B2B Videos Are The Hottest Digital Marketing Tool Right Now — Yuqo

Yuqo
Yuqo
Sep 5, 2018 · 6 min read

B2B videos offer a distinct means of portraying your brand — what makes it unique, and why other businesses should be interested in your product or service. All of these benefits come neatly wrapped in a short, but captivating 2–3 minute bundle. The same impact cannot always be said for written content, as videos capture our imaginations, and more importantly our wallets, incredibly quickly.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME A VIDEO CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION?

Think about the last time you scrolled through any one of the social media platforms you use on a daily basis. What was the last topic or post that made you pause and take a moment? According to statistics from HighQ, 161 million users watched a video on their smartphone in 2017. The power to catch a business’ attention in a sea of saturated content is something marketers cannot afford to avoid. In fact, 76.5% of professional B2B marketers saw results by using video marketing.

The point is, videos engage multiple senses and captivate our attention, a principle that proves key when trying to sell a product or service to another business. Those that stand out get noticed. The key, however, is to get noticed for the right reasons.

AREN’T B2B VIDEOS THE SAME AS B2C?

While the similarities are striking, a few subtle differences separate both mediums. B2C videos tend to be short, snappy, and directly to the point. They aim to quickly show the product in question, the problem it solves, and how the customer can acquire said item for themselves. For this reason, B2C videos rarely exceed a minute.

B2B, on the other hand, has more of a job to do when it comes to persuading businesses to invest in a service. Chances are, significant amounts of money may be involved, and that investment doesn’t come without first doing some serious convincing. Compared to B2C, B2B videos tend to be 2–3 minutes in length.

B2B VIDEOS HAVE THE NUMBERS TO BACK THEM UP

If B2B videos take longer to make, and thus a more considerable investment of time and resources from the creator, are they really worth it?

Senior business executives seem to think so; 59% would prefer to watch a video if both text and video were present on a page they visited. Once those executives viewed a video, 65% then chose to visit the vendor’s site. Using videos to attract over half the individuals browsing your website is a fantastic statistic, but regardless of how many executives watch a video, that does not always translate into a conversion.

Fortunately, the stats have that covered too. According to a case study carried out by Eyeview, by including a video on their landing page, be that on a website homepage or company profile on platforms like LinkedIn, companies saw conversion rates improve by up to 80%.

FANTASTIC EXAMPLES OF B2B VIDEO

With B2B videos being the must-have commodity for effective business marketing, knowing what to include, and more importantly, what not to add in your B2B video is crucial. As we previously mentioned, you want to be noticed for the right reasons. This means, you want to attract attention for successfully portraying your brand in a cohesive and/or entertaining way. You do not, however, want to go viral with a cringey video that makes a mockery of your enterprise.

Here are three examples of excellent B2B videos. Not only will we highlight why we think they are great, but also how you can adopt similar themes or ideas in your own B2B videos.

1: SQUARESPACE

Featuring actor Jeff Bridges, this video explores his journey of creating sleeping tapes, which he then sells on his new website, built using Squarespace. The atmospheric use of sound and the inclusion of a familiar face instantly capture your attention. The video is framed in such a way that it looks more like a movie trailer than a B2B video. Finally, the video ends with Mr. Bridges explaining how Squarespace enabled him to realise his dream.

While it may not be within your marketing budget to hire professional actors, having team members act out a scenario that highlights your product or service helps strengthen the narrative. Storytelling generates interest from the beginning to the end of the video. Use a couple of high-quality cameras, a few well-shot sequences, and a post-production filter or two, and you will confidently be able to replicate a professionally shot video.

2: SLACK

The underlying principle to Slack’s excellent B2B video is relatability. There are no high-profile Hollywood actors; instead, each individual in the video is a member of a team that has been using Slack to optimise their workflow and communications. We are provided with real-world examples, alongside a cast of office members who undoubtedly have personalities that resonate in workplaces across the world.

The video doesn’t take itself too seriously, however, this is not to portray a casual approach to working. Instead, it highlights how seamlessly Slack can be integrated into any workplace, regardless of its team members, nuances, and quirks. By embracing the type of company you are, recipients will appreciate and relate to the values and ideals you are representing.

3: HUBSPOT

Our final suggestion plays on one of the most substantial elements available in a B2B video, customer testimony. It successfully incorporates elements from both of the above videos, and tells them from the customer’s point of view. Similar to the approach Slack takes, but they have dropped the comedic script in favour of a genuine review of their product.

By watching the video, we understand what the customer’s problem was, how competitors stacked up, and ultimately, how HubSpot solved their initial issues. The video is relatable, maintains a narrative to keep the viewer interested, and ends with how efficiently HubSpot worked. The customer’s testimonial proves that the product has tangible value in the real world. Depending on the product or service you are selling, HubSpot’s approach, rather than a fictional video, may be more suitable.

PICK YOUR PLATFORM WISLEY

You have figured out a concept, portrayed the product or service brilliantly, and are ready to post your captivating B2B video. The only question is, where in the vast spectrum of social media and business platforms will your video not only receive the most attention, but the best chance of securing new business?

While it may be tempting to use the functionality of Facebook, the reality is, most social media platforms are saturated with social content. There may be some benefit to posting in this digital environment, depending on your business, but for B2B videos to shine, they need to be squarely in view of other companies. LinkedIn has made leaps and bounds in this respect. Uploading video content used to be a slow and arduous task that often involved buffering and loading screens.

Recent updates made video uploads much more integrated. Just post them in the same way you would a written post. As long as a user has liked or connected to your business, the video will autoplay the next time they scroll through their feed. Another unique feature that makes LinkedIn the most viable choice for B2B videos is the ability to see the top companies and titles of your viewers, as well as their locations. Armed with this information, it is possible to engage with companies and individuals that have shown an interest in your B2B video.

Yuqo

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Yuqo

Content that Works | A Full Content Creation Service with an Individual Approach | http://Yuqo.com

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