Welcome to Part 2 of my new series about designing a simple and devastatingly effective video-powered funnel. Every week, starting today and until the end of June, I’m going to teach you about one aspect of funnel creation — so you can attract, nurture, and convert your ideal customers on autopilot.
If you missed Part 1, “Your Irresistible Offer,” then you might want to catch up on that first. Otherwise — read on, and tune in for Part 3 next week!
As marketers and entrepreneurs, we know two things.
#1. The majority of our prospects will never buy. Heck, most of them will never even see the inside of the funnel!
#2. Despite that, we must still do everything in our power to convert every promising lead who comes our way.
This is especially relevant when we’re talking about the very tippy top of the funnel — where incoming traffic has a small chance to convert into qualified leads…
…and a much higher chance to slip away without opting in, usually never to return.
No matter how amazing your funnel is, to capture even a sliver of that traffic is an uphill battle. And so, you want to use every single tool at your disposal to maximize ROI.
In my experience working with 7,000+ clients in over 11 years, a persuasive landing page video can make a jaw-dropping impact on conversions and flood your marketing funnel with qualified leads in short order. So if you’re wondering about the best way to leverage video marketing in your business… this is where you want to start.
(There are dozens more ways to deploy video in your marketing funnel for greater growth and sales — and we’ll get to them in future articles. But for the sake of the word count and staying focused, I’ll stick to landing page explainer videos this time!)
That’s why today, I’ll show you how to create a magnetic explainer video for the top of your marketing funnel, so you can increase conversions and generate as many leads as possible from your incoming traffic.
I’ve used this exact video strategy with The Draw Shop’s clients to add $250,000 to their bottom line in 45 days, triple sales appointments from 96 to 265 in less than a month, and more. I hope you find it valuable!
So, without further ado — here’s how you put together a high-converting landing page video for your marketing funnel…
Step 0. Before you begin, define your variables
Are you ready to dive into creating your powerhouse funnel video?
Great! But first… there’s some homework to be done. Don’t worry, the process won’t take long — but it will give you much-needed clarity about the message and the content of your video.
So, all you need to do is answer these 3 questions about your funnel:
- Who is your audience? Knowing who your ideal prospects are makes everything 10X easier. Feel free to revisit Part 1 of this series for some advice on how to define your audience!
- What is their stage of awareness? E.g. they could already know what you sell and be considering a purchase; they could have no idea about you and only know they have a problem; or they could be blissfully unaware that anything is wrong!
- What is your offer, a.k.a. what are you giving them in exchange for signing up? Even if you’re just offering a call appointment, you should still frame it in terms of free VALUE your prospects are receiving. Once again, last week’s post has more details on that.
For this article, I’m going to workshop an extremely common scenario that mirrors many of our clients’ funnels:
- Prospects are acutely problem-aware, but they don’t know what the solution could be, or that the business sells it. This is a promising starting point to market to them.
- The offer at the heart of the funnel is a simple 30-minute appointment, which is extra challenging to make attractive! But it’s what many business owners have to work with.
“But Summer, that’s only 2 questions…”
Well spotted! I skipped defining the audience, because the process I’m going to share works the same across all audiences and industries.
You will need that part for creating the actual content of your video (as in, your script and message), but it won’t affect the structure and the method — which is what we’re covering today — at all.
Okay, now that we’re done with the setup… who wants to learn how to make a kickbutt video?
Let’s get to it!
Step 1. Lead with THE burning problem / pain point
Right off the bat, you want to make the most of your video’s opening. Those first 5-10 seconds are crucial, and they will make or break the whole thing.
That’s why you want to: a) meet your viewers where they are, and b) lead with something resonant and urgent.
For a problem-aware audience, that’s always going to be their, well, problem!
They are in pain, looking desperately for a fix. But they don’t quite know what that looks like yet, or have any idea about your solution… so you have to start right there with them — in Struggle City. And that’s exactly what you’re going to do!
Mirror your audience’s problem back to them; relate to how frustrating and painful it is; be visceral and specific, using your prospects’ own vocabulary to make your message hit as hard as possible.
