Read time: 4 mins
Written by Josh Westerman
The consumption of video content is growing at a rapid rate. Yet video shouldn’t just be something B2C brands can utilise to create content that resonates with their audiences. B2B brands too can get in on the action to help support, generate and convert leads through the creation of engaging, informative content which showcases expertise.
In fact, 62 per cent of B2B marketers rate video as the most important format they will use for content this year.
In the world of B2B content marketing, video should no longer be seen as a “nice to have”, but an important part of your strategy.
I’ve explored three of the key reasons why using video in your B2B content marketing strategy is a must to drive engagement and interaction with your brand and nurture and generate leads.
1. Digestible content which caters to your audience’s preferences
The whole point of any piece of content within B2B video marketing is to make sure what you’re putting out there is easily digestible for those it’s targeted at. As Robert Weiss stated in his piece Use YouTube Video Marketing to Generate Leads, Awareness and Customers: “Business decision makers LOVE online video because it gives them the most amount of information in the shortest amount of time.”
In Layman’s terms, the bigger your prospect is, the less time they’re likely to have to digest what you’re wanting to tell them.
Asking them to read a 2,000 thought-leadership piece on your subject matter will most likely be met with “thanks, but no thanks”. A 30-second short video detailing the key points you want to get across that they can watch whilst sat comfortably here, there or anywhere? Oh, go on then.
However, this doesn’t mean you should hurl that 2,000-word blog post in the bin – far from it. Your video should complement, not replace, your long-form written content, as both of these play valuable roles in your B2B content strategy. It’s about making sure your content meets the preferences of all the decision makers you’re targeting.
Like with any digital marketing activity you do, the overall goal is to generate prospects, shuffle them down that funnel and convert them into new business. Through video, you can curate content from audiences across all touch points of the sales journey, from those which don’t know you from Adam to those you’re already providing a service for. After all, retaining, nurturing and growing existing customers is key to growing sales too.
The process can tie into three defined stages of the customer journey:
Awareness
Your prospect has a problem, you know the solution, but they don’t know you know the solution (you know?). B2B videos at the top of the funnel are key to raising brand awareness, rather than actual products. As an example, an ‘explainer’ video to educate and inform your target audience on a specific, industry-related topic can put your name up in bright lights and enable prospects to remember your name based on your knowledge.
Action
This is where you can a be that little bit more salesy with the messaging you’re putting out in your B2B videos. These can be used to showcase your services and products and how they would benefit potential customers, which plays as a driver supporting conversions.
Advocacy
You’ve delivered the service, now you want to shout about the successes. Customer testimonies and case studies are an easy form of B2B video content which offer a look at your expertise in the ‘real world’. It can be as simple as getting your customer onboard with the idea, capturing some footage of them singing your praises and you’ve got an invaluable asset at your disposal!
77 per cent of people who have watched a brand’s testimonial video say it has played a part in convincing them to buy their product or service, so be sure not to miss out.
Your video content shouldn’t just be an asset which sits hidden away on your website or sits on a YouTube channel – you need to get it out to the masses! In a study by LinkedIn, 77 per cent of respondents said that using video on the platform had led to them getting more leads, whilst 78 per cent said the overall standard of generated leads had increased in quality.
Through using targeted social media advertising tools, you can ensure your B2B video content is getting in front of the decision makers you want to be seen by. To go full circle, this relates to our first point on creating digestible content for key stakeholders to engage with.
Video isn’t just a B2C content format. Brands within the B2B sphere should create videos of high quality, packed with relevant content to meet the needs of their audience. From explainer guides to brand-led features, creating different types of content within your B2B video content marketing strategy will give you a suite of assets which act as a lead generation tool and help you showcase your knowledge and expertise.
Need help with devising a B2B video content marketing strategy for your brand? Get in touch with Josh today and find out how we can support you along the process, from the ideation on the types of videos to the execution and amplification of the content: e: josh.westerman@brand8pr.com t:07432 655440