It’s 3 a.m. You’re asleep, but some of your customers are wide awake. They have questions, and they’re searching your website for answers. Scrolling through pages of text or having to wait to speak with you during your business hours could be an inconvenience when time is of the essence. Unlike many segments of your business, your company’s customer experience isn’t limited to set hours of operation. It’s ongoing and delivered to customers each time they interact with your brand. This includes visiting your website and social media pages—two of the most important customer touchpoints in today’s digital economy.
If your goal is to build a customer-centric business, your company’s customer experience needs to be seamless and enjoyable, even when you're off the clock. Integrating a video-centric digital strategy into your overall business strategy can help you achieve this. A digital strategy is a business strategy that utilizes technology to accomplish organizational goals and achieve a competitive advantage, such as delivering an unbeatable customer experience. Technology used in digital strategies can range from state-of-the-art hardware to the latest software, online platforms, and tools.
There is no denying that video technology is a powerful communication tool. Content created with video generates 12 times more shares on social media than other forms of content combined. Many businesses limit the use of video to just marketing, but video can be used to accomplish so much more. When fully unleashed, the power of video goes beyond the creation of high-converting ads and campaigns. It improves processes and creates happy customers at every stage of your customers’ lifecycle, catapulting your customers’ needs to the forefront of your operations.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss three ways a video-centric digital strategy can help your business become more customer-centric.
1. A video-centric strategy makes you more accessible
Let’s agree. Offering a 24-hour sales and support hotline with live agents isn’t always possible, and when it is, it may not be the best use of company resources. Chatbot software, also called virtual agents, is a great alternative, but, if your goal is to be more customer-centric, conversations with chatbots should be augmented by videos when applicable. Videos humanize your brand and allow you to build and maintain a connection with your customers. With video at the center of your digital strategy, your customers can hear a friendly voice and, if you want, see friendly faces while gaining in-depth insight into your products and services, accessing onboarding instructions and training, and receiving ongoing support—anytime, anywhere.
Increasing accessibility not only improves your customer experience, but it also gives you a competitive edge—a necessity for thriving in hyper-competitive markets. The franchising market, for example, has no shortage of players. However, our client, Cruise Planners, consistently comes out on top. The fourth fastest-growing franchise and the largest home-based travel company in the nation, Cruise Planners utilizes video as a key component of its franchise marketing strategy. From engaging owner stories and on-demand webinars to an award-winning video marketing program designed to help owners market their business, support from the team at Cruise Planners is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s no wonder they’re a market leader.
2. A video-centric strategy satisfies your customers
Remember what shopping for electronics was like back in the day? You got in your car, drove to a store, perhaps made a beeline for a specific department, read the shelf talker for each device, and interrogated the nearest sales agent about different product features before making your purchase decision. Today, consumer shopping behavior has changed dramatically. Purchase decisions for many shoppers are made with a tap of a button after watching a 2-minute video on social media or a brand website.
Consumers and business customers want information the way they want their food—quick, digestible and, most of all, enjoyable. A recent report on HubSpot on the state of video marketing featured a survey where video accounted for nearly 70% of the ways consumers preferred to learn about new products and services.
Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy is a great example of a company that has adapted its sales process and communication strategy to match consumer behavior and preference. In an era where traditional retailers are disappearing like characters in a Hollywood Sci-Fi movie, Best Buy is thriving, with reports of increased sales both before and during the Covid-19 global pandemic. Best Buy uses video to support both its shift to an omni-channel customer experience and focus on technology services. On Best Buy’s website and YouTube channel, which has over 200,000 subscribers and over 100 million views, customers can view videos that demo products, offer helpful shopping tips, and provide basic setup and troubleshooting advice.
By using video to support each stage of your customers’ buyer journey and lifecycle, you’ll be providing the kind of convenience that converts customers into loyal fans.
3. A video-centric strategy helps you serve customers
Long wait times can do great damage to your customer experience. Depending on your type of business, videos can reduce your customers’ wait time significantly. A real estate agency, for example, can have professional video walkthroughs available on their website for customers in the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey while scheduling showings for customers who are ready to buy. For your business, perhaps sales pitches, training sessions, and after-sale support can be converted to on-demand videos that customers with general queries or common issues can watch at their leisure. A video-centric digital strategy will clear your phone lines, email inbox, and on-site meeting calendar for customers who require more personalized attention. This means less wait time for everyone who does business with you.
To be video-centric is to be customer-centric. Integrating a video-centric digital strategy into your business strategy shouldn’t be viewed as just another business expense. Instead, it should be viewed as an asset—a resource that businesses like yours can employ to accomplish a wide range of goals. Implementing strategies that ensure that your customers have support that is accessible, convenient, and efficient demonstrates that your organization views the customer experience as a top priority.
Keep in mind that, with video at the helm of your digital business design, your business can be transformed into the customer-centric brand you aim to build.
