In search of a complete beginner’s guide to B2B video marketing? You’ve come to the right place! Today, we’ll explain what B2B video marketing is, why businesses should invest in it, and how to create your own B2B video marketing strategy and content…

 

As an overview, here are the 9 things we cover in this post:

1. What is B2B video marketing?
2. Why do companies need to invest in B2B video marketing?
3. Top B2B video marketing statistics 
4. How to include B2B marketing videos in your strategy
5. How to create a B2B video marketing strategy?
6. Using B2B video marketing for inbound success
7. The different types of B2B video marketing
8. The key elements of a good B2B marketing video
9. The Bottom Line: Why B2B video marketing is essential for success

 

What is B2B video marketing?

B2B video marketing is the practice of using video content to drive sales for B2B-oriented businesses.

B2B = business to business, i.e. businesses that are selling to other businesses (rather than to an individual consumer).

This takes the form of comprehensive B2B video marketing strategies that make use of video content at each point of the sales funnel. Multiple types of B2B marketing videos have emerged and it has increasingly become essential for businesses to make use of them to remain competitive in the modern sales context.

While video marketing content largely developed in the B2C environment, it has increasingly gained traction in the B2B market as client media preferences have evolved, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

With 59% of executives saying they find videos far more engaging than text, and that they use them as a key source of information for decision making, it has become evident that B2B companies will need to increasingly rely on video content to reach their audience.

 

Why do companies need to invest in B2B video marketing?

Despite the evolving media consumption habits of clients, many companies are still unsure of the ROI of investing in B2B video marketing strategies. 

Video marketing has often been viewed as expensive and technical, and understandably, companies don’t want to expend funds on a form of marketing that doesn’t seem as focused or targeted as text or static imagery.

However, the data for B2B video marketing strategies have developed in leaps and bounds, providing not only a clear pathway for implementing effective campaigns but also compelling statistics regarding their ROI. 

B2B video marketing statistics 

The most up-to-date video marketing statistics (as of 2022) illustrate exactly why it is so crucial for companies to ensure that they invest in a strong B2B video marketing strategy to remain competitive. We provide a summary of the most relevant statistics below…

B2B video marketing adoption and use

According to research from Hubspot, the adoption and use of videos in business contexts have skyrocketed:

• 81% of businesses use video as a B2B marketing tool, up 16% from 2021.
• Of these businesses, 32% use video to boost their sales, and 85% of the time these videos are distributed through their website.
• 30% of the marketing departments for B2B companies see videos as a more important ROI than their website, and 69% of them expect to invest the biggest portion of their budget into video marketing in 2022. 
• 61% of marketing departments found B2B video content to be their primary form of content strategy in 2021.

Return on investment

Hubspot’s research also gives insight into the ROI experiences of B2B marketing departments across the board:

• 74% of marketers saw a higher ROI on B2B videos than on static imagery
• A whopping 84% said that it directly benefited their ability to generate more leads and increase sales
• 52% also saw a noteworthy increase in the trust established between them and customers based on their video content.

B2B customer engagement  

A separate Hubspot investigation examined the B2B video marketing experience from the customer’s standpoint. Here is what it found:

• 59% of executives said they found videos far more engaging than text and were more likely to spend time on them.
• 87% of B2B video content was accessed on a desktop during working hours.
• 22% of these views took place on a Thursday, the highest differentiating stat.
• When accessing B2B videos during working hours, the vast majority of views took place in the morning.
• Videos that are a maximum of 60 seconds appeal to 86% of clients.
• 56% of clients prefer webinar videos to other forms. 

 

Covid-19’s impact on the demand for B2B videos

The Covid-19 pandemic drastically changed the landscape of how all businesses operate. These changes are here to stay, even as the world moves past the reality of hard lockdowns. 

One of the most telling statistics shows that 69% of businesses not currently using video as a marketing tool are expected to start doing so next year. This is because  68% of the clients say that they have increased their video consumption substantially throughout the pandemic and that they rely on it as a form of key decision-making information. 97% of marketers have experienced an increase in their customer’s product understanding through B2B video marketing; Cisco released research to indicate that 80% of all traffic will consist of video in 2022.

 

Including B2B marketing videos in your strategy

Incorporating B2B marketing videos in your strategy is quite natural and intuitive when you understand the key areas to target. 

Embedding videos into landing pages, websites, social media, email, sales outreach strategies, and customer onboarding can generate much higher user engagement than text-based content. What’s more, these videos don’t have to break the bank or be overly complex to succeed.

There are proven techniques for success that will help you boost your sales and your online domain authority. Let’s take a look at these below…

How to create a B2B video marketing strategy?

As with any strategy, it is essential to understand the tools you are working with and establish the correct context.

Within the B2B context, you are targeting several different viewers, which adds a different texture to the nature of your strategy.

You want to hit the different “sweet” spots for each intended audience member as they follow their natural decision-making process (identification, research, intent, purchase, and implementation). 

