How To Create Your B2B Video Marketing Strategy + Best Practices

The data is clear, users continue to prefer consuming video content over any other format. If we want to stay competitive in today's market and capture our audience's attention, we must find a way to incorporate video content into our marketing strategy.

In this article, we'll talk through how to create attention-getting video content for each phase of the buyer's journey, along with some tips, tricks, and best practices to incorporate into your video production process. Follow each of these steps and you'll find yourself creating visually interesting video content that is driving engagement, boosting brand awareness, and most importantly, generating new leads for your business!

Key Takeaways

• Video content is the key to cutting through the noise and engaging your target audience.
• If your audience prefers video content then not catering to their needs is a quick way to become irrelevant and fall behind the competition.
• What are the key metrics to review when analyzing your video's performance? We'll cover that towards the end.

The Power of B2B Video Marketing

The true power of B2B video marketing lies in its ability to:

• Capitalize on the growing demand for high-quality video content
• Cater to the shift in your customers’ preferences
• Reach and engage your target audience like never before

From brand videos and customer testimonial videos to educational videos and captivating video titles, the top marketers have made video marketing an integral part of digital marketing and content marketing strategies.

With the right video budget and a well-thought-out marketing funnel, your business can create valuable content that keeps viewers hooked and boosts video views, driving your success to new heights.

Shift in B2B Customer Preferences

There used to be a lengthy lag between a B2C trend/tactic and when it became mainstream in B2B marketing. Since the pandemic, that gap has continued to shrink and as more and more of the workforce retires; it's important to tailor your content to the younger generation.

Gone are the days of an entirely text-based marketing approach, you need to incorporate video into your content mix if you want to be relevant in today's age. 46% of millennial buyers prefer video content over traditional text-based content, be it explainer videos, product videos, or testimonial videos.

These shifts in B2B customer preferences call for businesses to adjust their marketing strategies.

Video Content Is on the Rise

The undeniable surge in video content consumption is backed by hard evidence. In fact, on platforms like YouTube, video content is skyrocketing, making it an essential component of any B2B marketing strategy. Businesses are now leveraging product promotional videos, brand storytelling videos, and product demos as part of a comprehensive YouTube strategy.

And it’s not just YouTube; LinkedIn, being the most successful social media channel for B2B businesses in 2019, has also become an ideal platform to post videos.

With 77.2% of the people surveyed preferring virtual events because of how easy they are to attend, it’s clear that video content is here to stay, and businesses need to embrace this powerful medium to stay ahead in the game.

Advantages of Video Content

Increased Engagement

In the world of B2B video marketing, audience engagement is crucial, and there are significant advantages to using video content. For instance, video tweets on Twitter receive 10 times more engagement than tweets without video.

Moreover, a staggering 93% of businesses acquired a new customer due to a video on social media. By creating high-quality video content that addresses your target audience’s pain points and captivates their attention, you’re fostering better customer connections and cultivating increased brand loyalty.

Improved Conversion Rates

Though engagement holds importance, it’s not the only metric that should be tracked. B2B video marketing has the potential to significantly improve conversion rates, making it a valuable investment for your business. Product or service videos, for example, can emphasize the unique benefits of your offerings, enabling viewers to visualize the advantages and ultimately driving conversions.

Furthermore, customer stories and video testimonials provide social proof, which is a persuasive technique. Up to 50% of customers rely heavily on the opinion of individuals like themselves for product information. This is the most reliable resource for them.

By incorporating these types of videos in your B2B video marketing strategy, you’re generating leads and winning trust and credibility in the eyes of your potential customers.

Enhanced Brand Awareness

Making your mark in today’s competitive market is of utmost importance. With its captivating visuals and immersive storytelling, video content can help enhance your brand awareness and differentiate your business from the competition.

By creating high-quality brand videos, customer testimonial videos, and other engaging content, you’re showcasing your unique value propositions and making your brand memorable and easily recognizable. This increased brand visibility can ultimately attract more potential customers and drive the long-term success of your business.

Creating Content for the Buyer's Journey

Now that we have covered the power of B2B video marketing, we can create content tailored to each stage of the buyer’s journey. By tailoring your video content to the following stages, you’re not only addressing the specific needs of your target audience but also guiding them through the marketing funnel with ease:

1. Awareness stage
2. Consideration stage
3. Decision stage
4. Post-purchase stage

Let’s explore how to create video content that resonates with your potential clients at every stage of their journey with the help of a video production company.

Top of Funnel - Awareness Video Content

At the top of the funnel, your goal is to raise brand awareness and educate potential customers about industry trends and challenges. This is where brand videos and educational videos come into play. By creating valuable content that addresses your target audience’s pain points, you’re positioning your brand as an industry leader, capturing their attention, and building trust.

By utilizing modern storytelling techniques and engaging visual design or motion graphics, these videos can be shared across various platforms, driving video views and attracting more potential customers to your business.

