B2B video marketing plays a crucial role in connecting with your potential customers and enhancing the financial growth of your business. In fact, 87% of marketers say that video marketing has helped them increase their sales.
B2B video marketing involves the creation of video content tailored toward promoting B2B companies. This inbound marketing strategy can attract potential customers and engage with your professional audience.
In B2B video marketing, your target audience consists of businesses, unlike B2C video marketing which targets individual consumers. You already know that the buying process in B2B often involves multiple-decision makers, and you’ll need more time for them to convert.
Additionally, your target B2B buyers are more informed and sophisticated. Depending on your product or service, your video marketing strategy should have more in-depth content so that you can get their attention.
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Importance of Video in B2B Marketing
Regardless of your industry, it’s likely that your target audience will spend time watching videos online. Most marketers believe that creating high-quality videos for B2B consumers involves spending a lot. While there is some truth to that, in this day and age, you can produce great video content in a less expensive way.
42% of video marketers actually spend between $0 and $500 on an average video. Moreover, in B2B marketing, you are targeting real people who want to see relevant video content. To be able to connect with them, a large budget or elaborate video effects isn’t always necessary.
Video marketing is growing exponentially because your consumers have more than one method of consuming them through different platforms. There is no denying that video is engaging and can elicit trust from your viewers.
The advancement in human communication has led to the growing use of video in marketing. From images and illustrations to simple animations, video is now considered the most effective way to establish a connection and educate your target B2B audience.
If you’re running a small business, you should consider incorporating videos into your strategy and recognize the strength of video as a marketing tool. Let’s look at some ways video can help your business.
Enhances Your Search Engine Rankings
Have you noticed that video results frequently show up in Google searches, often appearing on or near the top of the page? For instance, a search for “video marketing for small business” on Google results in video content appearing as the top result on the first page.
By not utilizing video, you are missing out on the opportunity for free visibility. However, it is crucial to follow best practices in search engine optimization (SEO) when uploading your videos.
Improves Lead Generation
Video is a very effective tool for you to engage and generate leads. A recent survey by Animoto found that 93% of businesses reported acquiring a new customer through a video on social media.
Adding video to your website pages can also increase the average time spent and help your business drive sales. This was confirmed by 81% of video marketers who agreed that video had a direct impact on sales. Take for example Salesforce, who uses video for its product demonstration and requires visitors to sign-up.
You can also add a call-to-action in your videos to direct your potential customers to other conversion opportunities such as signing up for a free trial or downloading free materials.
Builds Brand Awareness and Stronger Brand Recall
You can use videos to build brand awareness by telling engaging stories that are entertaining and memorable. Compelling videos lead to a stronger brand recall, which is especially important in B2B where the sales cycle is usually much longer.
Video is a highly immersive medium. By combining the power of sounds and visuals, you are getting a great format for storytelling to create a strong emotional connection with your target audience. You can also use videos to differentiate your brand, express your business’s identity, and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
The impact of storytelling should not be overlooked. You can tell stories to evoke emotions, and video is renowned for its ability to do so because of the audio and visual elements. Research by Harvard supports this notion, and you should leverage the use of videos in B2B marketing to leave a more impactful message for your target audience.
It’s crucial to evoke positive emotions through video marketing since ads that trigger negative emotions such as stress or fear are also easily remembered. However, this may result in a negative association between the viewer and your brand.
Hence, it’s recommended to aim for creating a positive impact through video marketing to establish a more desirable brand recall for your business. A great example is when Intel used video to increase brand awareness and show social proof of its products.
The video demonstrates how Intel products have been used in successful neurosurgeries, highlighting the real-life application of its products. This has a greater impact than just displaying quotes on their website. This powerful technique showcases the capabilities of Intel products and conveys the message that any business could use them successfully.
Educate and Inform Your Target Audience
Ads only provide your business a short window of opportunity to grab the attention of your target customers. It’s important for you to utilize visuals, copy, sound, and movement effectively in order to convey your message.
Video is a powerful format that enables you to communicate a wealth of information in a limited amount of time. This allows you to craft stories that bring your brand to life and educate your target audience, which is a crucial aspect of B2B marketing.
An effective approach for B2B video marketing is to identify a challenge faced by your target audience and then create a video ad that showcases how your product or service can help solve that problem. By doing so, you not only capture the audience’s interest in your B2B solution but also position your brand or company as a thought leader in the industry.
By educating your audience through video, you establish a foundation of trust between your brand and your target audience while simultaneously introducing your product or service.
