The journey from a prospect to a satisfied customer, also called the customer lifecycle, presents many opportunities to build and nurture relationships. B2B marketing videos are an increasingly important part of that journey, allowing you to better connect with your audience and provide valuable content throughout the buyer’s journey.
First, take a glance at these stats from a 2020 Wyzowl report on video marketing:
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83% of marketers say video has increased their lead generation
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80% of marketers say video has directly increased their sales
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84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video
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74% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy or download a piece of software or app by watching a video
Clearly, video content makes sense. It can be extra impactful for B2B marketing, in which products and services tend to be more intricate and require deeper, more personalized explanations.
To use B2B marketing videos well, it helps to understand how they fit into the sales funnel. Here’s what you need to know about effective b2b video marketing:
What types of marketing videos should you use?
There are many types of B2B marketing videos, and they need to be placed strategically within the marketing funnel to maximize your ROI.
1. Top-of-funnel B2B videos
Building brand awareness is the name of the game here at the top of the sales funnel. Top-of-funnel videos are typically distributed on your website, to be found via Google searches. You’ll also want to include them on YouTube so that you can optimize them to rank in YouTube’s search engine.
The following types of marketing videos will show your prospects who you are, what you know, and (most importantly) what challenges you solve for your customers:
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Explainer videos: High-level overviews and descriptions of your products or services, and how they can be the solution to a prospect’s pain points. You might also include videos that help clarify and emphasize a pain point you solve, especially if it’s not well understood in your industry.
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How-to videos: Offering valuable information is a great way to establish trust with a lead. How-tos and tutorials that walk your leads through a tricky concept or task can organically move a lead further into the sales funnel.
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Promo videos: Introduce your business and what makes you special with a branded video. Showcase your brand personality and use imagery, scripting, and music to inspire an appropriate emotional response, like laughter, sentimentality, urgency, etc.
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Vlogs: A short vlog is another great way to offer value to your audience. Demonstrate your expertise within your field, and freely offer your prospects information or advice.
Tips: Keep the duration of B2B marketing videos around two minutes or shorter. And don’t forget to include a firm CTA!
2. Middle of funnel B2B videos:
By the time your leads have reached the middle of the funnel, you will have already captured their contact information and they’ll have an awareness of who you are and what you offer. You can offer longer, more in-depth content at this point:
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Webinars and thought leadership: Take deeper dives into very specific topics and discussions. These videos should be authentic and very informative. A video podcast format works well for sharing expertise and starting discussions.
The optimal length for webinars and thought leadership videos is around 30 minutes. Place these videos on your website and distribute them via social media and email.
3. Bottom-of-funnel B2b videos
Leads at the bottom of the funnel have decided to purchase a solution to their business challenge, and are now comparing providers before they make a final selection. Your video content should address your prospects’ final concerns and drive them toward a sale:
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Customer stories: Highlight testimonials, focusing on solutions and results you’ve helped achieve for your customers. These videos should be short and sweet, around three minutes long. Place them on your website and send them to contacts via email.
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Product demonstrations: Present the features and functionalities of your product. A combination of motion graphics and live-action video is usually effective in demonstrating even very complex tools and services.
Keep these videos around three minutes in length. Place them on product pages of your website, where leads approaching the bottom of the marketing funnel will find them.
4. Post-sale b2b videos
Once you’ve closed the sale, you can turn your focus to customer satisfaction and building brand evangelists. Try these types of marketing videos:
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Company culture: Reaffirm your customers’ decision to choose you by giving them a look behind the scenes of your operations. Capture your employees in action as they work to improve customer experiences, and continue to build trust within your partnerships.
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Product and service guides: Walk your customers through any intricate, technical processes or features that may require some assistance. Make these guides easy to find on your website and deliver them via email to help maintain contact with customers.
The takeaway? Stay focused on the goals of each stage of the marketing funnel and create content that moves your prospects along in a natural, reciprocal way.
If you could use some guidance in creating an effective b2b video marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to the experts at Tobe. We’re ready to jump in!
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