Video has become one of the most popular mediums used in digital marketing. The HubSpot Marketing Trends Report of 2024 finds that short-form video is the top leveraged format for media in marketing (Source: HubSpot). It’s no surprise considering video’s rise in popularity through platforms like YouTube, TikTok and other social media. They help many people process information more easily while keeping them engaged, which is invaluable from a marketing perspective.
Now that video marketing is more commonplace, though, it’s not as easy to separate your brand from the others using one generic message for all. Customers expect more from a brand in terms of how they connect with them as individuals. That’s the beauty of personalized video! Tailoring videos to individual viewers can help you build a stronger relationship with your clients by showing them how your products and services fit into their lives.
Leverage an emotional connection
One of the principal benefits of personalized video is its ability to create a deeper connection with the viewer. Customers tend to make decisions on an emotional level first, so tapping into a customer’s emotions is proven to draw engagement and promote conversion. Every effort to personalize content creates another opportunity to connect emotionally.
Customers already see the value in personalized experiences, with 72% of consumers saying that they only engage with marketing content tailored to their interests (Source: SmarterHQ). In fact, brands that market using personalized experiences are 215% more likely to rate their marketing strategy as very effective compared to those that don’t (Source: HubSpot). And it makes sense. Why task your customers with figuring out how a product or service works for them? By personalizing the content they see, you directly illustrate the value of your brand to them as individuals.
Let’s look at how personalized video can advance the customer journey, from acquisition to loyalty.
Acquisition
A potential client lands on your product page and is met with information, testimonials, and visuals aimed at helping them understand its value. But to acquire them as a customer, you may consider more engaging, less overwhelming methods like video to show off your product and make the content more digestible. Why not also consider customizing that same content to capture their interest and appeal to their needs as individuals?
By adding touches of personalization, even with basic inputs that let them add basic information about themselves, you make them feel that they are in the right place, regardless of where they’ve come from. Whether it be their name, figures that reflect their financial situation, or the goals they have relating to the product, you are setting a scene that is familiar to them and delivering a more meaningful message.
Example- A retirement savings calculator
Start the video by asking the viewer their name, their current savings, any contributions they make or plan to make, and their savings goal. Use this information to show results calculated using that info. They’ll instantly be more connected to the message because this situation reflects them, and these are results they would experience. Labeling visual information with their name (e.g., “Alicia’s Retirement Savings Goal” or “Razvan’s Monthly Contributions”) can further that feeling of being understood and wanted.
Extra tip: Pair your tool with additional generic text or audio content, like articles and podcasts, that provide more context for the graphical content and what it means in a wider framework.
Conversion
Once your potential customer is engaged, you can offer the option to further customize the experience to help them better understand possible outcomes. By educating a prospective customer about how your product or service fits into their life, you are making them feel more informed and confident, which can thereby help convert them from prospective to real customer.
Viewers may be skeptical about whether the benefits are indeed more than those provided by the initial narrative you’ve illustrated. For that reason, you may want to present alternative scenarios using animated graphs and tables so they can compare the results. You can take this even further and take a “choose-your-own-adventure” approach where you can use hypotheticals to let your customer “try out” different options and see how they play out.
Example- A mortgage simulator
To demonstrate the impact of decisions around a mortgage, you can create a simulation video that goes through different types of mortgages and term options. As the customer goes along, they are able to make choices that teach them about how each option works and the impacts they each have. By giving the customer the reins, you can present them with the same message while letting them control how they arrive at it. It’s a great way to boost engagement and validate their decision-making process.
Extra tip: Create a shorter, static version of the “create-your-own-adventure” video for users who may not want or have the time for it, or would like to share the contents with people in their network.
Retention
You’ve successfully converted the viewer into a real customer. Although you’ve already set the groundwork for them to trust your commitment to their needs, it’s important to take steps to retain that customer relationship. Retention is a crucial but often overlooked step in sustaining that important relationship.
Following up a product purchase with customized video content demonstrates that your brand is still there for them. Send them a personalized video to thank them, explain what’s next, and reflect on any other implications their conversion has already had or may soon bring. Leverage details about the transaction and the customer to show them you appreciate their business and you’re looking out for them. Around 96% of marketers believe using personalized data increases the chance of one-time customers becoming repeat ones (Source: HubSpot).
Example- An insurance follow-up explainer video
A customer has purchased life and health insurance from your company. Now that the initial transaction is finished, send a video that explains details about the insurance, paying and calculating their premium, and steps they can take to lower it. You may go over information they have already learned, but you can pre-populate the video with their specific premium and details like their name, date of purchase, and any other data you can leverage, to make them feel good about their decision and that you care about them as a person.
Extra tip: Integrate traditional animation or live action to create a more visual explanation and help viewers better understand and relate to the content.
Loyalty
After all that work, you have a returning customer who is satisfied with your product and trusting of your brand’s commitment. Instead of leaving it there, go the extra mile to demonstrate the benefits of remaining loyal to your brand and let them feel good about it.
More and more companies use personalized videos to celebrate their customers. There are multiple ways to do it, but the focus should be showing the customer what they’ve earned from their commitment to your brand.
Example- A credit cards reward offer
Send your loyal credit card customers a video that offers them unique reward opportunities. Perhaps you have a selection of rewards card that each have their own offers so that not only will your customers feel a sense of achievement, but also that they are in control of the benefits they reap from it.
Extra tip: Develop an infographic that shows the overall stats of how these rewards have benefited other loyal customers. That way, customers can see how their interactions with your brand stack up against the big picture.
Make the journey unique
There’s no shortage of content out there, and that makes it difficult to rise above the noise. By offering your customers a personalized video experience, you’re giving meaning to your services and products in the context of their lives, and in a highly engaging way. Keep in mind, though, that keeping things short and sweet is often best, with 96% of marketers agreeing that optimal video length is under 10 minutes, and the highest percentage of those stating it is between one and three (Source: HubSpot).
In addition to content customization tools like Adobe Experience Manager, consider ways that you can personalize video content to grab their attention and connect with them on a deeper level.
Rich Media is all about creating personal digital experiences; telling stories and creating connections is what we do. Let us help you discover new ways of personalizing video content to better connect with your customers.
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