Does B2B Video Marketing Work?
Video is one of content marketers’ favorite formats. In fact, according to the latest Hubspot report on marketing trends, videos are the top content marketing media format for the third year in a row. But, is video marketing useful for B2B brands?
In this post, we’ll cover:
- What “video marketing” means in 2023
- Why video marketing works
- How a B2B sales training firm grew with video marketing
- 5 B2B video marketing best practices successful marketers swear by
- The answers to 9 frequently asked questions about video marketing
Ready? Let’s dive in!
What Is Video Marketing?
Video marketing is a type of digital marketing strategy that involves creating and sharing videos online to promote a product, service, or brand.
It’s an effective way of engaging with customers and potential customers, as videos are typically more eye-catching and memorable than written content. Additionally, videos are often easier to share than other content formats, allowing them to reach a wider audience.
Let’s dive a little deeper into video marketing’s positive impact.
Why Video Marketing Works
Video marketing can be very powerful to grow a company’s reach.
According to Wyzowl’s 2022 Video Survey:
- 87% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic
- 88% report it has helped them to increase dwell time
- 94% of marketers say video has helped them strengthen users’ understanding of their product or service
But why is it so effective? Just like a movie, a well-produced video can engage viewers emotionally. More specifically, it’s better than other formats at setting a mood that predisposes viewers to trust your message. For instance, having an actual person talk to the camera as they would talk to another person is only possible with video.
There are endless ways to gain and retain a viewer’s interest. And which ones will work for you will be deeply related to your brand’s visual identity and tone. But once you’ve found the perfect format for your company videos, you can use them to:
- Garner brand awareness
- Educate on products or services
- Drive customer engagement
- Reach larger audiences and generate leads
- Showcase the company’s unique value proposition
- Tell the company’s story and humanize your brand
We know that video marketing works - for direct to customer startups, for instance. But, can B2B companies see results with video marketing? Let’s see.
How a B2B Brand Strengthened Its Lead Acquisition with Video Marketing
In this section, I’ll share my first-hand experience helping a B2B sales training company to dive into video marketing.
TL;DR:
- The challenge was to grow the brand’s digital footprint and diversify brand awareness channels
- The solution was to create a series of educational videos on Youtube and repurpose content on social media
- The results were improved brand awareness, an increase in inbound leads, and a higher conversion rate
The challenge
The company noticed they were not leveraging their digital presence and wanted to get ahead of competitors that were in the same situation.
Up until that point, they had done well with little to no content marketing. The company had been around for 11 years, so the director was a well-known and trusted figure in the industry. They had an empowered sales team with great networking capacity, so prospects were mostly aware of the brand. Another interesting indicator of solid brand awareness was that more than 55% of their website traffic was direct.
However, the digital landscape was growing fast and a new generation of salespeople that didn’t know the brand first-hand was arising. Hence, the challenge was to grow the brand’s online footprint and reach those new prospects.
The goals for our marketing campaign were:
- Establishing YouTube as an awareness-generating channel
- Leveraging video to grow in followers and engagement across social media channels
The solution
So far, the company was using social media to post photos of sales training sessions and share institutional messages. Sales tips were also rare treats. Video was only used to promote their services on their website, and no actual team member appeared on those videos.
In order to gain their new prospects’ trust, we had to create relevant educational videos that displayed the team’s expertise in professional sales.
We created a series of videos that were:
- Focused on specific sales topics and explained the subject in 4-8 minutes
- Starred by the company’s director, who was already the face of the company and was able to express the concepts with clarity and expressively
- Recorded in the company’s offices. Not only because they were the same rooms where their in-person training took place, but also because they had very luminous and calm spaces
- Hosted on Youtube and linked on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
- Repurposed in different formats to create new posts for social media
The results
Ever since we released the first educational video in 2019 and began implementing the content marketing plan consistently, the company began to generate more inbound leads.
The main marketing channels grew exponentially and the goal of maintaining and diversifying brand awareness sources was met.
Here’s a quick look at our results:
- The company’s Youtube channel accumulated 3,000 hours of watch time and grew its subscriber base by 800%.
- The company’s LinkedIn presence grew its followers by 200%, resulting in new leads and conversions.
- The company’s website continued having a high percentage of direct traffic, but it received 4x more inbound leads than ever before.
Our Top 5 B2B Video Marketing Best Practices
Now you know what video marketing is and how B2B brands can use it to grow. In this section, we’ll dive into 5 B2B video marketing best practices you should keep in mind before the camera starts to roll.
We recommend you:
- Choose your platforms carefully
- Combine content formats
- Repurpose your material
- Use video to humanize your brand
- Set SMART goals & KPIs
Let’s dive in!
