B2B Video Content Marketing – 8 tips on how to make it work for you

Video marketing is relatively new in the marketing world, but it is making a huge impact on growing businesses. Everybody loves watching videos- so incorporating them into your content is a great way to engage with your customers and push sales at the same time.

1. It is all about the customers’ experience

Anyone can google a topic or get information about something they would like to understand better, but a video is so much better. It provides your customers with a virtual experience and makes them feel a part of something even though they are sitting in their living rooms.

There are many ways to use video marketing in your business, here are a few examples:

• Help people understand where your products come from by giving a virtual tour of your facilities.
• Fix a GoPro on one of your workers walking down the assembly line or whilst they are making something for your product.
• Make a video of how your software works with explanations and easy-to-understand graphics.

2. Humour

They say laughter is the best medicine, and who doesn’t like a good laugh? B2B companies can use humour in their video marketing that will leave their target audience with something positive to remember the business by.

There are a many creative ways to incorporate humour into your videos.

• Make a spoof that shows what happens to people if they don’t use your brand or product.
• Make a FAQ page with exaggerated (but funny) common customer complaints and the solutions to fix them.
• Make a cartoon showing the amazing things your service or product has. You can create your own characters etc.

3. Problem solving is vital

The reason people buy products is because they usually have a problem they need solved.

There are certain marketing that sells, and some marketing that doesn’t. Most of the time it comes down to one offering a solution to a specific problem.

For example, a problem could be as simple as customers not wanting their smartphones to fall while typing because the phone is so big their fingers can’t securely hold the phone. The solution? A cell phone pop socket.

A company could make a short video of a lady doing shopping and using her phone to use her calculator or sending a friend a message with and without a pop socket. Without the pop socket her phone could fall and crack, and with one on her phone she can text and shop comfortably.

A video like this is much more effective than a written explanation or even photos of how the pop socket works.

Here are some more ideas using video marketing for problem solving:

• Shoot videos of happy customers telling the audience how great the product is and how it has bettered their lives.
• Create a video series either weekly or daily with your company’s mascot facing everyday problems and how your product helped them.
• Create simple instructional videos of your product and how to use it especially if it is a software programme.

4. Emotion is more effective than logic.

Unfortunately being able to solve a problem with your product doesn’t mean people will buy it. Customers want to have an emotional connection with a brand and will often buy a more expensive, but less effective product because they feel something about the product/brand.

This is the loyalty that business owners need in order to grow their brand and this is accomplished with thoughtful and clever marketing. The customer might not buy the product straight away, but will definitely come back in the future.

What goes on behind the scenes of your business is just as important as the product you are trying to sell to the world.

A few things you can make videos about to let people see the personal side of your company are:

• Film an annual fun run where your employees are taking part to show the dedication to fitness and fun spirit of your team.
• Film a series of videos showing what an important role your product or technology has made in peoples’ lives.
• If you take part in a social project to help your local communities, film the project from start to finish and explain how the public can get involved.

5. Looks definitely matter.

When adding video marketing content to your brand, it is extremely important that it is well put together and professional. This can play a major role on the impact the videos have on your viewers.

You must have a great producer, director and writer. This might cost extra, but if you buy the right equipment and have someone in house do a short course in videography, this could be a great investment in the long run. If this is too much of a challenge and you don’t have the time, you can always hire an outside agency or ask local college and university students who can help for free.  The experience and exposure will be of great value to them.

6. Competition is everywhere.

Today there are countless companies also using video marketing to sell their products. Having competition is no longer about the product or service you are selling, but how effective your marketing is. And these days, anyone with a video camera can make money through videos.

Don’t settle for being able to make better content videos than other businesses, but take the time to watch trending videos on YouTube to see how they are changing and becoming more relevant for today’s consumer. It is also worthwhile to familiarise yourself with the YouTube Creator Playbook for YouTube’s strategic guide to get information on how to grow your followers.

7. End “Random Acts of Content.”

Any form of old content you may have, written or otherwise, can always be used again somewhere else. Don’t go making videos just because you can, but plan and strategize just as you would with any other form of marketing.

Always keep in mind and ask yourself where else you can use your videos to boost engagement in other areas of your marketing. Always ask yourself why and what you are doing so that you have a clear vision of where you want to go with your videos as well as what you want to achieve.

For example:

• Use footage that was taken at an event to create a highlights reel you can add to your social media posts.
• Interview customers and use those testimonials not only for your website, but to send to prospective clients as part of your marketing pitch.

As you begin to think about your marketing strategy and incorporating videos, you will see that content collaboration can save you a lot of time and resources.

8. Micro-video content is extremely effective.

There are small details of your business life that people would love to see. These moments can be captured in short videos and then used to link to the rest of your video marketing strategy.

You can start a 3 minute video series and speak about the different aspects of your business and your products. You can tell people about upcoming events or answer questions customers might have, and because your audience knows you just grab your phone and start recording, no one will expect high quality videos because the content is more important to them than the aesthetics.

Now customer’s experience the personal side of the business and may have questions answered in a short and compact video instead of having to page through loads of written content. After all, convenience is what everyone is looking for.

With a simple yet effective plan, video marketing can make a major difference in the growth of business and should be a priority for any business today.