Wendy Marx September 21, 2020 
B2B video marketing has raised a few eyebrows in recent years. Some find it hard to picture B2B CEOs scrolling through video on social media or surfing YouTube, especially to view business-related content.
So we have to ask the question: Is video B2B marketing a viable tactic for your strategy?
We 100% believe it is — and we’re not alone. There is a growing number of B2B businesses that successfully use video marketing in their strategy.
Why should you consider video in your strategy? Let’s look at a few hard facts that indicate that video is the future of marketing.
Why Focus on Video Marketing for B2B
There are so many proven strategies for B2B marketing, including blogs, ebooks, and white papers — why invest in a new content format, especially one that is such a departure from the “norm” that we’ve grown accustomed to?
Because it works.
How can we be so confident? Because numbers don’t lie. Consider just a few studies that back up video marketing as the next big thing in B2B…
- According to one survey, all businesses who were using video in their strategy plan to continue using it. And 65% plan to increase their video content.
- 80% of marketers found that video marketing had directly helped to increase sales.
- 83% of video marketers say that video has helped them with lead generation.
There’s no way around it — video is one of the fastest growing content formats across the board. But how you pursue video marketing can make a big difference in your success.
Let’s consider several ways that you can ensure your strategy’s success and remain most relevant to your audience throughout your video marketing strategy.
How to Use B2B Video Marketing in Your Strategy
1. Do Your Research
Deciding to create video content is just one step in your strategy. Once you decide to create videos. you will need to make some decisions, all of which will include some research on your part.
Consider the following questions…
- What platforms are going to be best for your brand? YouTube? Instagram? TikTok? Do your research to find out where your audience consumes its video content and what platforms have the tools you need.
- What topics will make good video content? Create a plan of what topics you want to discuss in video format and your process. Are you going to video yourself or use an animated format? What topics and video formats are trending right now?
- What tools best fit your budget and goals? There are a number of video editing and production tools to choose from, at a variety of price points (including free). Look at what each tool does and what you need to be able to do to create the videos you want.
This is just a sample of questions that you need to ask yourself before you dive into video marketing. Doing so will save you a lot of frustration along the way.
2. Use What You Got
When you’re just starting out in video marketing, it can seem daunting. A good way to take some of the pressure off is to use what you already have in your content archives.
Look at your most popular blog posts, for example. What topics could easily be repurposed into a video format? Since you have the content already, it will be easy to reformat it into a video-style script.
Slideshares and infographics can also be easily transitioned into video, especially since they’re already visual by nature.
If you have a library of past blog posts, a great tool that can help you turn them into video is Lumen5. This handy tool pulls straight from your blog post to create a video within moments. Then all you need to do is edit, add music, choose a size depending on the social network you’re using, and voila — a ready-to-share video!
3. Leverage Animation
Shy about getting in front of the camera? The great news is you don’t necessarily have to. There are a number of tools that will help you turn your content into lively and engaging animation. There are a number of user-friendly, top-quality animation software packages, including Toonly and Doodly, to name a couple.
While animation may seem like a the furthest thing from your B2B strategy, many brands have found it to be incredibly effective at reaching their audience. Granted, animation wouldn’t be a good fit in every situation. But, for instance, in explainer videos, where you want to describe a complicated subject in an approachable way, animation is a very effective tool.
4. Caption Your Video
Video captions are increasingly popular in video marketing. And this goes beyond an issue of accessibility. On many social media platforms, researchers have noted that the majority of viewers prefer to watch without sound, in which case video captions are the only way to get your message across.
Captioning your videos isn’t just about ease of use. It is also a great way to improve your SEO. This helps your content gain organic traction and attract views.
There are a number of AI-powered tools that will create fast and accurate captioning for your videos. It’s a relatively small step in your video creation process, but will pay off big with your audience.
5. Make It Short and Sweet
Short-form video content is rapidly gaining in popularity. The most popular example of this is the TikTok social media platform, where users post videos of one minute or less. While the platform started out featuring youths, it has grown to include educational and B2B content as well.
With the rise in TikTok’s popularity, we’ve seen other popular platforms following suit. For example, YouTube’s Shorts feature (with videos of 15 seconds or less) is currently being tested in limited markets but is expected to hit global YouTube accounts very soon. And Instagram Reels has recently come out, in which users can enjoy short, 15-second videos on a range of subjects.
Whether you believe your brand is a good fit for TikTok or not, short-form video content is a trend that you would do well to keep your eye on. It might be, with the right content and topics, that short-form video content is just what B2B audiences need right now.
6. Do a Live Stream
It’s been a few years now since live streaming was first introduced to social networks. Now it is virtually ubiquitous, with almost every social network offering this feature.
It can be daunting to do a live stream, with no chance to pause or go back and re-record something. But audiences have come to love the open nature of live streaming and the authenticity that it brings to the table.
How can you get started in live streaming? Look for areas where your audience would appreciate being involved in real-time. Perhaps a special company announcement, an interview, or a behind-the-scenes tour.
Live streaming does require more preparation before you sit down in front of the camera. You should have general notes to guide the conversation, but you don’t want to be tied to a word-for-word script. You may even want to do a practice run to work out any pre-stream jitters. Make it as extemporaneous and genuine as possible.
3 Examples of Companies Who Rock Their Video B2B Marketing
1. Adobe
Adobe has been at the leading edge of video marketing for a while now — and the company continues to lead the way. With hashtags like #creativityforall and #createyourstory, Adobe built brand awareness while also addressing key issues its audience cares about.
There’s even a section of their playlist called Adobe Think Tank, where they feature trending issues like artificial intelligence, digital workplaces, and the role of the latest technology.
Its latest video campaign, #HonorHeroes, speaks to what is happening in the world right now due to COVID-19. The video is short-form, totaling 1 minute in length, and features artists’ portraits of everyday people doing extraordinary things to keep life going during pandemic — including healthcare workers, first responders, and sanitation workers, to name a few. This video has received almost 3.5 million views and is a creative way to use Adobe’s voice to help the community.
2. Constant Contact
This company impressed us with the size of its video efforts. As soon as you enter its YouTube page, you are met with videos on every subject. You’ll see videos on customer questions, tutorials, and webinars. Pretty much any question that a customer has, there’s a video that answers it.
Constant Contact is not only rocking its video content. It is leveraging every aspect of the YouTube platform for its brand. Every video description has links to its website for more information, as well as social media links. And all the video content is neatly organized for easy browsing.
There’s even an ongoing series called Power Hour, in which they feature pros who share their expert advice on marketing. The most recent one, shown below, features Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank, as he shares his perspective on recent marketing and business challenges, including those of the pandemic.
3. Deloitte
Deloitte has been at the forefront of video B2B marketing for a while now — and its latest campaign is no different. It promotes its latest survey which looked at the effects of the ongoing pandemic on the millennial and Gen Z populations.
As part of this campaign, Deloitte created a video entitled, A World Reimagined: The 2020 Global Millennial Survey. The video was masterfully produced to highlight the key takeaways of the survey and build people’s desire to read it for themselves.. Not only was it well created, but it also includes links to a microsite where people can get more information and download the survey.
This is just one small example from Deloitte’s video marketing strategy. Another ongoing video series that we enjoy is their Life at Deloitte series, where Deloitte introduces its audience to its company culture. This includes interviews of team members as well as previews of new programs. It’s an excellent example of how to include storytelling in your video marketing strategy.
In review…
Video marketing is the fastest growing content format for B2B companies. Don’t let it pass you by. We know it can be daunting in the beginning, but we promise that it is well worth the effort!
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