Inside the Rise of B2B Video Marketing
A look at what’s fueling the growth of video in B2B marketing and how you can tap into this burgeoning field
What’s the next big thing in B2B content marketing? Video.
We know what you’re thinking—do people really watch videos that relate to their jobs? And of those who do, how many are decision-makers? Can we really believe that CEOs are sitting at their desks surfing YouTube?
Well, they might not be surfing YouTube, but the data says the answers to those other questions are most likely yes. For example, a study on video in the C-suite from Forbes and Google found that 75% of executives watch work-related videos on business-related websites weekly (and 52% watch work-related videos on YouTube weekly).
Meanwhile, Content Marketing Institute reports steady growth in the use of video in B2B content marketing, with 76% of companies indicating that they used some form of video in 2015 (which is a 9% increase over 2013).
Why is Video Taking Off in B2B Marketing?
At a time when having a multi-channel strategy is key to marketing success, it’s not surprising that video is taking off in this way.
And the rise of video is even less surprising when you consider it in light of all the content we produce these days. Consider WebDAM’s findings that 81% of people skim instead of read online and that people only remember 20% of what they read without visuals. If that doesn’t create the perfect storm for rich visual content in the form of video, we don’t know what does.
It’s equally as important to note that not only is the case for video in B2B marketing compelling but so too are the demonstrated results:
- Visual content like video can help increase message association, brand awareness, and engagement (Inc. Magazine)
- 73% of B2B organizations say that video has positively impacted marketing results (ReelSEO)
How Can You Use Video in Your Marketing Campaigns?
While research from Google on the changing face of B2B marketing finds that videos about product features, how-tos, and professional reviews are among the most popular, you would be remiss to limit yourself to these categories. Sure, they’re a great place to start (and focusing on an area with proven demand never hurts), but in general, anything that your target audience would find interesting and valuable can make a great video.
As you think about what you might want to cover, pay particular attention to topics that are naturally visual in nature or are more complicated and could benefit from being broken down with a step-by-step walkthrough that you simply can’t recreate on “paper.”
Beyond video topics and content, you also need to determine how you will use your video. Will you include it in emails, share it on social media, showcase it on your website? Any of those are viable options, but it’s important that you decide which channel you’ll target from the start so that you can tailor your video accordingly.
What Should Your Video Marketing Strategy Include?
Of course, brainstorming, creating and promoting a video aren’t all there is to video marketing. As with any endeavor, success with video marketing hinges on developing a comprehensive strategy.
As you develop your video marketing strategy, consider the following points:
- Objectives: What will be the top objectives for your video marketing efforts (brand awareness, lead generation, etc.)? What channels will you target?
- Research: How will you keep tabs on the latest trends in video marketing? Are your videos geared toward typical user behavior? Do they follow best practices?
- Process: How will you develop videos? This end to end process should cover everything from brainstorming to scripting to creating to promoting the video.
- Technology: What tools will you use to shoot and edit the video? Which platform will you use to host and potentially distribute the video?
- Measurement: What metrics will you measure to determine success? How will you capture those metrics (note: several hosting platforms can help with this)?
Smile, You’re On Camera!
In one short year, it’s projected that 70% of internet content will be video. As such, this is one area on which you can’t afford to miss out, and that means the time to start preparing is now. That’s a wrap!
