Jon Anderson — January 23, 2019 — January 23, 2019
How well is your SaaS company using video marketing?
Video is a great marketing tool, and it’s at its best when you use it in the right context. I’ve got good news for you and your software-as-a-service firm: for software companies, good contexts abound. That’s because software often lends itself to visual representation – just ask your design team. Whether you’re offering an innovative CRM or a secure shared drive, it’s pretty likely that aesthetic design factors into your work on at least some level. Accordingly, video marketing can pay big dividends.
If you’ve already heard all of this, bear with me. Yes, we’ve preached the benefits of video marketing before: it’s compelling, it’s memorable, and its effectiveness is squarely backed by data. And that’s all well and good, in theory.
But let’s move past theory and toward practicality. How should you actually do video marketing for your SaaS company?
I hear you. In this post, let’s get drop-dead practical. Ready?
Here are five specific ways your SaaS firm can put video marketing to get real results that build your user base – and, ultimately, your business.
1. Make a demo video.
Let’s start at a basic level: a product demo video. Here’s a quick example from Monday.com.
This is probably the most popular form of video marketing for SaaS companies – for good reason. Tools – of all kinds – are best explained visually. Imagine trying to explain to somebody how a hammer works without being able to mime the pounding motion. You can get the point across, sure – but it’s so much easier when you can show it. Demo videos capitalize on that concept to make abstract concepts tangible.
Take the video above, for example. What would the explanation be? “It’s a project management tool, and you’ve got these bars called ‘pulses’ that you can add data to like due dates, priority levels, project management details, and more – and then you can check things off as you get work done”.
Yeah, that kind of makes sense. But the concept really clicks when a potential user can actually see the tool in action.
2. Show off case studies and testimonials.
Case studies and testimonials are some of the most straightforward applications of video marketing for SaaS. They’re a chance to show off how your solution has helped real-world clients – and when represented visually, the stories are even more compelling.
Here’s a great example from Bamboo HR.
A few guidelines to making compelling case studies and testimonials:
- Get footage that tells a story. There’s a reason people love the whole “before and after” premise: we’re drawn to stories. If you can provide a full narrative of what people’s pain points were before your product and how their lives are better now, viewers will pay attention.
- Keep videos under three minutes. The video above, for example, is only 50 seconds long. It’s tempting to stretch things out to cover all of the detail in your great product, but you’re better off keeping things concise. Viewers don’t need the details; they want the gist. The majority will tune out quickly.
- If you’re interviewing, script out your questions. I guarantee that Bamboo’s respondents were asked scripted questions. If you don’t have scripted questions, you almost certainly won’t get the quotes you’re looking for, and you’ll end up with a rambling testimonial instead of a focused piece.
We’d recommend you compile at least three case studies or testimonials, ideally focused around your major areas of service. This will give potential clients a well-rounded (and, hopefully, compelling) look at your work.
3. Get a Facebook cover video.
If you’ve been thinking that every other post on social media is a video, you’re not far off. Facebook videos (to select one platform for an example) have increased 360% in newsfeed updates. That’s a lot of video. And of course, other channels have followed suit.
That can feel a little overwhelming though, so here’s a good first step to implementing video marketing for your SaaS firm on social media: create a video cover for your Facebook page. Here’s an example.
The benefit (other than the fact that it looks pretty cool)? Again, this is a chance to convey a high amount of information in an engaging manner that boosts your brand. And, as with the homepage background video, this format is an ideal first step.
4. Promote your videos (yes, through paid campaigns).
Video works. Make it work for you.
Hopefully, these four practical applications have kickstarted your push into video marketing. Either way, the reality is that these four ideas are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to video. If you really want to engage using this medium, we’d recommend going further by pushing into social distribution or even developing branded campaigns around specific components of thought leadership.
And remember: while we’ve covered tactics here, your first consideration should always be strategic. Develop a strategy and execute on tactics – don’t let tactics drive strategy. In other words, don’t do video because you feel like you should. Start with a goal in mind, and determine if video will help you to reach it.
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