Here’s a great example of an explainer video with a problem-focused opening:
Pro tip: you can talk to your viewers directly or create a character who serves as a stand-in for them (and takes all the punishment!). Either method is legit, and we’ve had great success with both of them.
Pro tip #2: what if your prospects are already solution aware, or even product aware? Is it OK to skip the problem then? I would say this:
- It’s still a good idea to mention the #1 pain point, even briefly. And then spend more time on the solution (Step 2), the offer (Step 3), and objection handling (Step 4).
- Why haven’t they bought yet? Could it be that there’s a… you guessed it!.. a problem holding them back? Identify what it is and lead with that.
And now that you’ve clawed your audience’s attention away from doom scrolling and liking memes (hey, no judgment), it’s time to…
Step 2. Brandish your bold promise
After plunging them deep into the problem, you want to give your prospects the first taste of a better future. The kind of future where their pain has finally been solved.
From the problem, you can pivot straight to the promise, to keep your prospects “hooked” on the message. If you do it this way — tease the outcome first, but hold off on the specific solution for a bit — their interest will be off the charts by the time you do make your offer!
So ask yourself:
What does that look like? What kind of tangible, exciting positive outcome can you promise your audience? What promise would be compelling enough to trigger a conversion?
E.g. if your funnel is based around a lead magnet, then your promise should closely reflect the scope and content of that resource — pretty straightforward.
…But what if it isn’t?
What if you don’t have a lead magnet, and you’re just trying to book sales calls with prospects? How do you make “give me your precious time so I can pitch you on my stuff” sound like the greatest thing ever?
Well, in that case, think back to the long-term promise of your product or service, and align your video’s message with that. And if you say, “But Summer, I haven’t even revealed it yet!” — that’s OK. We’ll do that in the very next step, and everything will click in your prospect’s mind.
Pro tip: if you are leveraging your funnel to collect appointments, then you also have another, short-term promise on your hands — the benefits and outcomes of the call itself.
If you can promise your prospect unconditional value from the call, that alone can be very persuasive and powerful. But it’s better to save that particular promise until a later part of the video.
(We’ll come back to it in Step 5, and I will show you how to use this smaller promise to seal the deal and get that appointment!)
Here’s an example of an effective marketing video that “paints the dream” of its promise in vivid color… despite being 99% black and white! (Starts at 01:01)
Step 3. Expose your offer as THE solution
Now that you’ve explored the problem AND teased your big promise, your viewers are ready to hear the solution. More than ready, in fact — if you did everything right, they should be chomping at the bit by now!
This is the part where you position your offer as the ultimate fix they’ve been looking for all this time. Feel free to brag and gush and sing the praises of your product or service as you reveal it to your audience — they are now in the exact right headspace to be impressed by it.
Here’s a simple framework we like to follow here at The Draw Shop when describing any valuable offer:
- Lead with your USP. In just 1-2 sentences, summarize what the solution is and why it’s special. Name-drop your offer, and then follow it up with your “only factor” that expresses its unique value proposition. For example: “Introducing the Marketing Funnel Package — the only way to create a high-converting video marketing campaign without having to design and code anything, or step in front of the camera.”
- Follow up with a compelling description of what your offer does. And any time you mention a feature, be sure to back it up with a benefit and a concrete outcome — because those are what your prospects actually care about!
- Repeat your big promise. After breaking down your offer in mouth-watering detail, bring it all back to the big-picture results your audience desperately wants. That way, you will ensure that your message has the most impact possible.
Now, let me show you a specific example of a video doing this exactly right. Check out this ad my team produced for Twitter (yep, I’m bragging!) a few years back…
Next up, we come on to the most dreaded part of your funnel video — the one that most entrepreneurs get spectacularly wrong…
Step 4. Call out and overcome objections
Now, just because you’ve laid out your amazing promise and your life-altering offer, don’t expect your prospects to leap on it immediately, no questions asked.
(Yeah, I also wish it worked like that.)
