not get in touch with us today to find out more? 

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