Beyond the Basics: 5 Creative Ways to Use Vidyard for Lead Generation

Video is no longer a novelty in marketing; it’s a necessity. But simply uploading videos isn’t enough. To truly leverage the power of video, you need a platform that allows you to engage viewers, track performance, and, most importantly, generate leads. That’s where Vidyard comes in. This article delves beyond the basic functionalities of video hosting and explores five creative ways to use Vidyard for effective lead generation, offering actionable tips and real-world examples to help you elevate your video marketing strategy.

Interactive CTAs: Guiding Viewers to Conversion

Passive video viewing is a missed opportunity. Vidyard’s interactive call-to-action (CTA) feature allows you to transform your videos into dynamic lead generation tools. Instead of simply watching, viewers can instantly engage with your desired action, right within the video player.

Why Interactive CTAs Work:

• Increased Engagement: CTAs grab attention and prompt immediate action.
• Seamless User Experience: Viewers don’t have to navigate away from the video.
• Contextual Relevance: Place CTAs at the most relevant moments in your video.

Actionable Tips:

• Strategic Placement: Don’t bombard viewers with CTAs. Place them at key moments, like after demonstrating a product feature or sharing a success story.
• Compelling Copy: Use action-oriented language that clearly conveys the value of clicking the CTA (e.g., “Download the Guide,” “Request a Demo,” “Get Started Today”).
• A/B Testing: Experiment with different CTA designs, placements, and copy to optimize conversion rates.

Real-World Example: A SaaS company uses Vidyard to create a product demo video. Halfway through, an interactive CTA appears, offering viewers a free trial. This targeted CTA results in a 30% increase in trial sign-ups compared to simply including a link in the video description.

Gated Content: Converting Viewers into Qualified Leads

Offer valuable content like ebooks, webinars, or case studies in exchange for viewer information. Vidyard’s gated content feature allows you to require viewers to fill out a form before accessing the video content, transforming viewers into qualified leads.

How Gated Content Works:

• Value Exchange: Viewers are willing to provide information for valuable content.
• Lead Qualification: Collect data like name, email, job title, and company to qualify leads.
• Automated Follow-up: Integrate Vidyard with your CRM to automatically nurture leads after form submission.

Actionable Tips:

• High-Quality Content: Ensure the gated content is genuinely valuable and relevant to your target audience.
• Concise Forms: Keep forms short and only ask for essential information. Nobody wants to fill out a lengthy questionnaire.
• Clear Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the benefits of accessing the gated content.

Real-World Example: A marketing agency creates a series of in-depth video tutorials on SEO best practices. To access the full series, viewers must fill out a form with their name, email, and company size. This gated content strategy generates a steady stream of qualified leads for the agency’s SEO services.

Personalized Video Messages: Building Deeper Connections

Stand out from the crowd with personalized video messages. Vidyard’s screen recording and webcam integration makes it easy to create custom videos for prospects, customers, or partners, fostering stronger relationships and driving conversions.

The Power of Personalization:

• Increased Engagement: Personalized videos grab attention and show you care.
• Improved Response Rates: Personalized outreach is more likely to elicit a response.
• Stronger Relationships: Personal videos build trust and rapport.

Actionable Tips:

• Research Your Audience: Tailor your message to the individual’s needs and interests.
• Keep it Concise: Aim for a video length of 30-60 seconds.
• Use a Conversational Tone: Speak naturally and be yourself.
• Include a Clear CTA: Tell the viewer what you want them to do next.

Real-World Example: A sales representative uses Vidyard to create personalized follow-up videos for leads who downloaded a product brochure. The video mentions the lead’s specific industry and highlights how the product can address their unique challenges. This personalized approach leads to a 50% increase in the conversion rate from lead to opportunity.

Video Analytics: Measuring and Optimizing Performance

Vidyard provides detailed video analytics that allows you to track viewer behavior, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your video strategy for maximum lead generation. Understand which videos are performing well, where viewers are dropping off, and which CTAs are driving the most conversions.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Views: Total number of times your video has been viewed.
• Watch Time: Average amount of time viewers spend watching your video.
• Completion Rate: Percentage of viewers who watch the entire video.
• CTA Click-Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of viewers who click on your CTAs.
• Lead Conversion Rate: Percentage of viewers who convert into leads.

Actionable Tips:

• Analyze Drop-Off Points: Identify where viewers are losing interest and optimize those sections of your video.
• Test Different Thumbnails: Optimize your thumbnail image to attract more viewers.
• Optimize CTA Placement: Experiment with different CTA placements to maximize click-through rates.
• Segment Your Audience: Analyze video performance by different audience segments to personalize your messaging.

Integrations: Connecting Vidyard to Your Marketing Stack

Maximize the impact of Vidyard by integrating it with your existing marketing tools, such as your CRM, marketing automation platform, and analytics platform. This allows you to seamlessly track leads, personalize your messaging, and optimize your marketing campaigns.

Benefits of Integration:

• Automated Lead Capture: Automatically capture leads from Vidyard into your CRM.
• Personalized Email Marketing: Trigger personalized email sequences based on video viewing behavior.
• Data-Driven Insights: Combine video analytics with other marketing data to gain a holistic view of your marketing performance.

Popular Integrations:

• Salesforce
• HubSpot
• Marketo
• Google Analytics

Actionable Tip: Explore Vidyard’s integrations marketplace to find the right integrations for your marketing stack.

Conclusion

Vidyard is more than just a video hosting platform; it’s a powerful lead generation tool. By moving beyond the basics and implementing these creative strategies, you can transform your videos into valuable assets that capture leads, build relationships, and drive conversions. Embrace interactive CTAs, gated content, personalized video messages, data-driven optimization, and seamless integrations to unlock the full potential of Vidyard for your marketing efforts. Start experimenting today and see the results for yourself!