Need some inspiration for your latest B2B video marketing campaign? B2B videos don’t have to be boring anymore. It’s time to get creative.
And you can’t escape it. Video is not a trend, it’s not a fad – it’s everywhere. It’s a great way of connecting with clients, building leads and clinching sales.
How relevant is it to the B2B sphere? Well, 73% of B2B marketers have already said that video positively affects their marketing ROI, which means that;
a) your rivals are already using video and;
b) they’re doing pretty damn well.
But it’s okay. Even if you’ve still got some catching up to do, there’s plenty of time. In this article, we’re going to share with you 7 of the best B2B video marketing techniques so that your own ROI grows and grows in 2019.
1. Create case studies
B2B and B2C content marketing have some similarities. But where they majorly differ is that, while B2C content can sometimes be fun, frivolous and downright entertaining for the sake of being entertaining, B2B content has to be laser-focused on ROI. It has to use numbers, data and facts to convince the time-pressed client that this product or service is for them.
And one awesome way to do this is via video case studies.
Case studies are a solid form of social proof that demonstrates how others have already been using your product or service to great success. Instead of you telling people that your product or service will help customers boost their sales by X%, you’re able to show them how it’s already boosted another client’s sales by X%. Awesome.
Take a look at Slack’s case study video.
The video – which was originally intended to be a promotional video – shows everything their app offers. But it does more than that. It also conveys the tone (casual) which defines Slack.
And this is key because you need to use your case study video to show what your business has done for other clients, but you also need to make sure it encapsulates your tone. If you fail to nail this aspect, you risk alienating future clients.
The general upshot of a case study video, though, is that you’re dealing with metrics. Numbers. You’re being super specific and showing exactly what you can do for the prospect – because you’ve already done it for other prospects.
2. Create an animated explainer video
Explainer videos are really important. They’re a great way of explaining exactly what it is that your business is all about in 2 minutes or less. They’re concise, direct, and – when animated – engaging and even a bit fun. They basically show your audience that your business isn’t always so serious.
They also come with a call to action that tells the prospect what to do next. All B2B’s should have one. To make sure yours stands out from the crowd and hooks the prospect, it’s a smart idea to create an animated one.
There’s another reason animation works so well, and it’s this – Animated videos can make complicated solutions super easy to follow. Instead of putting the prospect off with a complex service, they draw them in simply by being so compelling and easy to understand.
Here are some explainer video ideas:
Experiment – monday.com experimented when they created their explainer video.
They blended stop motion animation with live-action to great effect. The result was a story that was engaging, simple and totally relatable.
Marriott experimented a lot, too, combining motion graphics with animation and live-action to reimagine an old story.
This is something Purple did when they took the famous Goldilocks story and reimagined it, creating a tutorial about their service.
It works because everyone knows who Goldilocks is and it’s always fun to see some of our favorite characters in new and unexpected situations!
Highlight the prospect’s problem before providing a solution – Dropbox did this very well with their animated explainer video. They pressed home how much of a nightmare it is to work in an office where you’re losing data, using older versions of solutions or not being able to work from other devices. Then, they introduced their paid solution.
Don’t be afraid to make your video longer – not all explainer videos are condensed into two minutes. HubSpot, for example, took on the challenge of explaining Artificial Intelligence to their clients, a tricky subject. Their video lasted for six minutes but the end result was a video that made AI approachable for clients who may have otherwise been struggling with it. As you can see, videos are also a great way to visualize important data.
All in all, if you’re going to use animation in your explainer videos, make sure you use it in an engaging and compelling way to tell a story that simply explains your core concept(s).
3. Push emotional buttons
It’s typically been B2C video content that’s pushed emotional buttons over the years. B2C companies use their content to build long-lasting relationships with their customers, and as such not every single piece of content they put out has to drive sales.
B2B content, on the other hand, is often focused on the bottom line, and thus uses logic and problem solving to persuade the prospect to make a purchase.
However, there’s no reason why you can’t use your videos to push emotional buttons in 2019. You don’t have to go for the sale with every single video you make. Instead, it’s a good idea to build actual proper connections with people via smarter marketing. After all, good content is no longer enough.
Take, for example, a video that documents your team spirit on a weekend retreat somewhere. This video will show prospects how much fun you have as a team, and it’s just a great way of showing other businesses the human dimension to your own business. It helps to forge trust and familiarity with who you are, and who people will be dealing with.
Here’s another idea – You could have your company take part in a social good initiative and create a video around it. Or, you could highlight a real-world issue that your product or service is helping to solve.
The good thing about using video to push emotional buttons is that it also gets your company thinking about what your values are. And it’s really important that your rivals resonate with the values your clients have.
Ultimately, it’s all about giving clients something to care about your business beyond your products and services.
4. Be funny
Are you funny? If you aren’t, you might want to find someone on your team who is, and involve them in the video-making process.
Take a look at what Lenovo has done with their Chad & Jane sketches.
These videos are funny and highly relatable to their clients because the comical scenarios are exactly the ones their clients’ experience.
Being funny is a fresh and entertaining approach to B2B video marketing and a great way to build rapport without being salesy all the time.
5. Create micro videos
A micro-video is a short, 3 minute or less video that gets to the point quickly. Why do they work in B2B video marketing? Because they address specific client concerns – and this is fantastic for clients who have a lot on their plate.
Imagine a client wants a question related to your product or service answered. They’ve tried finding an answer on your blog, but so far they’ve been unsuccessful. Perhaps the answer is in the middle of a 30-minute video you recently uploaded but, hey, that’s way too long.
Instead, it’s much better if the client can quickly get what they want during, say, their lunch break via a micro-video where you address that one question only.
You can create a series of micro-videos that answer different questions. Your videos should be hyper-targeted to specific customers and their concerns, and you don’t even need to worry about the budget. Spending on micro-videos can be kept to a minimum, and you can even shoot them all on your iPhone. Essentially, it’s just someone on your team solving a problem in 3 minutes. And that’s it. But the value is incredible. Just make sure that you choose a member of your team who knows their stuff, and make sure to give away as much information as you can.
6. Use virtual reality
One of the most exciting technologies ever is virtual reality. But while virtual reality has already been widely adopted in the B2C world, there’s absolutely no reason why B2B companies can’t adopt it, too.
In fact, because so few B2B companies have so far adopted it, you’ll be one step ahead of the competition if you do.
But what is VR exactly and what can you do with it?
VR allows you to create a wholly unique, immersive and memorable video experience for your clients. It essentially lets you simulate the real world that they can enter into.
In terms of what you can do, creating a personalized experience is perhaps the most advantageous. Because VR is so immersive, your clients can enter an environment you’ve created and see exactly how your services and products will actually fit into their workspace. By bringing them closer to the action, you’ve got a great chance to boost sales. In this way, you’re also shortening the sales cycle because a VR video gives clients more than just another demo. It actually gives them a proper chance to experience your products and services.
Be warned, though – Virtual reality equipment isn’t necessarily cheap. But if you employ the right strategy, your ROI can be huge.
7. Repackage existing content
Lastly, there’s nothing stopping you taking a fresh approach to old content. As long as you’ve got a skilled video marketing team behind you, you can take old footage and mix it in with new to create solid employee sales training videos, promo videos for upcoming events, or even highlight reels of your services and products.
Conclusion
These are 7 brilliant B2B video marketing techniques you should try out in 2019. Be creative with animation, show the human side of your business, and adopt new technologies, such as virtual reality. As long as you use video to be entertaining, educational and informative, there’s no reason why your next video marketing campaign can’t hit a home run.
