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The problem isn’t usually the quality of the video; it is the placement of the video. If you are showing a 10-minute product demo to a stranger who has never heard of your brand, you are moving too fast. Conversely, if you are showing a generic “brand values” video to a hot lead ready to buy, you are wasting their time.

To fix your video marketing strategy, you need to stop thinking about “video” as a single asset and start thinking about it as a journey.

The Job of Video Production: Moving the Needle

If you search for “what is the job of video production”, you will often find answers about lighting, storytelling and editing. While true, these are technical definitions, not business ones.

From a strategic perspective, the job of video is to move a customer from “Who are you?” to “I trust you”. It is the vehicle that carries your prospect through the psychological stages of buying. If there is a gap in your content (a missing bridge) the customer falls out of the funnel.

Mapping Video Types to the Sales Funnel

To close the “content gap”, you need to align specific video types with the three main stages of the funnel.

1. Top of Funnel (TOFU): The “Hook” (Awareness)

At this stage, the customer doesn’t know you exist. They are scrolling through LinkedIn or Instagram, and their attention span is less than three seconds.

• The Goal: Stop the scroll.
• The Video Type: High-energy, short-form content (under 30 seconds). Think punchy social media clips, problem-aware skits or visually stunning teasers. You aren’t selling the product yet; you are selling curiosity.
• Example: A great example of TOFU content would be the short, snappy social media animations and GIFs we create for clients like Airbus. These are designed purely to grab attention in a crowded feed and generate initial brand awareness without overwhelming the viewer.

2. Middle of Funnel (MOFU): The “Demo” (Consideration)

Now they know you, but they aren’t convinced. They are comparing you to competitors. This is where video production for lead generation does the heavy lifting.

• The Goal: Educate and demonstrate competence.
• The Video Type: Explainer videos, product demos and “how-to” guides. This content is longer (2-5 minutes) and answers the specific questions holding the buyer back.
• Example: For a highly effective MOFU asset, look at the promo ad we created for the clothes sizing app Fitly.ai (featured in our MyOxbridge ‘Learning Without Limits’ portfolio). We designed this online ad to show users exactly how to use the app and how it can significantly improve their online shopping experiences. By demonstrating the product in action, it acts as a perfect consideration-stage guide that answers questions and proves its value.

3. Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): The “Proof” (Decision)

The lead is hot. They want to buy, but they are scared of making a mistake. They need reassurance.

• The Goal: Validate and convert.
• The Video Type: TOFU vs BOFU video content is very different. Here, you need unscripted testimonials and detailed case studies. Hearing a peer say “This works” is the final nudge required to close the deal.
• Example: Our recent work for Osprey Flight Solutions and Virgin Atlantic serves as a classic high-end BOFU asset. We went beyond a standard interview format by capturing cinematic B-roll of Virgin Atlantic’s operations to create a proper, in-depth case study. Seeing a real-world application and hearing directly about a successful partnership provides the exact type of proof needed to give prospects the confidence to close the deal.

Plugging the Content Gap: A Real-World Example

Rather than just hitting record, successful video strategy requires identifying exactly where your funnel is leaking. If a brand has high traffic but low conversions, they likely have a MOFU or BOFU gap.

For instance, when we partnered with the Zero Outage Industry Standard (ZOIS) Association, they had a wealth of high-quality thought-leadership content but needed a better way to communicate the value of their standard to new comers. The leak in their funnel was at the consideration stage, where prospects struggled to quickly grasp the complex frameworks involved.

To plug this gap, we didn’t just redesign their website; we created four animated explainer videos using an engaging Formula 1 theme. These MOFU videos visually articulated their key work-streams (People, Processes, Platforms and Security), making abstract concepts tangible for prospective members. By pairing this strategic video content with a dynamic landing page, we helped ZOIS smoothly guide prospects from initial curiosity to full association membership.

Thanks for reading!

This article is part of our Marketing Knowledge series , where we share practical insights from our daily work in web design, branding and digital content.

If you’d like to explore related topics, see all articles in our Marketing Knowledge section.

About Black Cliff Media

We’re a UK-based creative agency specialising in video production, website design and development, branding and visual content. Every article we publish is reviewed by our team to make sure it reflects our real project experience, so it is not just theory.

If you’d like to see how we apply these ideas in real client work, check out our latest projects.