In 2025, video marketing is not just a content strategy—it’s a complete customer experience engine. A well-structured video funnel guides potential customers from awareness to advocacy by delivering the right type of video at the right time. It helps brands build trust, answer questions, and drive conversions throughout the entire buyer journey.
This article explains how video funnels work, which video types to use at each stage of the customer journey, and how to implement them effectively using current tools and data.
What Is a Video Funnel?
A video funnel is a marketing framework that uses targeted video content to support each stage of the customer journey. It breaks the journey into four key stages:
- Awareness: When the customer first discovers the brand or realises a need
- Consideration: When the customer evaluates options and seeks more information
- Decision: When the customer is ready to buy or take action
- Retention: When the brand supports, delights, and retains the customer post-purchase
Rather than using a single video across all stages, video funnels match each video type with the user’s current intent, resulting in more relevant content and stronger performance.
Why Video Funnels Work in 2025
Today’s audiences prefer video to learn about products and make decisions. Wyzowl (2024) reports that 89% of people say watching a video convinced them to buy a product or service. Furthermore, video landing pages convert up to 80% better than pages without video (Unbounce, 2024). Vidyard (2023) also found that including a video in email can increase click-through rates by 200% to 300%.
As attention spans decrease, short, purposeful videos aligned to the funnel help reduce friction and improve engagement across digital touchpoints.
Stage 1: Awareness – Attracting and Educating
At the top of the funnel, your goal is to attract potential customers and make them aware of a problem or need. These viewers are not yet looking for a specific solution—they’re seeking information.
Best video types:
- Explainer videos: Brief, engaging overviews of concepts or problems
- Social media shorts: Reels, TikToks, or YouTube Shorts optimised for discovery
- How-to videos: Educational content that positions your brand as helpful
- Brand storytelling: Videos that show your mission, values, and people
Example: Slack’s animated explainer video helps viewers understand workplace communication issues and how Slack solves them.
Distribution channels: YouTube, social media platforms, paid ads, blog content
SEO tip: Use keyword-rich video titles, transcripts, and descriptions to help videos rank on Google and YouTube (Wyzowl, 2024).
Stage 2: Consideration – Building Trust and Engagement
In the middle of the funnel, your audience is actively researching and comparing options. They know they have a problem and are looking for the right solution.
Best video types:
- Product demo videos: Walkthroughs of key features and benefits
- Customer testimonial videos: Social proof from existing customers
- Comparison videos: Side-by-side analysis of competitors or plans
- Mini-webinars or FAQ videos: Educational content that builds authority
Example: HubSpot uses product walkthroughs and video testimonials to show prospects exactly how the platform delivers results.
Distribution channels: Email nurturing campaigns, product pages, resource centers, YouTube
Engagement tip: Embed lead capture forms in your video or include clear CTAs like “Schedule a demo” or “See pricing”.
Stage 3: Decision – Converting Leads into Customers
At this stage, the prospect is close to making a decision. They need confidence and clarity before committing.
Best video types:
- Case study videos: Highlight successful results from similar clients
- Personalised sales videos: Short, custom clips addressing specific use cases
- Free trial walkthroughs: Videos showing how easy it is to get started
- Guarantee or offer videos: Videos that reinforce risk-reduction (e.g., refunds, bonuses)
Example: Salesforce creates vertical-specific case study videos to show measurable outcomes for similar business challenges.
Distribution channels: One-to-one sales emails, retargeting ads, decision-stage landing pages
Conversion tip: Use clickable end screens and CTAs like “Start your free trial” or “Talk to our team”.
Stage 4: Retention – Supporting and Delighting Existing Customers
The funnel doesn’t end after purchase. Post-sale video content helps users succeed, stay loyal, and become advocates.
Best video types:
- Onboarding tutorials: Step-by-step guidance for setup and first use
- Feature update videos: Show off what’s new to keep users engaged
- Customer success tips: Proactive education to drive product value
- Thank-you and milestone videos: Celebrate loyalty or account anniversaries
Example: Canva sends onboarding videos customised for each user segment (educators, designers, marketers), increasing feature adoption.
Distribution channels: In-app video popups, lifecycle email sequences, help centers
Retention tip: Use videos to answer common support questions and reduce churn. Include links to community forums or account managers.
How to Build a Video Funnel
- Map the customer journey: Understand key questions or hesitations at each stage.
- Match videos to touchpoints: Choose content formats that align with user needs.
- Create videos with purpose: Use clear messaging, strong CTAs, and consistent branding.
- Distribute across the right channels: Each funnel stage requires a different channel strategy.
- Track performance and optimise: Use analytics to monitor watch time, conversions, and drop-off points.
Video Funnel Tools
| Tool | Use Case |
| Vidyard | Personalised sales and funnel video analytics |
| Wistia | Hosting, lead capture, and video heatmaps |
| Loom | Quick explainer or onboarding videos |
| Vimeo | High-quality hosting and private sharing |
| Descript | Script editing, transcriptions, captions |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using one video for all funnel stages
- Not including clear CTAs or lead capture
- Ignoring mobile optimisation and short formats
- Not measuring performance or viewer behaviour
- Focusing only on pre-sale videos, and neglecting retention
Case Study: Drift’s Full-Funnel Video Strategy
Drift, a B2B SaaS company, uses explainer videos on social media for awareness, product demos and testimonials in email nurturing for consideration, and personalised sales videos for decision-stage leads. Post-sale, they use onboarding videos and feature updates to retain customers—creating a seamless video experience across the funnel.
Note
In 2025, brands that align video content with the customer journey will build trust faster, educate more effectively, and convert more leads. A strong video funnel ensures that every video you create serves a purpose—from attracting new prospects to retaining loyal customers.
By creating short, targeted, and relevant videos for each funnel stage, you guide your audience step by step and increase the overall ROI of your marketing efforts. As buyer journeys become more digital, personalised, and video-first, a full-funnel strategy is no longer optional—it’s essential.
More Read
References
Unbounce. (2024). Video landing page statistics. https://unbounce.com/
Vidyard. (2023). The power of video in digital marketing. https://www.vidyard.com/
Wistia. (2024). Video marketing benchmarks 2024. https://wistia.com/
Wyzowl. (2024). The state of video marketing 2024. https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/