As a result, you will create a variety of different videos that engage product users, decision-makers, and stakeholders in different ways. However, they will all be linked by the specifics of your business model and your existing sales strategies.

1. Channel to sales funnel alignment

Two factors should guide your video content: where buyers are in your sales funnel and which channel they are accessing the content on…

• At a ‘high-funnel stage’ or the awareness stage, you want to take buyers from being unaware of an issue to acknowledging it and recognizing the downside of not addressing it. This stage is best for video content that focuses on industry trends and thought leadership or educational content.

 

• At a ‘mid-funnel stage’ or the consideration stage, you want to target buyers with product overview and case study videos. At this point, buyers are exploring their options, comparing products, and eliminating providers that don’t align with their needs or budget.

 

• At a ‘low-funnel stage’ or the decision stage, customer testimonial videos can build action triggers. You also want to provide buyers with video integration tutorials, and demo videos, and emphasize use cases.

 

2. Building relationships is now primarily about education

We know that the B2B buyer journey isn’t linear anymore and that input from industry experts and resources for self-education is an essential part of the decision-making process. 

As such, it is important to become a part of this process by providing buyers with content that is educational and empowers them to understand better the industry at large. 

Gartner’s research found that customers who think that information received from suppliers is helpful are three times more likely to make a bigger purchase with less regret.

 

3. Building social credibility

More than 50% of customers cite “people like me” as the most credible source of information about a product, according to Edelman Trust Barometer. 

Making use of well-crafted customer testimonial videos will have a strong impact on your bottom line. Buyers like to hear from other people who have faced the same challenge and resolved it when they are making a purchasing decision. However, it is incredibly important that these videos are authentic and customer-centric. Excessively promotional videos lose credibility. 

 

4. Make understanding your product easy

B2B buyers are increasingly seeking out video tutorials and product walkthroughs to understand a product or service. It is far easier to wrap your head around the specifics of how something works when you are consuming it in video format rather than attempting to imagine it while reading a text.

Tutorial videos have a multiple effect on user experience and retention. They can build a positive onboarding experience for new users and increase buyer confidence for prospects.

 

 

Using B2B video marketing for inbound success

So, you want to build a B2B video marketing strategy, but where do you start? Here are the 5 keys to building a strong foundation.

1. Establish a data-driven foundation

As with any marketing strategy, you want to ensure that you have solid research backing your decisions. Create a set of personalized data by analyzing B2B videos in your market about your specific target audience, and alongside your existing brand data.

2. Identify your niche

Targeting a specific area to become an industry specialist in will not only improve your USP marketing but also allow you to provide high-value content to your audience. Specializing in one area with established ROI is far more likely to boost your sales than attempting to be an industry-wide expert.

3. Create key customer personas

Your existing marketing strategy will already leverage off  your established key customer personas. Now you want to map this with your B2B video marketing data and create specialized profiles for your video content.

 

4. Set clear goals

You want to set clear and achievable goals for your marketing strategy to ensure ROI success. It will also help to unify your team and speed up the AB testing process.

 

5. Make use of an effective video production service provider

One of the best ways to decrease costs and ensure that each video is correctly positioned is to hire an effective video production service provider. Providers such as EditMate, allow you to crowdsource clips and produce professionally edited videos at cost-effective rates with quick turnaround times. It also makes it easy for businesses to create authentic video content that resonates with their audience. 

 

Crowdsource videos from your real customers & employees to create authentic b2b video marketing content with EditMate

6. Explore video hosting platforms

Choosing a cloud-based hosting platform will reduce your storage and bandwidth costs. Using this model allows viewers to access your videos by going directly to the host website, or through an embed code insert on your website.

Popular online video hosting platforms include:

• Vimeo – allows you to insert calls to action and email capture for B2B lead generation.
• YouTube –  While it’s not purpose-built for business video hosting, it is a free service.
• Wistia – provides extensive customization and analytics.
• Vidyard – unlimited video uploads coupled with SEO optimization.

 

The different types of B2B video marketing

With a clear thirst for video content that educates and informs, the B2B client market will invest more focused engagement in well-made B2B videos, compared to consumer-oriented content. 

This market aims to engage with a wide variety of educational content before making a decision, and as the statistics have shown, are focusing their attention on video content rather than text or static images.

Below is a comprehensive list of the types of videos that need to be incorporated into a successful B2B video marketing strategy.

B2B Product Demo Video

This video aims to show your clients how your product works. It is most commonly designed as a walk-through demonstration highlighting the key points that the customer needs to understand. You could think of this as an opportunity to hone and polish your most effective in-person sales detail.

It is important to keep this as concise as possible without losing value. Also, attempt to use different camera angles. so you could film the salesperson taking the client through the product. You could then film separate close-up snippets of different aspects of the process. 