Middle of Funnel - Consideration Stage Video Content

As potential customers move into the consideration stage, your video content should showcase product features, benefits, and use cases to help them evaluate their options. This is where product videos, how-to videos, and case studies come into play.

By creating content that demonstrates your expertise and highlights the successful results you’ve achieved for clients similar to the prospect, you’re reinforcing trust and helping your target audience make informed decisions. Remember, at this stage, your goal is to persuade your potential customers that your product or service is the best solution to their problem.

Bottom of Funnel - Decision Stage Video Content

At the decision stage, your potential customers are ready to make a purchase, but they might need a little extra assurance. This is where customer testimonials, case studies, and product demonstrations can help seal the deal.

By providing social proof and showcasing the success stories of your existing customers, you’re instilling confidence in your potential clients and encouraging them to take the plunge.

In addition, product demonstrations can help them visualize the benefits of your offering, further reinforcing their decision to choose you over your competitors.

Post-Purchase Video Content

Once a purchase has been made, your focus should shift to customer onboarding, support, and nurturing long-term relationships. Post-purchase video content can include tutorials, customer support videos, and company updates to ensure your customers are well-equipped to make the most of your product or service.

By providing ongoing support and keeping them informed about the latest developments in your industry, you’re fostering customer loyalty and paving the way for potential upsells and referrals, ultimately contributing to your business’s long-term success.

Creating an Effective B2B Video Marketing Strategy

Now that you have a clear understanding of the content you need to create for each stage of the buyer’s journey, it’s time to develop a comprehensive B2B video marketing strategy. An effective strategy involves defining objectives, identifying the target audience, and selecting appropriate video types to cater to different stages of the buyer’s journey.

By aligning your video content with your marketing goals and target audience, you’re maximizing the impact of your video marketing efforts and driving meaningful results for your business.

Define Objectives

Before embarking on B2B video marketing, you must clearly define your marketing campaign objectives. Ask yourself: What do you want to achieve with your video content? Are you looking to raise brand awareness, generate leads, or educate your target audience?

By defining precise objectives and KPIs for each video, you can guide and direct the types of videos you create and ensure they align with your overall marketing goals.

Identify Your Target Audience

A solid understanding of your target audience and their needs is essential for crafting impactful video content. By identifying your target audience, you can tailor your video content to address their pain points and provide relevant solutions to their specific situation.

Additionally, knowing your audience will help you determine the most effective method of video distribution, ensuring your content reaches the right people at the right time.

Select Appropriate Video Types

Given your objectives and target audience, the next step is to choose the right video format types corresponding to each stage of the buyer’s journey. Here are some examples of video formats that serve a unique purpose in guiding your potential customers through the marketing funnel:

1. Product demos: These are perfect for showcasing your product's unique features and benefits. They allow potential customers to see your product in action, understand how it works, and visualize how it can solve their problems. With the help of a well-crafted product demo, you can illustrate the practical applications of your product and provide a clear, tangible demonstration of its value to the customer.
2. Explainer videos: Explainer videos are excellent for breaking down complex concepts into simple, digestible content. They can be used to explain how your product or service works, the science behind it, or even the philosophy and values that drive your company. Explainer videos are a fantastic tool for educating your audience, simplifying complicated ideas, and making your product or service more accessible and understandable.
3. Customer testimonial videos: Nothing speaks louder than the words of a satisfied customer. Testimonial videos can provide social proof, build trust, and convince potential customers that your product or service is worth investing in. You can establish credibility and foster trust with your prospective customers by featuring real customers sharing their positive experiences with your product or service.
4. Company updates: These videos are a great way to keep your audience informed about the latest happenings in your company. Whether it's a new product launch, a significant milestone, or behind-the-scenes footage of your team, company update videos can help build a stronger connection with your audience. They offer a unique opportunity to give your audience an inside look at your company, fostering a sense of transparency and openness.

By choosing the right video types, you’re catering to your audience's specific needs and maximizing the impact of your B2B video marketing strategy.

Platforms for B2B Video Distribution

Having created your high-quality B2B video content, the next step is to distribute it across various platforms, including YouTube, social media, and company websites. Each platform offers unique opportunities for engagement and reach, allowing you to connect with your target audience in a way that best suits their preferences and needs.

Moreover, repurposing video content for different platforms can help maximize its impact and ensure it reaches the widest possible audience.

YouTube

YouTube is a powerful platform for B2B video marketing, as its viewers are already primed to watch YouTube videos, making it an ideal environment for capturing their attention. By creating and optimizing your YouTube channel, you can tap into this vast audience and reap the benefits of increased views and engagement.

To expedite the growth of your YouTube following, consider interacting with and supporting other accounts’ content, building relationships, and collaborating on content.

