Social media marketing has changed. The juggernauts in the industry – including Facebook and Twitter – have started to move away from text, and towards forms of social sharing that involve less work on the reader.
The biggest change is the prioritization of video. Social media websites are bringing video posts to the forefront, and users are responding with greater levels of engagement, and more time spent on screen. Indeed, a report by Cisco indicated that video may soon account for 80% of all global internet traffic, and a considerable amount of that video is found on social media channels.
What this means for B2B marketing
Video is most commonly seen as a tool for B2C marketing. But is starting to play a substantial role in the B2B marketing world. In fact, a study by Demand Metric found that 74% of B2B marketers identified video marketing as their best conversion tool over all other forms of content.
Yet not all video is created equal.
For businesses looking to break into the video marketing world, or those that want to enhance their current efforts, the following are some of the tips for creating videos that have the impact businesses are hoping for from their investment:
- Keep it short and valuable – Consumers may have time to watch a 9 minute video, but the average business is looking for quick answers. That means that videos should be short – often no more than 2 minutes, and most limited to 30 or so seconds. Training videos and tutorials may get away with being longer, but B2B customers are looking for fast answers.
- Solve problems – B2B video marketing should be primarily focused on solving a problem for the viewer. By giving them an answer they were seeking, each video helps to develop trust in your brand that can be leveraged into identifying the ways that the business could benefit from your products or services.
- Develop a brand – Similarly, all videos should be created in a way that is centered around a brand’s message. Some companies may prefer to focus on being professional and informative. Others may prefer to be fun, interesting, or otherwise personable. Regardless of the brand’s message, it should be consistent throughout the videos in order to better engage the viewer.
- Quality is critical – Subconsciously, all videos say something about the brand. Low quality videos, or those with poor editing, indicate a less professional business. Quality videos with an excellent camera and top-tier editing show viewers that the business that created the video cares about quality, and is successful enough to invest in better quality video.
- Split it up – Many companies have found success by moving the client down a funnel. Rather than create one giant, long video that tries to address all topics, the videos can be split up in a way that allows the viewer to determine what they want to see next based on what their needs are, as well as allows them to stop watching when they’ve found what they need and move on in the pipeline.
- Consider humor – Humor can be a dangerous game. Not everyone is funny enough to pull of humor, and not all industries lend themselves to appreciating it. But remember that even B2B marketers are working with people, and people find humor to be more engaging. If it’s appropriate and in line with the brand’s personality, humor can be a great asset.
- Monitor and measure your audience – Above all else, never assume that any specific type of video will be effective. What works for one company may not work for others, because of the product, the audience, the brand, and more. Instead, measure the success of each video and see what people respond to most. Let the videos with the best results be what drives future content creation.
It’s also important never to be afraid to try something new. The reality is that the best in video marketing is often modeled after others that have been successful, but that success came from taking risks. Whiteboarding, for example, is one of the most successful video marketing strategies currently available. But it wasn’t until video marketing was already a growing trend that whiteboarding was discovered to be engaging and memorable.
Video marketing works in the B2B field
Video is not limited to B2C businesses. It is a highly effective B2B strategy as well. Although B2B video marketing is different when trying to appeal to other businesses, it remains one of the most effective ways to attract potential clients, and help businesses solidify themselves as experts in the field.