Thank you page videos are opportunities to engage already-invested visitors beyond a routine confirmation message. For you daring marketers using videos on your landing pages, creating videos for your thank you pages seems like a natural progression in your inbound video marketing strategy.
These videos aren’t walks in the park. You have a small window to communicate a lot of vital information without suffocating viewers. If you’re unsure how to proceed, keep these tips in mind:
Keep Them Short
Keep your videos brief. I recommend a maximum length around 60 seconds with some leeway depending on the associated content . Give people what they want. Visitors took action because you presented a solution to their problems or placed them closer to reaching a solution.
Make Sure the Tone Fits
What’s your voice? How would you characterize your messaging? Understanding how you educate audiences impacts the stylistic choices you make when producing your videos. I recommend focusing on the foundations of your thank you page video – the customer, his/her problem, and how the offer he/she just agreed to helps – rather than forced aesthetics.
Confirm Buyer’s Intent (and Thank People, Silly)
If you aren’t thanking your prospects on your thank you pages and videos, stop reading this and immediately correct that. Express appreciation for your visitors’ time, attention, and money! After all, there are reasons why he or she chose you above your competition. Your sincere gratitude helps confirm the original buying intent influencing the person’s actions. Validate your visitor’s decision with a speedy, direct, and valuable experience.
Establish Expectations
As HubSpot’s Angela Hicks highlights in her conversion section of the Inbound Certification program, thank you pages are important guideposts in the conversion process. Clear directions must be articulated so that leads know what to do next and what to expect moving forward. A great thank you page video steers leads to:
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Where to find more valuable resources
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When a lead can access goods if not immediately ready
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How a lead can access what they want
Here are a few techniques you can employ:
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Create graphics that show important points.
If your customer just purchased your state-of-the-art cat blanket, visually mention the 3-5 day delivery period. Clarify where/when your lead can get what they want.
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Use annotations for more relevant content
Let’s say your video has three basic sections: the initial “thank you”, a quick recap of the offer’s benefits, and a concluding portion containing helpful contact information and links to further content. If you’re concerned with overwhelming the viewer with too much information near the end of the video, explore using annotations or Cards as quick portals for viewers to reach solutions with minimal explanation. Take a look at your audience retention metrics to see where and when engagement drops and test the formats of your thank you page videos accordingly.
If you’re aiming to overwhelm your team because it’s a fun thing to do, I recommend split-testing annotations on factors like:
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the type of deeper content offer (e.g. whitepaper, case study, free trial)
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the number of annotations (with vs. without, one vs. two)
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when annotations appear (beginning, middle, end)
Customize According to Buyer’s Journey
Though obvious, this point often gets overlooked. Each video you produce must align with each offer redeemed. Someone who just signed up for a free trial shouldn’t receive a thank you video for downloading a whitepaper.
Every offer you propose needs its own specific thank you page video. While this task seems daunting given production (time, labor) and opportunity costs, the process can be quickly streamlined with the right filming styles, setups, and editing methods. The majority of your effort will be concentrated in the pre-production phases of strategy, scripting, scheduling, and assembling the production environment.
Offer Something More Valuable
Writing for Unbounce, Marketing Words President Karon Thackston shared a crucial caveat: “Don’t lose the momentum with a lax thank you page.” She’s absolutely right. You’ve got them right where you want them. When viewers can’t discern any value or purpose on these pages, they exit, stunting the potential for revenue generation or prolonged customer lifetime value.
A keen understanding of your buyer personas and their conversion paths will inform your next moves. Here, much effort will be spent on determining which calls-to-action prove most successful and where/when you should communicate them. Concerning optimization, there is plenty to test. Remember, it’s all rooted in your viewer’s positioning:
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What did this person just download?
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What language (think keywords) is appropriate?
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Are you proposing a singular follow-up or a plurality of different options?
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How strong or mild is your call-to-action?
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Is your call-to-action mentioned once or numerous times?
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Is efficacy greater in the beginning, middle, or end of the video?
Feature Faces
We buy things from other people. We look to experts for guidance, direction, and advice especially when we need solutions. A person with a warm camera presence and approachable disposition goes a long way in sustaining a comfortable viewing experience for new leads who are moving along your conversion cycle, new customers taking the plunge, or returning customers confident in your value proposition. Put people in front of your cameras.
In some cases, the person in your video may be the first “face” of your company the viewer has encountered. Clearly defining his/her role as part of your team and how the viewer can reach him/her reduces some of the uncertainty of expectations and next steps.
That’s not to say your video(s) should only feature talking heads. Your brand personality and creative choices might lead to experimentation with animation and other video styles where people aren’t focal points. Have a team member appear in the beginning and/or end of the video to share appropriate information on where to go, what to do, and how to do it.
Include Your Entire Team
Utilize different on-air talents in your thank you page videos. The people appearing in your thank you page videos shouldn’t be sourced from an insular pool if possible. Utilize product specialists and knowledgeable sales representatives in addition to the original creators of your content offers. Provide contact information and links to relevant social media channels for follow-up questions and feedback.
Including personnel like specialists or sales executives can serve as a mini introduction and onboarding exercise. This technique can be a valuable tool when creating videos for “MOFU” (middle of the funnel) and “BOFU” (bottom of the funnel) offers. Visitors who have researched solutions and consumed some of your content may be ready to reach a BOFU checkpoint or even purchase. An existing degree of familiarity with a trusted resource coupled with easy methods of contact sets the foundation for a valued conversion experience.