Social media

Social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, offer unique opportunities for B2B video distribution. By leveraging these platforms, you can reach your target audience where they’re most active and engaged.

To maximize the impact of your video content on social media, consider creating platform-specific videos, such as short clips for Twitter or vertical videos for Instagram Stories. Additionally, optimizing your video titles, descriptions, and hashtags for each platform can help boost your video’s discoverability and reach.

Company website

Incorporating video content into your company website is a great way to showcase your products and services, provide customer support, and foster trust with prospective customers. By optimizing your website for video content, you can create an engaging and interactive experience for your visitors, driving website traffic and enhancing customer engagement.

Add product demonstration videos, customer testimonials, or educational videos to your website homepage or blog to provide value and keep your audience engaged.

How to Effectively Repurpose Video Content

To maximize the impact of your B2B video content, consider repurposing it for different platforms and formats. For example, you can:

• Create shorter versions of longer videos for social media
• Turn webinar recordings into on-demand videos
• Create GIFs and memes from your existing content

By repurposing your video content, you can reach a wider audience and ensure your message is communicated effectively across multiple channels.

Tips for Producing High-Quality B2B Videos

The task of producing high-quality B2B videos need not be intimidating. By focusing on the following elements, you can create captivating content that drives engagement and delivers results:

• Storytelling
• Visual design
• Sound and music
• Captions
• Optimizing video titles, descriptions, and hashtags

Let’s explore these elements in more detail and discover how they can help elevate your B2B video marketing efforts.

Storytelling

An engaging story can make all the difference in capturing your audience’s attention and conveying your message effectively. By incorporating storytelling into your B2B videos, you can connect emotionally with your viewers and make your content more memorable.

Consider using the following techniques to make your content more engaging:

• Use a narrative structure to create a captivating story arc
• Incorporate visuals, such as images or videos, to supplement the story
• Remember that a compelling story can resonate with your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Visual design

Visual design is an essential component of any video, as it can create a powerful visual impact and captivate viewers. To create aesthetically pleasing and immersive videos, focus on color, typography, composition, and imagery. These elements should work together to support your core messaging and create a cohesive visual experience for your viewers.

Investing in high-quality visuals ensures your B2B videos stand out from the competition and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Sound and music

Sound and music are crucial in creating an immersive and engaging video experience. By incorporating sound and music into your B2B videos, you can establish an emotional connection with your viewers, set the mood of the video, and enhance its overall impact.

Choose music that resonates with your target audience, use sound effects to emphasize key points, and incorporate voice-overs to provide clarity and context. Remember, the right sound and music can make your video more memorable and impactful.

Video Captions

Captions aren’t just an afterthought but an essential component of any B2B video. By including captions in your videos, you’re making them accessible to a wider audience, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing and those who prefer to watch videos without sound.

Additionally, captions can enhance the overall viewing experience by providing supplementary context and information. To create effective captions, ensure accuracy, use proper grammar and punctuation, and provide additional context where necessary.

Video Titles, Descriptions, Hashtags, and more

Optimizing your video titles, descriptions, and hashtags is essential for ensuring your content is easily discoverable and engaging. By incorporating keywords relevant to your video and using descriptive titles and descriptions that accurately reflect its content, you can improve your search rankings and increase the chances of your target audience finding your video.

Additionally, using hashtags can help your content gain more visibility on social media platforms, further boosting its reach and impact.

Measuring B2B Video Marketing Success

Effectively monitoring your B2B video marketing performance is key for identifying successful strategies and areas needing enhancement. By monitoring key metrics, such as views, engagement, and conversions, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of your video content and make data-driven decisions to optimize its effectiveness.

In addition, continuously testing and refining your video content can help you identify areas for improvement and drive better results for your business.

Key metrics

Assessing the success of your B2B video marketing requires tracking key metrics for a holistic view of your video’s performance. These metrics include:

• View count
• Interaction
• Conversion rate
• Click-through rate
• Retention
• Rank

And more.

By monitoring these metrics, you can gain valuable insights into how your video content is performing and make data-driven decisions to optimize its effectiveness.

Testing and optimization

Perpetual testing and optimization form the backbone of enhancing your B2B video marketing performance. By experimenting with different types of content, optimizing your video for various platforms, and evaluating the outcomes of your modifications, you can identify areas for improvement and drive better results for your business.

Remember, the key to success in B2B video marketing lies in constant refinement and learning from your experiences.

Summary

In conclusion, B2B video marketing is a powerful tool that can help your business engage audiences, drive conversions, and increase brand awareness. By understanding the shift in customer preferences and the growing popularity of video content, you can create high-quality video content that resonates with your target audience and guides them through the buyer’s journey. With the right strategy, platform, and approach, you can unlock the potential of B2B video marketing and drive the success of your business to new heights. So, are you ready to embrace the power of B2B video marketing in 2023?