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Business-to-business (B2B) companies, get ready for your close-up. Online B2B marketing and sales videos are gaining traction as companies boost brand awareness, conversion rates, quality sales leads, thought leadership, social media metrics and e-newsletter open and click-through rates. Videos are efficient marketing tools, providing decision-makers with an abundance of information in a short amount of time. And we all know time is the only true currency.
If you have not made video part of your marketing strategy, this is the year to do it. It’s easier than ever to create online videos with Facebook Live, Instagram’s livestream broadcasting and Twitter’s Periscope. Companies can use these social media platforms to easily broadcast their messages live via mobile devices in real-time.
Live videos help B2B companies communicate their brand story, explain their value proposition, build relationships with customers and prospects and deliver news about products, services, employees and customer benefits. Video content should be engaging, thoughtful, planned and integrated into the different parts of your marketing and sales processes.
The good news is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to create a quality video. Create videos with content you already have. Take information from your website, brochures, case studies, white papers, emails, blogs and sales sheets to help generate the best online B2B marketing video for your business.
Boost employee engagement by encouraging your staff members to star in the videos. Give them talking points to discuss, but don’t ask them to memorize a script. Scripted dialogue can sound forced and awkward. Instead, let the employees’ knowledge and passion drive the video content.
If you are creating a product video, show your product and consider offering a limited-time promotion like a giveaway/coupon. It’s also important to include a call to action—direct viewers to your website or ask them to subscribe to your company’s e-newsletter.
Before you start filming a live video, remember to promote it to ensure a targeted viewing audience. Tease the broadcast on your social media channels, website and in an email campaign at least once 24 hours before going live.
Always use a tripod to produce your live video, even when using a mobile device. Using a tripod can make the difference between producing a quality piece versus a wobbly mess. You should also practice before going live to make sure your camera, audio and lighting work.
It’s best to create shorter videos, one to two minutes in length, to keep your viewers engaged.
During live videos, pay attention to your audience. Facebook Live allows viewers to interact with you with six different reactions and a comment section. Assign someone off camera to respond to your audience’s reactions and comments to maximize engagement. Promote the share function to increase your reach.
After completing a video, note the number of times it’s watched and the number of times it’s shared. Facebook also allows you to analyze minutes viewed, the number of unique viewers, peak live viewers and the amount of people reached. Determine what your viewers like and what they don’t using these metrics and make tweaks so your next video will be even better.