Then, you would edit the final video so that it transitions between these shots, and you could have your video editor include brief and informative labels or key messages on the close-up shots that reinforce what the salesperson is describing. You want to aim to present the most useful information in the most engaging way.

 

B2B How-to Video

These videos aim to teach the audience something specific. Here is an opportunity to educate your customers that provide context and a more focused understanding of one or two of your USPs. It is important to use a person who will appeal to your main target audience and include props or demonstrations of some sort to ensure variety and enhance the experience. 

B2B Behind the Scenes Video

Behind-the-scenes videos need to feel as authentic and unfiltered as possible. It is ok for these to be of ‘lower’ quality so that they feel spontaneous and ‘real.’ These allow clients to get to know the people behind your product and build a sense of trust and companionship with them. Watch examples of top-viewed videos in this arena to get a feel for what you’re aiming at.

B2B Tutorial Video

A tutorial video may seem the same as a how-to video in that it aims to teach the viewer something. However, unlike a how-to video, tutorials are more focused on taking the viewer through step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task. These videos can focus on using your product to complete a task but can be as valuable if they empower clients to complete industry-related tasks. These videos help to develop your credibility and value to clients. 

B2B Customer Testimonial Video

These are crucial for their social influence. However, if they are done incorrectly,  they will work against you. These must be authentic and actually add value to the viewer, not just sing your product’s praises. Work with the customer on a script that is authentic to their experience and doesn’t inhibit their expression during filming. This may take the form of talking points, or prompts, but must leave space for natural conversation and self-expression. 

See an example by watching our own B2B Customer Testimonial Video here:

B2B Case Study Video

Case studies allow you to harness some of the potential you weren’t able to include in your customer testimonial video. Case studies can show several customers, or focus on an individual case. They allow you to tell the story of how your product assisted that customer and how that fulfilled your brand values and mission. This helps clients get to know your company’s personality and core values indirectly and genuinely.

 

B2B Brand Video

A brand video is your opportunity to apply the many long hours you have put into carefully curating your brand strategy. You get to introduce your brand and put your best foot forward in a multidimensional media form that has the opportunity to elicit real emotional engagement from your clients.

 

B2B Event Teaser Video

A teaser video is a fantastic way to garner interest in an upcoming event; make sure to highlight the benefit to attendees and include snippets from interviews with upcoming speakers. It is also a great way to contextualize your event and show why you believe it offers value in a way that directly speaks to your clients, without worrying about losing engagement.

 

B2B Event Recap Video

After a successful event, it is important to follow up with a highlight reel of the top experiences and the key value garnered. This helps drive interest in upcoming events and pull clients further down the sales funnel if they weren’t hooked by the campaign for the first event.

B2B Company News Video

Directed at employees, shareholders, and customers, these videos have proven to be the most effective method for keeping key parties up-to-date on the developments in your company. It is best to keep these friendly and conversational, or aim for a tone of excitement where applicable.

B2B Recruitment Video

These videos dramatically increase the likelihood of receiving top candidate recruitment applications. Great recruitment videos give applicants a taste of the company’s culture and provide an immediate sense of what qualities would make someone a good fit for the job.

B2B Expert Interview Video

Expert interview videos do several things for your brand. They position you as an authority and a broad educator in the industry, they help you to enhance your client’s education in ways that make it easier to take them to later stages of your sales funnel, and they illustrate that you stay at the cutting edge of industry developments without you directly having to state this. ‘Show, don’t tell’ is always a more effective way of establishing trust.

B2B Blog Post Summary or Teaser Video

These videos are a great way to repurpose content and keep using it to bring in traffic and leads. This improves your overall content ROI and increases customer engagement. Use valuable information from older blog points in short videos, with one or two new additions. Or, tease an upcoming blog post, by sharing a few snippets to encourage readers to read the full article.

 

The key elements of a good B2B marketing video

Here is what your B2B marketing video needs to be successful:

• It must be informed by your target market’s interests and needs.
• It needs to be well-tailored to the platform you are distributing it on. This requires research regarding what succeeds on each platform in terms of length, format, and content.
• It should include humor, storytelling, and visuals (animation, or engaging colors and transitions).
• It must find the human element to your product and speak to that.

 

The Bottom Line: Why B2B video marketing is essential for success

The pandemic changed the way businesses reach clients and meet their needs.

More importantly, it changed the way that clients engage with information and brands, and make purchasing decisions.

This has led to an increased demand for B2B video content that is informative, authoritative, and has a human element.

With 81% of businesses using B2B videos as a marketing tool in 2022, it has become essential for businesses to incorporate B2B marketing videos in their customer engagement strategy to remain competitive in a modern sales environment.

Research has also indicated multiple levels of guaranteed ROI for businesses that incorporate B2B video content in their marketing strategies. 

At this point, hopping on board is a no-brainer, and rather than a challenge, it is an exciting opportunity for businesses to present their brand to customers in a way that they have never had the ability to before. 

 

Need help creating B2B videos? Contact Us!