Choose the right platforms
Your brand doesn’t have to be present everywhere, only on the channels that matter the most to your target audience. This principle applies to video marketing too. But it’s also important to choose platforms where video content is well-received and actually pays off.
According to Hubspot, short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have an 85% rate of effectiveness. However, the latest Vidico’s study found that 26% of surveyed marketers don’t consider TikTok and Instagram as effective B2B marketing channels. 63% of respondents agreed that Youtube is the best platform to host videos and get the best marketing results.
Combine Content Formats
Create rich content experiences by combining your formats. For instance, you can use video to introduce and briefly explain a concept, and go in detail in a blog post. And, if the topic allows it, you can even complement those two formats with an interactive resource, such as a checklist or quiz.
In a landscape overcrowded with low-quality content, finding actual educational resources that go beyond expectations is not only refreshing for leads but highly valuable.
Repurpose
Video is one of the most effective formats to explain concepts and share experiences. But producing videos can be a very resource-intensive task.
Make the most out of every video you produce by repurposing that content through different marketing channels. For example, you could select some highlights and generate short clips for Instagram reels, or write down the video’s key takeaways and turn them into a slideshow.
But be careful with brand consistency. Naturally, there’ll be some slight differences in tone when adapting content for different platforms, but your brand has to remain recognizable across channels and formats.
Use Video to Humanize Your Brand
Done is better than perfect. And no, turning your brand into a personal brand is not the only way to do this.
Creating videos is an opportunity to make your company feel tangible, credible, and transparent. You can do this by:
- Giving a literal voice to the brand
- Putting a face to the brand, either through a real person or an animated character
- Showcasing the human team behind the company
- Showing the process behind a product or service
Set SMART Goals & KPIs
Even though video is easier than ever to produce, it can still be quite expensive. So, you’ll want to be able to:
- Measure your video marketing campaign ROI
- Learn what type of video works best for your business goals
That’s where setting SMART Goals and KPIs comes into play.
“SMART” is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
Here’s an example of a SMART goals list:
As you can see, the first campaign goal is about problem-solving. This implies that there’s been some research made before setting this goal.
Key Takeaways
In conclusion, B2B video marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses to reach more people, increase brand awareness, and increase sales.
With the right approach, businesses can leverage the power of video marketing to engage their desired audience in a way that feels genuine and valuable.
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Frequently Asked Questions
In this section, we’ll share some frequently asked questions surrounding video marketing.
How can video marketing be used to increase website traffic?
You can definitely leverage video marketing to attract new users to your website. This type of marketing helps you expand your presence to new channels and get more engagement from the social platforms you're already on.
What are the benefits of video marketing?
There are many benefits to video marketing, including increased visibility and engagement, improved SEO, and better conversion rates. Videos can be used to educate viewers about products and services, showcase expertise, and build trust with potential customers. Additionally, videos can help to build relationships with customers and followers, which can ultimately lead to more sales and more loyal customers.
How can I measure the success of my video marketing efforts?
There isn’t a universal way to measure video marketing success. Audience metrics can be relevant to measure your video marketing’s impact. But, in some cases, these values will just be vanity metrics. Before you get started with video marketing, decide what you want to get out of it, and set well-defined KPIs & SMART goals.
What types of video content should I create?
There isn't a go-to type of video content that works for all companies. For instance, some brands benefit from running vodcasts (video podcasts) covering customer stories, while others thrive on video tutorials. Regardless of which formats you adopt, something's for sure: You should always repurpose your content.
How often should I post video content?
Most brands leveraging video content will publish new material once a week. However, which publishing schedule's best for you will depend on both audience and operational factors. For instance, if your audience doesn't disengage after a few weeks without content and you can only manage to publish once a month, this schedule may be what's right for you. As always, consistency is a must. So choose a sustainable content creation rutine.
What platforms should I use to promote my videos?
The platforms that you use to promote your videos should be based on your target audience. YouTube is the most popular platform for video content, and it can be a great way to reach a large audience. Depending on your goals, you can use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to share video highlights.
How can I optimize my video content for SEO?
Optimizing video content for SEO involves using relevant keywords in the video title and description, as well as structuring the video to answer genuine user questions. Additionally, you should use attractive thumbnails and titles, and link to other related videos and content when possible.
What kind of budget do I need to create effective video content?
There isn’t a one-fits-all answer to this question. Which budget you should allocate to creating video content will depend on the type of material you’re creating, the platforms you’re targeting, and the type of ROI you expect. If you’re creating simple videos for YouTube, you may be able to do it for under 4 digits. If you’re creating more sophisticated content, you may need to allocate a larger budget.
What are the best practices for creating successful video content?
We recommend you strategize around platforms and user needs, repurpose your material and set SMART goals.
Additionally, go for done over perfect. Don’t be afraid to sound spontaneous, and let your personality show.