Video has become a non-negotiable component of B2B marketing. And a growing number of companies are waking up to the value that video can add to their campaigns.
And the evidence is compelling. Over 50% of users prefer video to all other types of digital content, especially when the video is short, engaging and informative all at once.
And this huge percentage becomes even more impressive when you consider users remember just 10% of a message when presented to them through text.
Though video marketing has become an integral part of marketing campaigns, creating it can be incredibly daunting, especially if you are experimenting with video for the first time.
No matter your marketing goals, there’s a video format you can use to successfully market your brand.
But first, let’s take a look at the benefits of using video in your B2B marketing.
The Benefits of Video Marketing
Improves Lead Generation
Videos provide a means to engage desired prospects and enhance your lead generation efforts.
According to a survey conducted by Animoto, 93% of businesses
have acquired a new customer through using video on their social media.
And it’s not just videos on your social media channels that can increase lead generation. Adding video to your landing pages can increase conversion rates by 86%.
Marketers are also fully on board with the advantages of video for lead generation - 80% of marketers
interviewed by Wyzowl said that video had increased overall sales.
Adds Value to Account-Based Marketing Campaigns
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is one of the hottest B2B trends in 2021. According to the 2020 State of ABM Report, 94.2% of B2B businesses now have an active ABM programme.
Video is now an integral component of ABM stratrgies, with it being used to target specific prospective clients. Indeed, the addition of a customised video to a simple ABM email campaign has been shown to improve CTR by up to 50%.
CEOs and other decision-makers can receive hundreds of emails, newsletters, pitches and presentations daily. So, if you’re trying to target a certain client, it’s worth adding video to your static material to help you stand out from the crowd.
Increases Search Engine Rankings
Google prioritises websites with video content, and pages with video are as much as 53 times more likely to rank on Google’s first page. And the impact video has on click-through rate is also colossal, as video content can drive a 157% increase in organic traffic from SERPs.
Clearly, the benefits of video marketing are undeniable. Yet 17% of marketers fear the medium because they don’t know what constitutes a good B2B marketing video.
But it’s not as difficult as it first seems. Here are two key elements you need to consider before creating your video.
Know Your Target Audience
A successful video will educate and engage a target audience with relevant information.
To achieve this, you must understand your target audience’s interests and needs before creating your video. Otherwise, it will fail to resonate with your key prospects.
Are they looking for instructions on how to use your new product? Are they looking for the latest digital marketing trends? Or are they searching for more information about you and your brand? It’s these questions you need to consider when planning your video.
Choose the Right Platform
Before filming, you need to consider the platform you will be using to publish it. For example, a video created for LinkedIn will differ considerably from a video created for YouTube.
LinkedIn is widely used by businesses and professionals and allows users to network, build strong brand awareness, and position themselves as industry leaders.
Therefore, a successful video on LinkedIn will most likely use a more professional tone (than YouTube) and will demonstrate a user’s or business’s overall value.
If you’re looking to target this audience, it’s best to include content that’s light-hearted, easy to follow, and boasts an overall positive message.
Along these lines, it’s also worth considering the length of your video. While LinkedIn allows videos of 30 minutes, and YouTube allows 12 hours (!), it’s rarely a good idea to push either of these to the limit.
Be succinct and engaging – when was the last time you watched a 30 minute video on LinkedIn?
The Best B2B Video Marketing Formats
Now you know of the key elements that make a great B2B video, let’s look at the most impactful video formats you could use within a new or existing marketing campaign.
Brand Videos
These videos aim to emphasize your brand’s identity. If successful, brand videos will encourage your target client to learn more about you and what you have to offer as a business.
It’s a subtle way of letting customers know who you are and what you have to offer, minus the overly produced and formal sales pitch.
When creating your brand video, make sure your personality and brand message shines through! You need to think about what makes your company more valuable than your competitors.
The title itself should be self-explanatory, but a tutorial video should teach the user something new. Do not dismiss the value of a tutorial video as they are one of the most popular video formats on YouTube.
In a tutorial video, you would usually take the user through step-by-step instructions on how to complete a certain task. For B2B brands, tutorial videos show your users how your products or services work and how it’s beneficial to them.
Testimonial videos help build brand trust.
These will feature first-hand accounts of existing clients’ experiences with your company.
Today, key decision-makers value the opinion of their peers when making a key business decision. Testimonials provide unfiltered evidence that your services work and that you are a trustworthy brand to work with.
A successful testimonial video will tell a story. It’s worth taking the time to collaborate with your client to create a script that feels unfiltered, authentic, and engaging.
Case study videos follow a similar format to testimonial videos in that they demonstrate your value through genuine accounts of your work successes. However, case study videos focus on more than just the client’s experience.
Your case study video should be a more comprehensive account of how your product or service significantly improved a client's overall business performance or functionality.
In essence, they let you expand on the features and benefits of your products or services. For maximum impact, include metrics like ROI or conversion rates as they showcase the positive impacts of your brand.
It’s only natural to feel apprehensive about video, especially if you are tackling this medium for the first time. However, video is not something to shy away from.
B2B videos don’t need to be complex. If your video can connect with your prospects and clearly demonstrate your value, then it will serve as an essential asset for future marketing campaigns.
