Video marketing might seem like an obvious choice for B2C but a less obvious option for B2B marketing. However, looking at the statistics – 73% of B2B marketers say video positively impacts ROI and 80% of online traffic is predicted to be video by 2019 – it’s an avenue that definitely needs to be explored.
Brands are made up of people, and people browse the internet and are engaged by video content. As a result, your marketing mix should contain a healthy dose of video in order to maximise conversion.
Here are five creative ways you can use video in your B2B marketing:
- How-To Tutorials
How-to tutorials are a great place to start when it comes to B2B video. You get to showcase your products, and also educate your customers on how to get the most out of them. But try to think beyond the basics of your staple products. Hacks and tips are popular and hugely shareable across the internet. Think about the handy information or quick tips related to your products and the problems they solve that you can pass on to your customers. And it doesn’t need to be a complex video requiring a ton of editing. Even a simple white board tutorial done in the right way, as demonstrated here by RSA, can be hugely effective and engaging.
- Introduce Your Employees
Giving a face to your brand helps to engage your customers and give them a greater sense of trust in you and your services. We all like to see that there’s a real person behind the company image. This doesn’t mean showing everyone working studiously at their desks nor letting it all hang out at the office party. Create a friendly and approachable video revealing a day in the work life of one of your employees or get them to talk about what it is they do and what your customers can expect from them. And then do some good editing; a static talking head video is unlikely to hold anyone’s attention for long.
- Create Video Snippets
Platforms like Vine and Instagram are the perfect place for snappy video delights. Just a few seconds of video can convey a simple message, a funny idea or an intelligent comment. Videos like this are very shareable and provide a distilled image of your company.
- Customer Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to show potential customers the success you’ve had with others. When filming a testimonial you should get lots of interview time with your customer but then edit it down to just a few minutes. Avoid anything scripted, focus on the benefits to your customer rather than product features and edit with b-roll footage to create a really professional finish.
- Live Streaming
Live streaming is a form of video communication that is on the up. It offers a sense of authenticity and immediacy lacking in other forms of video. Live stream at industry events, offer live stream for customer service or product tutorials and offer sneak peaks of your newest projects.
A common problem faced by companies wanting to create marketing videos is their lack of experience in this field. If you don’t have the in-house resources, you may want to recruit a video making expert who can create something professional and polished. However, there are also simple ways to create effective videos that would require little more than a smartphone.
B2B video marketing offers a whole world of potential for engaging and retaining customers. Create a video strategy, mobilise your resources and start creating video content for this video hungry internet generation.
