B2B video has gained a bad reputation. But Charlotte De Maria, account manager at ITN Productions, urges marketers to adopt some B2C techniques to make engaging video
Recent research from ITN Productions and B2B Marketing highlighted that, although B2B marketers are eager to embrace using more video in the coming year, there remains a significant skills and knowledge gap in the industry. This is serving to limit B2B adoption of video, as well as reinforce the gulf that exists between the general quality of video in the consumer sphere and that in the B2B world.
While the language and messaging is different in B2B and B2C campaigns, the audience is always the same: people. One of the best examples of a B2B marketing campaign from 2013 was undoubtedly the Volvo Trucks social media campaign featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, which was shared significantly in B2C circles despite being 100 per cent B2B. Without suggesting B2B marketers should spend millions on glossy viral ads, here are a few pointers on how to apply B2C techniques in B2B video:
1. It’s not as costly as you think
For 43 per cent of our survey respondents, the most prohibitive factors when commissioning video were lack of time and budget. These days, sophisticated camera equipment has dramatically improved picture quality. As a fundamental, B2B marketers should consider the aesthetic value of video as being just as important as the messaging. Something as simple as using a quirky filming location, like a rooftop, can make the content much more visually engaging. If the editorial content is excellent but the visual quality is poor, you can risk damaging your brand’s image in the mind of your audience. Simple enhancements like on-brand graphics, good audio design, and a cinematic colour grade will significantly lift the look and feel of your video content without breaking the bank.
2. Storytelling is your friend
Sixty-six per cent of our sample regarded video as the leading type of content likely to resonate with their target markets. No matter how dry or corporate the business culture, there are always stories to illustrate through video. For Morrisons we created a series of ‘Money makeovers’ daytime TV style programmes to help them communicate a new financial product. This format helped to shape the corporate messaging into a story that would resonate with a mass audience.
3. Plan your annual strategy
When setting your marketing strategy for the year, include video. Don’t let it be the last thing you consider. Try to identify where video would perform well as part of your campaign plan. Once you know where the opportunity for video is, get support early on from your production company.
Almost 60 per cent of our sample said there was a video skills and knowledge gap in their department. As a starting point, write a loose brief for your agency covering key messages, objectives, length and style of film. A good video agency will lead you through the production process and write up storyboards and narrative scripts forming the storyline for your film.
4. Market your people
Think about who in your organisation, or client or partner organisations, would communicate well on camera; who are the brand ambassadors and confident characters? The audience has to believe in the authenticity of your messaging by using real people. For IPG Mediabrands, we came up with an innovative script-reading exercise in which we see the CEO practicing his delivery of the key messages to his imaginary audience, bloopers and all. Humour is another great tool to use.
5. Don’t forget to share
Too many marketers put content online and wait for it to be the next viral hit. Cost-efficient and targeted boosting of your posts can have a dramatic impact on your views. The way you share content has a big part to play. For example, if you share a picture from your film on Facebook with a link to the video on YouTube, it is much more likely to trend on peoples’ newsfeeds than if you simply upload the video directly to Facebook.
Your B2B audience is probably using social media, and seeding through Facebook couldn’t be easier. Paying as little as £30 can boost your views significantly. We tested this theory by boosting a video link on our Facebook page and had 40,000 more views in our target market’s newsfeeds. Once you have made great content, make sure people see it.
6. Include a bold call-to-action
A clear and simple call-to-action will enable you to more effectively measure the ROI of your content. Spell it out for the viewer and make it very simple for them to do. Ask people to like, share, tweet and find out more online. It takes us 40 per cent longer to process a complicated sentence in place of a simpler one. Avoid over-complicating the closing message with corporate jargon. Less is more.
Regardless of which side of the B2B or B2C divide a marketer works on, all marketing is person to person. It has been proven that communicating with simpler, clearer language makes us look more intelligent because we are not hiding behind needless corporate props. This translates directly into your video messaging. If the message is clear, visually and editorially compelling, then it will resonate and stay with your audience.
