The issue for companies when it comes to content marketing is whether they will be able to achieve results that match the content they provide.
Even if you are able to attract visitors by providing content on SNS or your own media, you won’t be able to turn them into sales if you can’t approach them afterwards.
In order to turn people who have come into contact with your content into “potential customers”, you need to be able to “approach them”. In other words, if you don’t obtain personal information such as email addresses, names, and company names, they will remain “anonymous” visitors and viewers forever.
Lead generation is the first step in marketing activities. A common method is to prepare content that attracts interest, and then make it necessary to enter various information via a lead form in order to view it. By combining a video player with a lead form, it is also possible to generate leads based on video content.
Example of a lead form that appears before watching video content
## How do you get email addresses through video marketing?
Let’s think about how to watch videos on the web.
First, there is a pattern of watching through social media such as YouTube and TikTok. When using such media, it is possible to watch for free. However, since the distribution side cannot obtain the personal information of the viewer, it can be said that it is a method for expanding reach rather than acquiring leads.
An effective way to acquire leads is to make videos available only to those who have registered their personal information in advance. In particular, for webinars, I think that many companies will notify the viewing URL by email or other means only to those who have registered in advance. In this case, the distribution side will acquire the personal information of the viewer in advance and distribute the video in a way that is linked to who is watching which video.
As you can see, it is important to use different methods for “expanding reach” and “acquiring leads” because they have different objectives.
Let’s get back to content marketing.
A technique that is often used in business is the “register to watch for free” pattern. An effective way to use this pattern is with online live events. Live events have a premium feel that is different from regular video content, so users will actively enter their correct name and email address so as not to miss out on the opportunity. If you send the viewing URL individually by email, you will inevitably be able to obtain email address information.
## Successful examples of marketing using online live events
Let’s introduce some actual examples of successful online live marketing.
At a major insurance company called A, the coronavirus pandemic had reduced opportunities for face-to-face approaches to customers, making it difficult to acquire new leads. The company therefore decided to shift its communication with customers online by holding online events on a regular basis.
Company A also had the issue of updating their customer database. In the past, salespeople would physically receive customers’ personal information and update the customer database from an in-house information terminal. However, due to the impact of remote work and other factors, the entire updating process became difficult.
Therefore, Company A decided to have customers enter their personal information on the web themselves. As a starting point, they planned an online concert broadcast by a famous artist.
Company A has built its own video distribution platform and has held multiple online live events. They have attracted more than 100,000 applicants per event through campaigns to attract customers and announcements to customers by salespeople. At one live event, they attracted more than 90,000 viewers at the same time.
When applying, customers and potential customers who wish to watch the event enter their personal information online. As a result, there was a secondary effect of improving the accuracy of the customer database.
The richness of the customer database also improves the accuracy of the effectiveness verification of marketing measures. It is now possible to track and analyze who received what kind of email and what the subsequent insurance subscription rate was, and to consider more effective measures. Company A has set up a specialized department to manage online events, and is implementing ongoing measures.
## There are also cases of online events as engagement improvement measures
There are also examples of online live events aimed at improving employee engagement. Company B, a staffing agency, held a live event that could only be viewed by people who had registered as temporary staff.
This online live event also featured a corporate information session introducing Company B’s corporate mission, etc., and was distinctive in that it also served as a training function.
In many cases, marketing measures can also be applied to internal communication (communication within the company for employees). There may be many companies where communication between employees has declined due to the coronavirus pandemic. Why not use this as a reference?
## Choosing a video distribution platform is key
One of the features of online events is that there is no limit to the number of people who can be reached. You can provide content to everyone who wants it, and you can deliver it to users wherever they live, without any restrictions on distance.
If you provide high-quality online events virtually for free, the satisfaction level of viewers will generally be high. This will not only help you to acquire leads, but will also improve the public image of your company.
When planning an online live event, it is easy to focus on making the content appealing, but the purpose of the event is ultimately to acquire leads that will lead to sales.
If you use Brightcove’s video distribution platform [Video Cloud] (https://www.brightcove.com/ja/products/player/ “Brightcove Player”), you can obtain viewing data for each user and link it to your MA tool, so you can make the most of the leads you have acquired.
In addition, the Brightcove platform has excellent security and access restriction functions, and is also very stable when streaming.
Online events can collect more practical data than offline events. By combining Brightcove’s solutions with marketing technology, you can make the most of that data.