Improve Customer Engagement
Videos are an effective tool to generate interest, interact with your potential customers, and build brand loyalty. You already know that your target B2B audience often conducts extensive online research before making a purchase.
By creating engaging explainer videos that showcase your company’s products or services, and hosting webinars that address customer issues, you can capture their attention and keep them coming back for more. This approach shows that you are going the extra mile to provide your audience with what they want.
To create effective video content, it’s important to maintain high production standards. This includes featuring real people, using professional quality video equipment, and delivering a captivating story. These elements will help your video content stand out and effectively engage your target audience.
Best Practices for B2B Video Marketing
Video can be an effective tool to connect with decision-makers in your target audience and make a lasting impression. To make your video stand out, consider creative ways to differentiate it and ensure it delivers high-quality content. By doing so, you can educate your target audience, increase brand awareness, and foster trust.
Despite videos becoming a popular trend in digital marketing, many B2B marketers are still reluctant to incorporate them into their strategies, often due to constraints on budgets and the perceived difficulties of the production process.
However, it’s not necessary to invest heavily or create highly polished videos to receive a high return on investment. Genuine, informative, and relevant videos that resonate with your potential buyers can have a similarly strong impact.
Here are some of the best practices you can incorporate for your B2B video marketing to be effective.
Understand Your Target Audience
To make video marketing more effective, it is important to understand your target audience and their buying journey. When creating a video content plan, ensure that you are targeting buyers at different stages of their journey with messages that meet their specific needs.
The success of your video marketing will depend on two things: the stage of the sales funnel that your target audience is in, and the platform on which the video is published.
At the early stage of the funnel where your potential customers become aware of a problem and understand the consequences of not addressing it, videos about industry trends and thought leadership can help move them further along the funnel. For example, you can reach a broader audience through educational video blogs.
Product demonstration and case study videos are ideal for those who are in the middle stage of the sales funnel, as they are evaluating their options, comparing products, and eliminating those that do not meet their requirements or budget.
At the final stage where your buyers are at the decision-making stage, you can create video tutorials, free demonstrations, and provide real-life examples. Testimonials from your previous customers in a video format can also motivate them to make a purchase. Plus, it also helps your customers throughout all the stages of the sales funnel.
Keep Your Videos Short and Concise
Boredom during prolonged videos is a common experience for everyone. You’ll have the tendency of losing your audience’s attention if you create videos that are longer than several minutes. This makes your videos less effective.
On the other hand, short-form videos are a more engaging way to maintain your viewer’s interest. According to a 2018 study, 75% of videos produced by B2B companies are under two minutes, compared with just 56 percent in 2017.
Lastly, short-form videos not only engage your target audience better but helps them retain information better.
Use Emotionally Appealing Storytelling Techniques
Incorporating emotions into your videos is a tried-and-true method of establishing a connection between your viewers and your business. Emotional appeals are more impactful and effective than a detached business approach.
A good example of this is Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign, which uses emotional appeals to inspire and connect with its audience. They were able to create a memorable advertisement that resonated with viewers.
Emotional appeals can also be used in B2B communications, as demonstrated in a video by Phonexa, a B2B company that uses heart-tugging emotional appeals.
Optimize for Search Engines
When it comes to B2B video marketing, you should optimize various elements to increase your chances of ranking well on search engines such as Google and YouTube for relevant keywords. For B2B, you should create a steady flow of authoritative and relatable content that targets your customers’ needs using the keywords you aim to rank for.
A great example would be to increase the visibility of video thumbnail listings in search results for pages ranking for relevant keywords wherein the website page containing the embedded video is displayed with the video thumbnail in the listing.
An eye-catching thumbnail will give your videos higher click-through rates. Additionally, the thumbnail may also appear in Google images, which will drive more traffic to your website. It’s crucial for you to create video thumbnails that are closely related to the content they represent and the relevant keywords.
Include Clear Calls-To-Action
The objective of creating a video for your business can vary. You can use videos to increase website traffic, gather email addresses, or create excitement about an upcoming product or service. Including a Call-to-Action (CTA) in your video can maximize its impact and prompt your target audience to take a specific action after watching your content.
There are three types of CTAs that you can include in a video: audio, text, and buttons. The most widely used type is buttons, which can be prominent, vibrant, and quickly grab your audience’s attention.
In this GoPro video, the final frame displays bold CTA buttons directing the audience to subscribe to GoPro’s YouTube channel.
You may not always have the resources for multiple actors or elaborate animations, but that’s not always necessary. The video by Okta showcases the strength of animated text, using a simple approach that creates a significant impact. They were able to demonstrate that sometimes, less is more.