Sadly, last-minute resistance to conversion is shockingly common — if there’s one thing customers are good at, it’s talking themselves out of opportunities! Don’t take it personally, it’s only human nature. And that’s why a truly persuasive funnel video should plan for viewers to have objections and second thoughts, and spend a bit of time putting those to bed for good.
Think: what are the top 2-3 objections your viewers might have about your funnel offer?
And don’t go easy on yourself just because you’re giving them a free lead magnet or a valuable strategy call! Simply because something is free and awesome doesn’t mean people won’t still have objections — so be diligent.
Here, let me help you brainstorm — most of the time, people are worried about:
- Results: “What if this doesn’t work for me?”
- Availability: “What if I don’t have time / something else to make it work?”
- And qualifiers: “Is this right for me if I [insert excuse here]?”
(The objections to your offer could be different, but these are the most common ones!)
Now, I want you to articulate an answer to the #1 objection you always get, and include it in the second half of your funnel video — just before the last call to action. And as for the less prominent concerns, try to “sprinkle” very short counterarguments / aside remarks about them throughout the rest of the script.
Here’s an awesome example of an explainer video that takes objection handling seriously. My team produced it for a martial arts school, and the message is aimed at parents of young children.
Asking parents to enroll their kids to study martial arts… oof, there are so many potential objections to deal with! See if you can spot all the instances where the video counters them (I count at least 5):
And finally, it’s time to end your bombshell funnel video on a strong note…
Step 5. Close with a powerful CTA
By this point, your prospects should be giddy at the opportunity to opt into your funnel and get their hands on your offer. All that remains now is to channel all that energy and enthusiasm into a conversion — you’ve earned it!
That said, you can’t just say something generic and low energy like, “sign up on this page to book your free appointment.” That will immediately undermine all the genuine desire and excitement you’ve worked so hard building.
So let’s make sure to do something that packs a real punch, persuasion-wise!
A perfect call to action for your funnel video should accomplish three things, in this order:
- Reinforce the value your prospects are going to get. Don’t just make a naked request — remind viewers about your big promise! Also, if you’re asking for an appointment, this is also the place to convey the short-term value of that.
- Provide clear, specific directions on what the next step is. E.g. ask your prospects to enter their name and email address on the landing page… and click the heck outta that button! The more actionable the instructions, the better.
- And finally, do some “future pacing” and explain to your viewers what will happen next. Will they get a confirmation email? Will someone reach out to confirm their appointment? Will they get a surprise gift in their inbox? Then make sure you tell them!
This 3-piece combo — reinforcing the value, giving specific directions, and “future pacing” — helps to build serious momentum and nudge your prospects towards conversion, and beyond.
(If you have the seconds to spare, I highly recommend you go the extra mile and do it like this. It’s way more effective than any standard, half-hearted call to action!)
For a demonstration, check out out one of our past marketing videos sticking the landing with the CTA (starts at 02:04)…
Want to build a profitable funnel for your business? We’ll do all the work for you
Hey, I hope I’m not coming on too strong, but…
My team and I want to build a high-performing video-powered funnel for your business, from start to finish. You won’t have to lift a finger, or even show up in front of a camera — we’ll build all the assets, produce all the content, and even set up the entire thing for you!
Check out all the assets you will get as part of your brand-new, shiny, revenue-generating funnel:
- 2 prospect-pulling video ads to drive targeted traffic to your site
- Powerful explainer video that captures the life-altering value of your offer
- Video-optimized landing page that converts, personalized to your brand
- Custom 5-part nurturing email sequence to convert prospects into buyers
Plus, you’ll get:
- 1-on-1 marketing audit where we’ll deep-dive into your business and strategize how to create a funnel that supports your goals.
- And hands-on tech support and implementation — so you can deploy your new funnel and start generating revenue as quickly as possible!
Interested? Then book a free, no-strings-attached appointment below. On the call, we’ll evaluate your specific business model and offer structure, and give a free hands-on assessment on how you could create and deploy the highest-converting funnel unique to your business:
Click here to book your 30-minute marketing funnel consultation, and let’s talk shop!
