B2B Marketing’s roundtable in December 2012 focused on how to make video work for B2B brands. Joel Harrison reports.
Video marketing is potentially one of the most engaging, exciting and dynamic techniques available to B2B marketers. Its power to engage time-poor business decision makers, in particular, is increasingly apparent, and brands and marketers are tuning in to the opportunities video creates to connect with diverse business audiences.
Despite this (and the hype by vendors and leading B2B brands with deep pockets and opportunities to experiment), to date, actual use of video is far from universal in B2B sectors, and only a small proportion of brands can legitimately claim to be using it well; an even smaller number to be doing so with any real level of sophistication. This is changing, slowly, with increased use of video being driven by accelerated internet download speeds, falling production costs and more sophisticated analytics enabling more effective measurement and insights – not to mention improved ability to demonstrate ROI.
Insight into video use
So what is holding B2B brands back in terms of their use of video? Are they scared of experimentation, or will video ultimately only ever be a channel relevant to top-tier brands with the biggest budgets? In December 2012, B2B Marketing ran a roundtable for its premium members in a bid to answer these questions, as well as other related issues, and provide further insights into how video is currently being used by B2B brands.
Attendees represented a broad range of companies and sectors (including software, telecomms, recruitment, facilities management, marketing services) with attendees at very different stages in the adoption cycle for video marketing.
Some individuals were already strategic users of video, with sophisticated content creation, distribution and analysis programmes in place, while others were simply scoping out the opportunities.
All members recognised the potential of video, but were also realistic about the limitations of the channel, and there was a general concensus that it should be used as a means to an end, rather than an end in its own right.
Below is a summary of key points and conclusions from this roundtable.
1. The DIY video aesthetic no longer makes the cut
The production costs of professional quality video when compared to the price of domestic equipment made DIY-style B2B video very appealing just a few years ago.
However, the fall in production values, allied with the increased expectations of business viewers, means these homemade examples are no longer appropriate in most cases. At best, they compare badly with professionally shot pieces by competitors, at worst, they may actively be damaging your brand.
2. Video is great for engagement
Everyone acknowledges that business decision makers are very busy, and convincing them to download and read a whitepaper is more difficult than
convincing them to click on a link and view a short video.
Video is also good for sales enablement, but getting feedback on its relevance from this audience is very tricky.
3. Never choose video for its own sake
Choosing video has to be based on its fit with your objectives and relevance to your audience, their preferences and attention span. Having said that, there are lots of ways it can be used.
It is most often used as a ‘top of funnel’ device, to attract attention on the website, but there is also obvious brand usage; it can be great for customer service, helping people use functionality; customer maximisation, explaining related services; and at the bottom end of the funnel, for sharing between key members of the decision making unit who want to understand detail on functional specs or pricing etc.
4. Production is the easy bit – making people watch is the challenge
The cost of video production may have fallen dramatically, but don’t let that fool you; production is the easy bit. It’s making people watch that is hard, and that comes down to planning and preparation, based again on your understanding of your audience and their needs.
It doesn’t matter how cheaply you produce your beautiful high-end video content, if it’s not relevant to your audience, it won’t have an impact.
5. Video is both a push and a pull medium
While search engines can make your videos visible and accessible to prospects at a time to suit them, video should also form part of your outbound content, embedded in emails and promoted on social media. It’s not just a pull channel.
A great way to do this is to use the new video DM packs, which are expensive, but can have tremendous cut through. These mailers get your video message to recipients in a highly disruptive fashion, which cannot be ignored.
6. Video is great for authenticity
If you have an important message to communicate, video has more power than a press release.
‘Talking heads’ of company decision makers can have tremendous authenticity and resonance, which can be particularly useful in instances of corporate reputation management, when brands need to address negative PR issues.
7. Consider professional presenters
While company directors or senior figures can provide an honest face for the brand, in some instances their lack of charisma on camera may be a negative factor.
For less critical messages, where it’s important to get a succinct message across, it may be relevant to use professional presenters. This will undoubtedly increase costs but it will reduce time taken on-shoot and may ultimately create a more compelling message.
8. Video can have a long shelf life and a broad reach
Unlike other marketing messages that tend to be relatively transitory, video can be viewable for up to four years, and this
must be considered in the production and editing process.
Similarly, YouTube can dramatically increase the reach and visibility of video, but this is not necessarily always good news, with competitors able to optimise against your brand name and steal potential traffic or business.
9. Metrics are pretty basic
The video metrics generally used by B2B marketers are fairly standard – mostly number of viewers, bounce rate and time on site. But there are a growing number of ways of demonstrating ROI, through calls-to-action, such as Flash overlays for forms during or after the video, options to download content elsewhere on the page, or unique telephone numbers to call.
The times when an individual video is viewed should also be analysed, as this will give a clue to the content that is relevant and your audience’s viewing preferences. It also may allow longer videos to be edited down to smaller chunks, or for specific individuals to be pointed in the direction of key points in the discussion where certain topics are being discussed.
10. Build video into your content strategy
While video may be a rapidly emerging area due to lower costs and higher engagement, it must be considered as just another element of your content marketing strategy.
Increasingly, content is key to both brand perception and lead generation, and it’s in every B2B brand’s interest to build a reputation as a great content creator.
On the panel
Taking part in this B2B Marketing roundtable were:
- Conny Lutz, marketing manager, Aprimo
- Jonita Macyte, marketing manager, Campbell Black
- Duncan Miller, international marketing communications manager, Mitel
- Debbie Searle, marketing programmes specialist, Mentor Graphics
- Jimmi Prebble, head of digital strategy, Pancentric
- Jeff Spencer, marketing and business development manager,
- Bull Information Systems.
- Victoria Davies, marketing manager, PHS Group