Types of B2B Video Content
To be successful in B2B marketing, you must seek out tools that not only connect but also sustain your audience’s interest, establish relationships, and deepen partnerships. More than 70% of B2B buyers spend more time watching video content compared to other formats during their customer journey.
Video content is considered one of the most ideal media to accomplish your B2B marketing objectives. Recognizing the significance of video content is one thing. The real challenge begins with you figuring out the best types of B2B videos to include in your marketing plan.
Let’s take a look at the most commonly used B2B video types to enhance your marketing efforts.
Product Videos
Product videos are no longer just a demonstration of its features. To attract your customers, you must convey how using your products will enhance their lives and provide solutions to their problems. You should also tailor your approach to meet the needs and preferences of your customers.
When creating product videos for B2B companies, you should remember to showcase your product’s unique qualities and distinguish it from competitors. These videos will offer a simple explanation of the functions and advantages without delving into complex details, providing your B2B audience with a clear understanding of what your product has to offer.
A great example would be this video from Zendesk, wherein they were able to highlight the pain points of their target audience. They also included how those problems affected the business owner, the need for a solution, and lastly, how they helped the customer. All of these were explained clearly in just one minute.
Customer Testimonials
Your B2B videos have several purposes. It can promote brand awareness, give valuable information, or capture your audience’s attention, to mention a few.
However, potential customers may view your videos with skepticism or doubt, because you are expected to promote your products as exceptional. Customer testimonial videos help to overcome this perception by providing verifiable social proof of your product’s quality and value. Hearing positive reviews from peers can help build customer trust in the brand.
For B2B businesses, customer testimonial videos are a highly effective and authentic marketing tool. By utilizing your existing customers in these videos, you are making an instant connection with your target audience while showcasing the value of your products or services.
Testimonials from your satisfied customers can help build trust with your potential clients. While many companies use testimonial videos, you should only do so if you’re able to find actual customers who are eager to share their positive experiences on camera.
You should also look for previous clients who are dedicated and unlikely to switch to a different or competing B2B business.
This testimonial focuses on the necessity for quick and efficient communication among the employees at HubSpot and how using both Zoom and Slack fulfills that requirement.
Notably, the video demonstrates the seamless integration of the two tools, as evidenced by the ease of launching a Zoom call from within the Slack chat platform. This provides concrete proof of the product’s capabilities.
When creating your company’s testimonial video, consider emulating this approach by showcasing customers who are already experiencing the benefits of your products. Ensure that the video has a lively editing style to add visual elements that emphasize the central message of the testimonial.
Industry Thought Leadership Videos
In the highly competitive B2B market, standing out from the crowd can be challenging. To set your B2B business apart, it is essential to have fresh and impactful content that demonstrates your brand and expertise.
One effective marketing strategy to consider is thought leadership, which involves creating expert-level content that showcases your industry authority. This approach involves addressing the industry’s most pressing questions and offering unique perspectives.
This is a great example from L2’s CEO, Scott Galloway. Galloway’s approach exemplifies authenticity in branding. The videos are often blunt, opinionated, and confrontational, yet backed by evidence and presented persuasively. Galloway’s unique voice makes his thought leadership content stand out, as it is insightful and highly engaging.
Explainer Videos
Introducing explainer videos to potential customers at the right stage of the sales funnel can be highly impactful in B2B marketing. These videos provide a detailed look at your company, your product, and how it works.
To keep your viewers engaged, it’s important to present the information in an entertaining and compelling way by incorporating storytelling into your messages. Most of your target customers will watch explainer videos to gain information about your services or products, making them an indispensable tool for B2B marketing.
The Databricks video is an exceptional example of how to use explainer content. It presents the platform, its workings, and the benefits it offers to customers in a concise and straightforward manner. The animation style used in the video effectively simplifies even the most complicated and confusing aspects of the product.
Company Culture Videos
Company culture videos offer a glimpse into the workings of your team, humanizing your brand and making it easier for the viewer to understand and connect with who you are. This type of video works great to help establish trust and attract potential customers.
The Salesforce brand video conveys the company’s mission to create a better world and promote sustainable business practices without mentioning its sales pitch. It also highlights the essence of its mission and presents it to viewers in a seamless manner.
Distribution Channels for B2B Video Marketing
The placement of your videos in video marketing is crucial for visibility and to reach your target audience. If you don’t effectively distribute your videos, it will be challenging for people to find them. You may also miss out on potential benefits from omitted channels in your marketing strategy.
