In this article, I would like to write about the collaboration with marketing automation tools (hereafter referred to as “MA tools”), which have been gaining popularity in Japan in recent years.
If I were to set the goal of MA tools without fear of misunderstanding, I think it would be the following points.
– Lead generation
– Lead nurturing
– Lead qualification
MA tools such as Marketo, Eloqua and HubSpot can generate leads (1. Lead Generation), nurture leads (2. Lead Nurturing), analyze which leads are in which stage through scoring (3. Lead Qualification) and turn them into opportunities.
In the US, a country that is advanced in marketing, MA tools are now recognized as essential tools, and it is surprising to learn that 55% of B2B companies are using some kind of MA tool.
However, there are many companies that find it extremely difficult to introduce MA tools and design and operate nurturing scenarios, and it is also true that 85% of B2B companies feel that they are not making the most of the functions of MA tools…
This is a term that combines the two concepts of video marketing and marketing automation, which have both been attracting attention in recent years. The synergistic effect of combining video and MA is immeasurable.
As a result of our own efforts in recent years to develop functions that work in conjunction with MA tools, we have been able to create examples of new ways of using video in Japan.
We are also actively implementing marketing that combines MA tools and video. What’s more, the emergence of a video production company like Human Centrics that specializes in using video in MA was personally the biggest surprise of 2016.
The following describes the synergistic effects of MA tools and video in each of these areas.
## 1. Lead Generation
The result that marketers are required to achieve within their company is lead generation.
No matter how good the video is, if it doesn’t generate leads, the marketer or marketing department won’t be evaluated.
In order to generate those leads, various MA tools have a function to create lead forms, but it is also true that many people are not making the most of them.
Our Video Cloud can layer lead forms created with various MA tools on top of the player that plays the video.
You can display lead forms at times like the examples below.
– Display the lead form before playing the video
– Display the lead form after viewing for a certain amount of time
– Display the lead form at the end of the video
This makes it possible to convert anonymous users into leads, but lead forms are not very common in Japan. It is also true that it is difficult to get people to fill in the forms. In this case, it is necessary to make the video more premium.
## 2. Lead Nurturing
In marketing automation, funnel design is an essential consideration, and the same is true for video.
By analyzing which stage of the funnel your customers are in (awareness, comparison/consideration, action/purchase) and providing them with appropriate content, video is also effective for increasing engagement.
The following is an explanation using our company’s video as an example.
As the title suggests, “What are the features of HTML5 video?” is a video that explains video distribution using HTML5 technology. This is not an explanation of Brightcove’s products, but rather an explanatory video about general HTML5 video distribution technology. It is highly likely that people who view this video are searching on a search site to understand the meaning of the term “HTML5 video” without being particularly aware of Brightcove.
Therefore, there is no need to assign a high score to this customer. It is also too early to recommend videos to customers who are in the “action/purchase” stage.
However, customers who searched for HTML5 videos may be having issues with the Flash video delivery technology currently being used on your website. They may also be having issues with the unmanaged videos that can be found on the web.
For customers like this, it may be possible to change a lead into an opportunity by recommending videos via email, such as “What are the benefits of a video portal site?
This can be confirmed by checking the completion rate and viewing time after the recommendation.
If the completion rate exceeds 90%, it can be said that the customer has a high level of interest. Assign a high score. It may also be effective to recommend videos in the next phase, the “action/purchase” phase, to these customers.
## 3. Lead Qualification
Video Cloud is a product with strong analytics capabilities. It was possible to analyze things like the number of times a video was played, the rate of play, and the viewing rate. However, it was only possible to analyze the content (video).
__【Previous analytics functions】__
It was only possible to analyze who was watching what on sites with membership-like functions that made full use of Adobe Analytics or Google Analytics.
MA tools can identify individuals through mechanisms such as cookies, from lead forms and emails. In other words, by linking MA tools with Video Cloud, it is possible to understand the following
– Who
– Watched what videos
– For how long
__【Analysis functions when linked with MA tools】__
Video is one of the few types of content on the web that has a time axis. It goes without saying that the quality of leads differs between customers who watch a video for one second and those who watch it to the end.
Based on the type and length of the video viewed, it is easier to determine what the lead nurturing customer is interested in and what stage they are at than with other content.
## Summary
As mentioned above, video is the best way to dramatically increase the ROI of your MA tool implementation. It is said that a one-minute video contains as much information as 18,000 characters. By making good use of video and linking it to your MA tool, we hope you will be able to predict your customers’ customer journeys and use this to your advantage in nurturing them.
Finally… Our “Video Cloud” can be linked to MA tools such as Marketo, Eloqua, and HubSpot in just 5 minutes!
