Web TV is one of 2008’s much-vaunted concepts, with a number of blue chip companies including Deloitte, BT and Lloyds embracing it enthusiastically. Despite this gradual acceptance of Web TV in the B2B space, it is still mainly a feature of B2C marketing due to the costs and time involved. However, this doesn’t mean B2B marketers shouldn’t sit up and take notice. There is every chance – thanks to falling costs and advancing technologies – that online video will prove to be a vital part of the B2B marketing mix.
Defining moment
Outside of B2B, Web TV is ubiquitous. The runaway success of YouTube highlights how far online video has penetrated. People are becoming used to engaging with Web TV, and research indicates they enjoy engaging with it. But what exactly is it?
“It is best viewed as a generic term,” says Stuart Maister, MD of BroadView. “It can encompass anything from the shortest video and webinars, through to a message from the CEO delivered online. Whatever it is, it is powerful. It increases message retention, viewers trust it, and they enjoy it. Their enjoyment comes from the fact they are seeing it, leaning in, and not simply reading it.”
Edward Weatherall, MD of Concep, agrees. “Watching a video is simpler and less time-consuming than reading – a three minute script can take much longer to read then to listen to. A long held criticism of B2B marketing is that it is dry, lacks warmth and needs to humanise its messaging. David White, MD of WebOptimiser, is convinced this is where Web TV can play a trump card. “You can look people in the eye,” he says. “It offers credibility that wouldn’t be there if the words were written. I can’t talk to every client or prospect, but through Web TV I can be sure my passion and belief in the brand reaches more people.”
There are however, weaknesses. It takes time and specialist expertise to produce and although it is measurable, and can be segmented for broad interest groups, it is harder to create truly targeted communications. Difficulties around email delivery also persist. Firewalls remain a threat, rendering email a problematic delivery mechanism. So for the time being, Web TV is resolutely a pull medium.
Despite these shortcomings, there are plenty of benefits to implementing Web TV in your marketing strategy:
1. Web optimisation
Intelligent use of video means people stay on your site for longer. They will interact with the content and improve search optimisation. “We are consistently adding video to our site,” says White. “It’s one of the reasons we’re doing so well on search. People stay on each page for several minutes. Pre-video, average time spent on a page was 15 seconds. With a video that is relevant to the visitor, it means they stick around for three minutes.”
2. Education
Whether it is product demonstrations or case studies, video is a short, sharp, user-friendly way to disseminate information. Clever use of content, and populating the page with triggers to purchase or ‘find out more’ increases your potential to profitability.
“Web TV gives customers and prospects an easy entry point to a business’s services,” says Maister. “They can see an executive giving a demonstration and view case studies. Video brings products and services to life.”
3. Lead generation
Well-targeted and relevant productions can influence purchasing behaviour. What FMCG brands have been doing on TV for years can be harnessed by B2B brands for key events. “Organisers of the Technology of Tomorrow 2008 event are using Web
TV to promote and generate leads,” Weatherall says. “Interviews with keynote speakers, such as Richard Branson, make you want to attend. The content is current, specific and targeted. The page is designed purely to drive people to registration.”
4. Brand building
Content is most effective when produced like a news bulletin or short documentary. This lends the video an air of objectivity that can enhance brand perception.
“With interview-based content, you get the appearance of objectivity. Rather than your CEO facing the camera saying ‘we’ve got the best widget’, a professional interviewer can run a Q&A session. This can leave the viewer feeling positive about the brand. The interviewer is acting as the advocate for the potential customer,” says Dave Harries, director of BizView TV.
Unlock its potential
So how can B2B marketers make the most of this dynamic tool?
1. Plan
“Brands come to us everyday wanting to put TV on their site, with no thought about purpose, outcome or audience,” warns Maister. “Apply the same ROI criteria to Web TV content as you would to any other medium.”
“Think about what your proposition is. What are you trying to achieve? If there is a marketing-led reason to do things – rather wanting to jump on the latest bandwagon – the better the experience of Web TV will be,” adds Paula Byrne, MD of Pushbutton.
2. Create context
“Don’t treat Web TV as a separate form of communication,” says Maister. “Use it to bring to life your existing marketing communications.” Don’t just create a ‘video’ section on your site. Video clips work best when the page creates a context. Viewers generally enter a page by reading something, the closer the video content is to the initiating page the more likely people will view. Because clips are usually short they only tell part of the story. The rest of the context can add depth and colour.
There are five ways to create context:
- Integrate the video into an article about the same topic.
- Place the video on pages that include descriptive content.
- Allow user feedback so your customers create their own context.
- Publish the video, with brief accompanying text, on a blog.
- Link to the video from pages with related content.
3. Produce for the medium
The Internet can handle long videos as well as short, but short videos are the initial driver of user behaviour. The average length of a Web TV stream is 2.6 minutes. Your narrative has to be tight and immediately engaging. Catching viewers early and drawing them in is key.
“Viewers demand short, tightly-produced content delivered in a focused way,” Maister says. “As a TV reporter I could tell any story in two minutes. That’s the thinking required for this medium.” This demand means drama and fictional narratives are out. News reports and short interviews are in.
Because of the ‘lean-in’ nature of the Internet and the intimacy of video, personality is a major factor in the success of Web TV. Viewers want to connect with the person on screen. This means content delivered straight to camera is effective.
4. Educate and syndicate
Web TV needn’t reside on your site alone. Managed syndication is the process of creating specific affiliate relationships with other sites and syndicating your video to those sites.
The more desirable your content the greater its allure to other sites. “If you make a straight product pitch, then you limit your distribution,” says White. “If you provide good advice you will find that you can syndicate your video to other sites that are keen to acquire content. Co-developed content works better, but takes more thinking and planning.”
5. Web TV: Viagra for other channels
With forethought, Web TV can be repurposed for other uses: internal training, sales presentations or events. But it can also reinvigorate traditional channels, bringing the offline to the Internet.
“There are two problems with events: not everyone can attend and they have no shelf life. Web TV tackles both problems,” says Maister. “Capture the event and enable an online audience to see it. They can select the speaker they want to hear with all slides synchronised as if they were there. Let them download all the materials. You can even webcast the event live. A short highlights report can provide a video executive summary of what was discussed. Suddenly events seem more attractive.”
6. Track and measure
Use a video delivery platform that has tracking and measurement built in. “The on-demand nature of the content makes it measurable and means it can be tailored to individuals,” says Byrne.
“We can get users to respond to content, to give us insights into their behaviour. We then begin to gear the service around an understanding of that particular consumer. On an ongoing basis we can gather data, personalise, segment and deliver more targeted content.”
7. Spread the word
Like any other piece on online content, it’s no use if people don’t know it’s there. Give search engines something to index and rank. Surround your videos with relevant on-page HTML, relevant user keywords describing your video content.
“Make sure the video is keyword rich,” says White. “Submit the video across a range of video websites: YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video and MSN Soapbox. Transcribe the video and host it on a specific page where you’ve got an introduction to the content as well as a transcription.
“It’s important to have a transcription from a usability perspective because if you’re reaching someone with a visual impairment or hearing problems, the transcription totally supports usability and accessibility, as well as – from a marketers’ perspective arguably more importantly – providing keyword fodder for the search engine.”