Different video content should be placed on different channels to ensure they reach the right audience. Here are some of the channels that can help achieve this.
Social Media Platforms
Using video content can quickly grab your prospect’s attention. Having a unique message on social media platforms can greatly increase your audience reach.
However, it is important to be strategic about which social media channels to utilize for promoting your brand and connecting with clients. You should focus on the platforms that are most popular among your target audience. For B2B businesses, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool to achieve these goals.
LinkedIn is the most trustworthy platform for B2B companies to interact with each other. It boasts over 690 million users from more than 200 countries. These users are professionals from various industries with a skilled mindset.
YouTube is also one of the best platforms you can share videos on. It gives you lead generation opportunities because of its global reach. Plus, you’ll have improved visibility on Google, as it’s owned by the same company.
You may also direct links from your YouTube channel to your website. Additionally, you can control the content you create and try innovative approaches to connect with your target audience.
For short-form videos, TikTok and Instagram would be the top channels. You can promote teasers for your longer videos, or a clip of a product video with a link to the whole clip directing your audience to your website.
Company Website
Having a video on your homepage can effectively showcase your product or service to potential customers as your website serves as the focal point of all your marketing efforts. Possible video ideas for your website could be company culture videos or product videos.
Email Marketing
Sending emails and receiving no response is a common experience, but adding a video to your emails can change that. Including a video in your email marketing efforts can boost your click-through rates by 200-300% according to video messaging service Bomb Bomb.
To make sure your video email stands out, choose an eye-catching thumbnail image that will entice viewers to click on it. This is a straightforward and effective way to boost the number of leads your business acquires each year.
Measuring Success of B2B Video Marketing
Measuring the success of B2B video marketing is crucial for understanding the impact of your campaigns and making data-driven decisions. By tracking the key metrics, you can determine the reach and engagement of your videos. Additionally, you can also assess the return on investment of your video marketing strategies.
Understanding the impact of your B2B video marketing campaigns allows you to identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions that drive business growth and success.
Customer Engagement
High engagement rates can play a crucial role in increasing the organic reach of your video. A video that connects with a portion of your audience is likely to connect with the rest of it as well.
Additionally, engagement can give you important qualitative data. The comments on your video can give you an insight into the emotional impact it had on your viewers. Whether they are inspired or have a negative reaction to a controversial topic can inform your future video content.
Engagement metrics are commonly considered the most significant and widely measured metrics. They provide insight into the effectiveness of your video, including average viewing time and the portion of the video watched by viewers.
Here’s how you can calculate your engagement rates: Engagement rate = total watch time/total number of video plays (including replays).
If your initial engagement is low, don’t be too hard on yourself. Focus on the purpose of your video and work to improve over time.
Additionally, social sharing is a crucial indicator of your audience’s brand loyalty and affinity. The more your audience shares your video, the more they are showing their trust and support in your brand. This not only builds your brand’s credibility but also serves as an effective form of word-of-mouth marketing.
Viewership Metrics
In B2B, views are important, but what’s even more crucial is ensuring the video is watched by the right audience. Those that are genuinely interested in purchasing your product or service. Your total views should be analyzed in relation to the total addressable market (TAM) and not just based on the notion that more views are better.
When evaluating the performance of your videos, you should not only consider total views and watch time, but also conversions and progress towards sales. This gives a more accurate picture of how your videos are helping your business. Don’t just rely solely on views and watch time, which may present a misleading picture.
Conversion Rates
Your video’s conversion rate assesses the effectiveness of your video in convincing viewers to become leads or customers. You should experiment to determine whether videos improve or decrease the conversion rates of your landing pages.
If they do, it indicates that videos are better at communicating information and eliciting excitement in your potential clients compared to text.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Return on Investment (ROI) is a financial metric used to measure the efficiency of your video marketing efforts. In B2B video marketing, ROI is a measure of the financial return you get from investing in the creation and distribution of a video marketing campaign.
The traditional ROI calculation involves dividing the return of an investment by the cost of the investment. ROI is an important metric for you to track as it provides insight into the effectiveness of your video marketing efforts.
It can also help you make data-driven decisions about your marketing budget and strategies. By regularly monitoring your ROI, you’ll be able to determine the most cost-effective ways to reach your target audience and achieve your marketing goals.
Conclusion
With the rise of video consumption and the growing use of digital platforms, video has become a crucial element in B2B marketing. It has become a powerful tool for you to reach, engage, and convert your target audience.
Investing in video marketing is an investment in the future of your business. By leveraging its full potential, you can reap the benefits and achieve your marketing goals.
